Mulberry rejects ‘untenable’ second offer from Mike Ashley’s Frasers October 22, 2024 The board of Mulberry has unanimously rejected the second bid from retail giant Frasers as “untenable”. Frasers launched its first bid on 1 October for £83m, which was subsequently rejected as too low by Mulberry, and its second of £111m on 11 October. Mulberry reiterated its statement from the first time it rejected Frasers’ bid: [...]
Halfords: Customers more cautious on Autumn budget fears October 22, 2024 Uncertainty around the Autumn budget is holding back consumer confidence, Halfords warned today. This morning the retailer said group like-for-like sales ticked down by 0.1 per cent in the 26 weeks to 27 September, on strong prior-year comparatives of 8.3 per cent growth plus a wet spring. The company is on track to deliver £30m [...]
Brand Architekts: Sales at owner of Skinny Tan and Super Facialist slump October 21, 2024 Brand Architekts, the beauty specialist behind British brands including Skinny Tan and Super Facialist, has reported a fall in sales as it pivots to fewer, bigger brands. The company reported an underlying loss of £0.4m compared to a loss of £1.2m for 2023, while its gross profit margin increased 1.5 per cent to 41.2 per [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group backs N Brown takeover amid Mulberry pursuit October 18, 2024 Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has backed the £191m proposed takeover of JD Williams-owner N Brown and announced the sale of its 20 per cent stake in the company for £38m. The retail empire, which includes Sports Direct and House of Fraser, holds nearly 95,000,000 shares in the Manchester business and will sell them for 40p [...]
Boohoo shares drop as firm mulls break up and boss heads for the exit October 18, 2024 Boohoo has revealed that its CEO is stepping down after five years, kick-starting a search for the fast fashion's next chief executive
Mothercare continues to struggle but announces fresh financing October 18, 2024 Baby products brand Mothercare has reported a drop in sales as it continues to struggle with post-pandemic demand, but has said its new deal with Indian giant reliance will help to shape a turnaround. The retailer said the decline was mainly due to “continuing challenges” in Middle East markets. It told markets this morning that [...]
TJ Maxx sales pass £4bn to hit new record October 17, 2024 Sales at the UK arm of TJ Maxx passed the £4bn mark during its latest financial year to hit a new record, it has been revealed. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House show the firm’s turnover increased from £3.88bn to £4.02bn in the 12 months to 3 February, 2024. Despite the rise in sales, TJ Maxx’s [...]
N Brown slams AIM as company set for takeover October 17, 2024 Retailer N Brown is set to be acquired by a company owned by its non-executive director, Joshua Alliance, as it looks to move off AIM. Its share price rose more than 40 per cent after the announcement. N Brown, which owns the brands JD Williams and Simply Be, has said the reduced appetite for UK [...]
Concern for British high street as sector set for four-fold tax rise in April October 16, 2024 The double effect of inflation-linked tax bumps, as well as the end of business rate relief for consumer-facing firms, will lead to a four-fold tax increase for high street businesses next April, industry bodies have warned. Industry leaders across the board have been increasingly vocal about the need for reform to business rate taxes, and have [...]
John Lewis partners with Zopa to boost personal loan offering October 16, 2024 John Lewis has partnered with an online back to offer personal loans of up to £35,000 to its 23m customers. The department store chain‘s financial services arm is working with Zopa Bank to provide its customers with more finance options. The bank will be embedded into the John Lewis Money website with a personalised loan [...]