WH Smith agrees sale of UK high street chain to Modella March 28, 2025 WH Smith has agreed to sell its 233-year-old UK high street business to Modella Capital for around £76m. Modella Capita, which owns Hobbycraft, pipped a number of bidders to the prize including Alteri Investors, the owner of Bensons for Beds. The deal will transfer WH Smith’s 500 stores to the investor, with the high street [...]
Brits’ sweet tooth help Ferrero Rocher, Nutella and Kinder Surprise sales surge March 27, 2025 The British public’s sweet tooth helped sales at the owner of confectionary brands such as Ferrero Rocher, Nutella and Kinder Surprise jump by more than £60m during its latest financial year. Ferrero UK, which also owns Thorntons and Tic Tacs, has posted a revenue of £624.4m for the 12 months to 31 August, 2024, up from the £557.5m [...]
Spring Statement 2025: ‘Missed opportunity’ to avoid hospitality cliff edge March 26, 2025 The UK’s leading hospitality body has slammed the Spring Statement as a ‘missed opportunity’ to solve the mounting crisis in Britain’s pubs and bars. The statement contained no phasing in of higher national insurance contributions (NICs) or extra support for the sector, despite pleas from the industry. “Growth won’t just happen without a plan. Today’s [...]
Estée Lauder loses over £360m as it prepares to cut jobs March 26, 2025 Estée Lauder, the beauty giant behind brands such as Clinique, MAC, and Jo Malone, has slumped to a loss of more than £360m in the UK and Ireland as it prepares to cut thousands of jobs. The US multi-national, which is also the owner of Bobbi Brown, Aveda and Tom Ford, posted a pre-tax loss [...]
Uniqlo: Gen Z’s viral fashion trends help profit rocket March 26, 2025 Viral fashion trends among Generation Z helped Uniqlo’s profit surge by more than €100m (£83.5m) during its latest financial year. The London-headquartered European division of the Japanese giant has reported a turnover of €1.69bn for the 12 months to 31 August, 2024, up from the €1.30bn it achieved in the prior period. New accounts filed [...]
Julian Charles rescued out of administration after tax rises bite March 26, 2025 Julian Charles, the luxury bedding and homewares retailer, has been rescued out of administration after struggling with falling sales and increasing taxes. The Manchester-headquartered company’s business and assets have been sold to Great Bedding Co Ltd in a deal which safeguarded 230 out of 251 jobs and more than 25 trading sites as well as [...]
Will rising costs kill off Savile Row’s renaissance? March 25, 2025 On a Wednesday morning earlier this month, there was plenty of activity on the shop floor at the Georgian townhouse that plays home to Richard James’ bespoke suit-making. One staff member is on the phone discussing colours and time frames, another getting a glass of water for a customer in the changing room, and smartly [...]
Editor’s Interview: Charles Tyrwhitt founder – ‘No point whinging about the government’ March 24, 2025 The founder of Charles Tyrwhitt, Nick Wheeler, has told Morning Wire that there’s “no point whinging about what the government are doing or not doing, because they’re not going to change,” adding “I’ve got to get on and make my own decisions.” His comments came during an interview with Morning Wire in which he lamented [...]
In The Style: Huge debts revealed after rescue deal saves jobs March 24, 2025 In The Style owed more than £20m when it was rescued after collapsing into administration, it has been revealed. The Manchester-based fast-fashion brand rescued by Alps Sourcing Limited last week in a deal which secured 87 jobs. The debts have been revealed in a new document filed with Companies House by administrator FTS Recovery. What’s the [...]
TSB’s new boss takes helm amidst parent company’s uncertainty March 21, 2025 UK retail bank TSB announced on Friday that Marc Armengol had taken over as its new chief executive officer. Armengol, who previously served as corporate strategy director at the lender, was tapped for the role in November 2024. His appointment follows the retirement of former boss Robin Bulloch. Before joining TSB, Armengol worked at the [...]