The high street beauty retailer Body Shop has agreed to sell its 250 stores in a £207million deal after struggling with profitability. The retail outlets are being sold to a private equity group after owner Natura & Co reached a deal with Aurelius Group today. The Brazilian cosmetics maker says the sale is set to be finalised…
Wages continued to grow at one of the fastest paces on record in the three months to September, underlining that inflation in the UK will take time to return to the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target. Regular pay excluding bonuses increased 7.7 per cent, down slightly from the 7.8 per cent growth in…
Propertymark has written to the Rt. Hon Michael Gove MP, to reiterate a longstanding call for regulation of property agents and outlined how this can support the delivery of the UK Government’s reforms. Upcoming progress on both the Renters (Reform) Bill and the newly announced Freehold and Leasehold Reform Bill present ideal opportunities to legislate…
Drivers are still not getting a fair price on fuel at the pumps, the UK’s competition watchdog has warned. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said prices had risen by as much as 13.9p per litre since the end of May, partly due to wholesale costs. But it said, more recently, while those costs have…
TikTok has announced that it’s shutting down its original $1 billion Creator Fund and shifting the focus to its newer Creativity Program. From December 16, the Creator Fund will be discontinued in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany. Creators who are currently enrolled in the Creator Fund can switch to the Creativity Program….
The overall vacancy rate across Britain rose by 13.9% in the second quarter of 2023, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). They also found that around 6,000 retail outlets have closed their doors in the last five years. Increasing financial pressures – with everything from insurance to supply chain costs rising significantly – have…
Royal Mail is to lose its 360-year-old monopoly on delivering parcels from Post Office branches, after concerns about poor quality of service persuaded the postal service to sign deals with rivals Evri and DPD in the run-up to Christmas. The two couriers would be added to the options available at the counter from later this…
WH Smith has launched a buy-back service for used books, offering readers vouchers in exchange for their secondhand volumes. Through the BookCycle scheme, launched on Tuesday, readers register their books online, take them to a branch and receive an e-voucher to spend in store or online. The books will be “passed on for another reader…
In a surprising turn of events, online sales in the UK have seen a significant drop this month, a stark contrast to the trend observed during the Covid-19 lockdowns when online retail platforms flourished. The reasons behind this historic contraction can be attributed to various factors, including elevated interest rates and economic uncertainty. According to…
Jaguar Land Rover has hauled itself into the black and raised its full-year outlook after record sales in the first six months of the year. Britain’s largest carmaker posted revenues of £13.8 billion between April and September, generating a profit before tax of £877 million compared with a loss of more than £500 million in…
The 12 days of Christmas have stretched to more like 45, according to research into the nation’s changing festive habits that also suggests outdoor lights are becoming the norm while – for a third of homes – one tree is no longer enough. Unlike the Christmas carol, which describes 12 days of festivities, a fifth…
Did you know that while 5% of adults have ADHD, 29% of entrepreneurs do? Bill Gates and Richard Branson are just two successful businesspeople who have been open about their diagnoses. Undoubtedly, entrepreneurs with ADHD possess a unique blend of creativity, resilience, and adaptability that can serve as powerful drivers of success. But it’s essential…
UK micro business owners are significantly less optimistic about their national economy and individual growth prospects than US counterparts, according to a new study of digital and online micro business owners. The findings, published today, come from Venture Forward, an international research initiative by GoDaddy that analyses data from more than 20 million British and…
A national roadshow to support and raise the profile of small businesses all around the country is being launched by Small Business Saturday to help firms cope with persistent economic challenges. With an aim to spotlight and celebrate the vital contribution of the nation’s 5.5 million small businesses to the economy and local communities, ‘The…
Online retail sales have contracted at the sharpest pace on record this month, dragged lower by people cutting back on their spending because of higher interest rates and an uncertain economic outlook. Monthly internet sales dropped to a weighted balance of -78 per cent in the year to October, the biggest decline since 2009 and…
