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 UNITED KINGDOM FRANCHISE NEWS ARCHIVE
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: : Sep/Oct 2001
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PizzaExpress aims to accelerate expansion despite easing sales.
PizzaExpress PLC is aiming to accelerate its expansion plan
for the current year even as sales so far have fallen below estimates,
top company officials said. .... 30 Oct, 2001
Arcadia in takeover talks. Arcadia, which owns
familiar high street names such as Top Shop and Burton, has received
an approach from the Icelandic retailer Baugur, which may lead to
a bid for the company. .... [more]
25 Oct, 2001
M&S rolling out new convenience stores. Marks
& Spencer is to roll out its Simply Food convenience store format
after the strong performances at the first two stores, in Surbiton
and Twickenham. .... [more]
18 Oct, 2001
M&S seeks teacake VAT refund. Marks & Spencer
is challenging Customs & Excise chiefs, after being unable to reclaim
VAT it incorrectly paid on teacakes, biscuits and bottled water. ....
[more]
18 Oct, 2001
Sales growth slows at UK stores. High Street
stores have again enjoyed increased sales, although Britons' love
affair with shopping appears to be waning, a report has revealed.
.... [more]
18 Oct, 2001
Corner shops stage a comeback. The corner shop,
that British retail icon that many thought doomed by the coming of
supermarkets, appears to be staging a comeback. .... [more]
12 Oct, 2001
M&S stems the slide. Marks & Spencer yesterday
defied City predictions when it turned in its best sales figures for
three years and produced the first indications that it may be halting
the decline in its key womenswear business. .... [more]
10 Oct, 2001
M&S shares jump after surprise recovery in sales. Marks
& Spencer showed a tantalising glimpse of a recovery yesterday when
it reported its first increase in group sales in three years. ....
[more]
10 Oct, 2001
Is this the big turnaround for M&S? News of an
increase in sales has sent Marks & Spencer shares soaring. .... [more]
9 Oct, 2001
M&S shares approach two-year high. Shares in
troubled retailer Marks and Spencer jumped almost 10% after it revealed
its first quarterly sales increase in three years. .... [more]
9 Oct, 2001
M&S denies Per Una setback. Marks & Spencer last
night denied that the stock shortages delaying the rollout of its
Per Una range, designed by George Davies, represented a setback. ....
8 Oct, 2001
Legal action against Claims Direct expanded to include
float advisers. The impending legal action against a number
of former executives of Claims Direct is to be dramatically widened
to include all seven of its directors at flotation and the professional
advisers who guided the company when it went public last year. ....
[more]
6 Oct, 2001
Body Shop buyers line up. The underperforming
Body Shop cosmetics company has confirmed being in talks with several
potential bidders. .... [more]
2 Oct, 2001
Body Shop in new takeover talks. The UK-based
ethical cosmetics chain Body Shop has announced it is in talks with
a number of companies about being taken over. .... [more]
2 Oct, 2001
French store makes move on M&S. Galeries Lafayette,
one of France's biggest retail chains, is eyeing the French branches
of the troubled Marks & Spencer group. .... [more]
1 Oct, 2001
Smart set gives M&S a vote of confidence. Marks
& Spencer set out to revive its fortunes yesterday with a range of
daring, price-competitive clothes designed by George Davies, the creator
of Next, which went on sale in 30 stores across Britain. .... [more]
1 Oct, 2001
The rise and fall of M&S. The fluctuating fortunes
of retailer Marks & Spencer are laid bare in a new book from journalist
Judi Bevan. .... [more]
28 Sep, 2001
Struggling M&S launches new range. UK retailer
Marks & Spencer has launched a new womenswear range which it hopes
will revive its fortunes. .... [more]
28 Sep, 2001
Abbey National launches franchise scheme to boost branch
network. If you have ever fancied owning your own bank branch,
Abbey National could be about to make your dream come true. The mortgage
bank is to trial the branch franchise concept in a bid to revitalise
its 750-strong branch network. .... [more]
24 Sep, 2001
Abbey offers sales team stakes in franchise. Abbey
National is allowing its sales managers in Belfast, Newcastle, South
Wales and Ealing to become minority stakeholders in the bank's 36
branches starting November in a move designed to further enhance its
franchise scheme. .... 24 Sep, 2001
M&S pins its hopes on one woman. Marks & Spencer
will next week unveil a crucial new clothing range by veteran fashion
designer George Davies and hope to bring back some of the disillusioned
shoppers who have deserted in the past three years. .... [more]
22 Sep, 2001
Retailers are hit by falling trade in wake of attacks.
As Britain's shopkeepers insist that business is carrying
on as usual, the strongest evidence yet came yesterday that the domestic
economy is feeling the effects of the terror attacks. .... [more]
22 Sep, 2001
M&S puts sale of Brooks Brothers and Kings on hold.
Marks & Spencer said yesterday that the sale of its two American
chains, Brooks Brothers and Kings Super Markets, would be delayed
by last week's terrorist attacks. However, the struggling retailer
said both deals should be completed by Christmas. .... [more]
18 Sep, 2001
M&S delays disposal of Brooks Brothers. Marks
& Spencer has said the sale of its US chain stores - menswear retailer
Brooks Brothers and Kings Super Markets - will be delayed because
of last week's terrorist attacks in New York, writes Simon Bowers.
.... [more]
17 Sep, 2001
Body Shop not in discussions over sale. Body
Shop has confirmed press speculation that it has received a number
of unsolicited expressions of interest to acquire the group. ....
[more]
16 Sep, 2001
Beef fears hit Burger King. A fall in sales at
Burger King yesterday forced owners Diageo to delay by six months
its plans to offload the faltering fast food business. .... [more]
7 Sep, 2001
Ware-Lane pal to steer Claims Direct. A long-standing
friend of Simon Ware-Lane, the new owner of Claims Direct, was named
yesterday as chief executive of the troubled personal injury insurer.
.... [more]
7 Sep, 2001
M&S may have buyer for European stores. Retailer
Marks and Spencer may have found a buyer for its stores in France
and Belgium. .... 6 Sep, 2001
Shoppers give M&S dressing down. Beleaguered
Marks & Spencer is today damned with faint praise with the news that
it is still Britain's favourite retailer for socks and underwear but
no longer for more expensive items such as suits and posh frocks.
.... [more]
5 Sep, 2001
Coffee bars in a froth as rivals vie for supremacy.
Caffé Nero is upbeat about demand for the designer bean, but other
chains have put expansion plans on hold and investors remain unconvinced.
.... [more]
5 Sep, 2001
PizzaExpress plans 500 more restaurants. PizzaExpress
pledged to double the size of its estate to 600 restaurants in the
UK and Ireland after proving its enduring popularity with a 24% surge
in annual pretax profits to £40m. .... [more]
4 Sep, 2001
Big brands sustain franchise boom. Franchises
in the UK account for 31 percent of retail sales and the number of
franchise businesses has increased 40 percent in the last five years.
.... [more]
3 Sep, 2001
Where now for Claims Direct? "I am not in the
business of ambulance-chasing; I hate ambulance-chasing," says Simon
Ware-Lane, the private investor who last week seized control of the
troubled company Claims Direct. .... [more]
2 Sep, 2001
Investors turn to beer and pizza. There is a
full menu for UK food and drink investors this week with companies
including drinks giant Diageo, Pizza Express and pubs group JD Wetherspoon
all reporting results. .... [more]
2 Sep, 2001
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