Ikea price rise warning as furniture giant hit by material costs November 3, 2021 Ikea’s owner has warned of spiralling profits and price hikes because of supply chain disruption. Higher raw material costs have contributed to the furniture giant forecasting its profits are set to fall for two successive years. Net profit in the year to the end of August fell 17 per cent to €1.4bn at Inter Ikea [...]
Carcasses sent to EU and returned after being carved because of butcher shortages November 3, 2021 Britain’s cattle farmers are being forced to ship carcasses to the European Union for processing amid a shortage of butchers. Cattle farmers are having to ship carcassess to the European Union for processing because of a shortage of butchers. Farmers have been forced to send dead cows to the Republic of Ireland so they can [...]
TikTok owner ByteDance on the hunt for new chairman after founder steps down November 3, 2021 The founder of Bytedance, which owns Tiktok, has stepped down from his role as chairman amid major organisational shifts at the tech giant, according to reports. Chinese billionaire and entrepreneur Zhang Yiming founded Bytedance in 2021 alongside college roommate Liang Rubo, the new Bytedance CEO who took up the role earlier this year after Yiming [...]
Pets At Home CEO bow-wows out after four years as top dog November 3, 2021 Pets at Home has announced that its CEO will step down after eleven years in the business. Peter Pritchard will step down as CEO and director next summer, with the hunt for his successor already underway. The company praised Pritchard for overseeing a successful turnaround of the business during his four-year-tenure and increasing its share [...]
Next warns of sales slowdown while stock availability still ‘challenging’ November 3, 2021 Fashion retailer Next this morning warned it is anticipating a sales slowdown next quarter as pent-up post-lockdown demand eases. In a trading update, the clothing firm said its full price sales in the thirteen weeks to October 30 were up 17 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels. However, it warned its fourth quarter growth would [...]
Fridays owner Hostmore admitted to London Stock Exchange November 2, 2021 Hostmore – the new parent company of restaurant chain Fridays – has started trading on the London Stock Exchange. The group – which oversees 63rd+1st as well as Fridays – announced a demerger had been completed, separating it from Electra Private Equity. Shares were admitted to the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday morning with 126,127,279 [...]
French Connection £29m takeover approved by shareholders November 2, 2021 Fashion firm French Connection’s shareholders have put their support behind a £29m takeover. Buyer Apinder Singh Ghura – who has experience in the clothing sector as well as property and care homes – joined forces with partner Amarjit Singh Grewal, and KJR Brothers, headed by textile businessman Rafiq Patel. The move means the retailer is [...]
Paddy Power owner lowers forecasts after “unfavourable” sports results November 2, 2021 Global sports betting and gaming business Flutter entertainment has revealed a cut to its full year guidance following a string of “unfavourable” sports results, despite strong quarterly results. The “customer-friendly” sports results over the course of the first 24 days of October, combined with the halt of its operations in the Netherlands, resulted in Flutter [...]
Publicans loaned £138m to own businesses in battle for survival November 1, 2021 Pub owners injected £138m in loans to their own businesses to keep them afloat during the pandemic. Private equity investment firm Growthdeck found that some 1,730 UK pubs and bar companies ran so short of cash last year that their directors had to make loans to them from their own personal resources. As hospitality venues [...]
Post-pandemic exodus may achieve what levelling up agenda has not as City’s wealthy retreat October 29, 2021 Canada is today unrecognisable from the form it took just two years ago, as the impact of the pandemic has left it relatively quiet and lacking the commuter traffic that has long characterised the Square Mile. In fact, a recent report showed that footfall in London stands at just 35 per cent of pre-pandemic [...]