Marble Arch Mound to remain free following mound-ing controversy September 1, 2021 London’s Marble Arch Mound is to remain free, following controversy over its £4.50 to £8 entrance fee and its high-profile ‘flop’. What was supposed to be a £3.3m project swelled into a £6m final bill. “It has become clear that costs have risen more than anticipated and that is totally unacceptable,” Council leader Rachael Robathan [...]
Carrefour shares nosedive as billionaire Bernard Arnault sells entire stake September 1, 2021 Carrefour shares are tumbling today on news that billionaire Bernard Arnault is selling his entire stake. Watch the full report.
Next boss calls for UK immigration shakeup amid lorry driver shortage September 1, 2021 Lamenting the national lorry driver shortage, Next boss Lord Simon Wolfson has called on the Home Office to shape up its immigration rules to allow overseas hauliers into the UK. The trickling supply of HGV drivers has led to 94 per cent of hospitality businesses reporting problems with the delivery of products, according to trade [...]
Exclusive: Chapel Down eyes expansion and new winery after online sales boost September 1, 2021 England’s largest winemaker, Chapel Down, plans another vineyard and build a new winery to expand its production after seeing online sales boost during the pandemic period. In July, Chapel Down completed a £6.8m fundraising round via equity crowdfunding site Seedr to help continue its growth. In an interview with Morning Wire, Chapel Down’s chief executive, [...]
Betting boom: Gambling giant 888 UK revenues surge over 50 per cent September 1, 2021 Online gambling giant 888 has enjoyed an upbeat first half of the year as its total revenue has jumped 39 per cent, hinting that the lockdown betting boom is here to stay. The company pulled in $528.4m in the six months to 30 June, up from $379.1m in the first half of 2020 – carried [...]
‘Death by PowerPoint’: Next boss on Zoom and the future of remote work September 1, 2021 Next boss Lord Simon Wolfson has said endless video meetings risk “death by PowerPoint” as firms begin to feel the benefit of workers returning to the office. The retail chief, the longest serving chief executive across the FTSE 100, earlier this year likened Zoom calls to lectures – and yesterday warned digital conferences can become [...]
Absolut vodka maker sees operating profits rebound and Q4 sales rocket September 1, 2021 French spirits producer Pernod Ricard, which makes Absolut vodka, has seen its operating profits rebound over the past year due to easing Covid-19 restrictions across China and the US. Operating profit just surpassed the company’s expectation of 17 per cent growth, recording an 18.3 per cent organic rise for the full year. The spirits producer, [...]
Playhouse, a shrine to video games, launches at Selfridges as industry sales surge August 31, 2021 Video games have been big business for decades, with the top titles vastly out-grossing the most popular cinema releases. Were there any remaining doubts over whether the medium now represents one of the cultural megaliths of our time, lockdown answered those. Almost two third of UK adults played video games over 2020, with every age [...]
24m cats and dogs in UK: Pet food giant Jollyes eyes 20 new shops as pet ownership explodes August 31, 2021 To deal with increased demand from Brits who bought animals during the pandemic, pet food seller Jollyes said this morning will create around 150 new jobs as it opens 20 new shops. The company stressed it had seen significant growth over the past two years and was accelerating its plans by opening the new sites [...]
McColl’s share price falls after cash call comes up short August 31, 2021 McColl’s shares were down more than four per cent in early trading Tuesday after an attempted cash call came up slightly short. The convenience store had been looking to raise around £35m-worth of finance to expand its partnership with takeover-target Morrisons. The firm had hoped an open offer would raise £5m of the figure, but [...]