Sports Direct ends two-month wait for new auditor, appointing RSM October 23, 2019 Sports Direct has appointed an auditor two months after Grant Thornton quit as billionaire Mike Ashley’s company’s accountant. Read more: Sports Direct launches ‘skulduggery’ screed against Goals Soccer Centres RSM will now take up the post. The auditor had most recently stepped in to look after Patisserie Valerie’s accounts after the bakery chain became embroiled [...]
Twitter goes bonkers over Innocent’s fake conkers drink October 23, 2019 Smoothie maker Innocent, famous for its playful advertising, has been forced to warn people not to eat conkers after putting out an advert for a fake autumnal drink. The company’s promotion of a new range of Innocent nut milks backfired when it included a seasonal addition of conker-based milk, telling customers: “Your taste buds are [...]
Goals Soccer Centres: Sports Direct says ‘skulduggery’ wiped out shareholders October 23, 2019 Retailer Sports Direct has today blasted the management of Goals Soccer Centres after the five-a-side football firm delisted from Aim after an accounting scandal. Goals suspended shares in March after saying its financial results contained a misdeclaration of VAT, leaving a black hole in its accounts of more than £12m. Read more: Goals Soccer Centres [...]
Major UK retailers suffer plunging in-store profit margins October 23, 2019 Major UK retailers have suffered plunging store-based profit margins as operating costs soar in an increasingly challenging market. Store-based profit margins for the top 150 UK retailers have more than halved in less than a decade, dropping from 8.8 per cent in 2009/10 to 4.1 per cent in 2017/18. Read more: UK retail sales flat [...]
British flight ban to Sharm el-Sheikh lifted, as airlines eye resort for summer 2020 October 22, 2019 British holidaymakers could soon have the chance to return to the popular Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh, after the government lifted a ban imposed in 2015. Flights to the resort town were suspended after 224 people were killed by the bombing of a Russian airliner, which was linked to the so-called Islamic State group (Isis). Read [...]
Number of companies entering administration leaps by a third in the third quarter October 22, 2019 The number of companies entering administration jumped by more than a third during the third quarter of the year, analysis published today showed. A study of notices in the London Gazette by accountancy firm KPMG showed a total of 417 companies went into administration between July and September 2019, compared with 310 in the previous [...]
Bidding war on the cards as Just Eat rejects £4.9bn hostile bid from Prosus October 22, 2019 Just Eat could find itself at the centre of a bidding war after rejecting a hostile £4.9bn bid from investment firm Prosus that threatens to disrupt its merger with Takeaway.com. The firm’s share price leapt 24 per cent to 732.8p despite the rejection in favour of its £8.3bn tie-up with the Dutch Takeaway.com as a [...]
Profit sinks at Premier Inn owner Whitbread as Brexit uncertainty hits hotel demand October 22, 2019 Profit slipped at Premier Inn owner Whitbread in its latest half-year as the company grappled with a weak UK travel market after selling coffee chain Costa to Coca-Cola last year. Read more: Whitbread share price tumbles on Barclays downgrade The figures Pre-tax profit fell 7.1 per cent to £220m, down from £237m this time last [...]
Just Eat revenue rises as it hopes for £9bn end-of-year merger with Takeaway.com October 21, 2019 Just Eat’s third quarter revenue rose 25 per cent, it revealed today, as it hopes a £9bn merger with Dutch rival Takeaway.com willbe tied up by the end of the year. Despite this, shares fell five per cent in early trading as analysts were sceptical the deal would get past shareholders at a meeting pencilled [...]
Small firms call for major business rates overhaul Sajid Javid’s November budget October 21, 2019 Small businesses have called on chancellor Sajid Javid to make “radical business rates reform” a key part of the upcoming autumn budget to address the unprecedented slump in confidence among smaller firms. Read more: Remember, remember, 6 November: Sajid Javid sets date for 2019 budget Javid is planning to hold a budget on 6 November, [...]