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 UNITED KINGDOM FRANCHISE NEWS ARCHIVE
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: : Nov/Dec 2002
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Receivers called as Wax Lyrical wanes. Wax Lyrical,
the candle shops chain, became the first significant high street casualty
of the economic slowdown yesterday, when its US parent called in the
receivers. .... [more]
28 Dec, 2002
Compass sells Little Chef and Travelodge. Compass Group,
the world's biggest catering company, has agreed the sale of its Little
Chef and Travelodge motel companies. .... [more]
18 Dec, 2002
Bidding war looms for PizzaExpress as management prepares buyout bid.
A bidding war for PizzaExpress, the ailing high street pizza chain,
looked on the cards yesterday after an about-turn from the company's
management. .... [more]
17 Dec, 2002
Vandevelde to launch £300m buyout fund. Luc Vandevelde, the
Marks & Spencer chairman, is to launch a private equity fund when
he moves to a part-time role at the high street giant in the New Year.
.... [more]
16 Dec, 2002
PizzaExpress soars on bid talks. Restaurant group PizzaExpress
is in takeover talks again, one month after a bid from its former
owner fell through. .... [more]
16 Dec, 2002
M&S revival is at risk as sales falter. Marks & Spencer's
recovery is being threatened by sluggish pre-Christmas sales across
key lines such as menswear and womenswear, according to internal sales
figures. .... [more]
15 Dec, 2002
Burger King sold for $1.5bn. The drinks firm Diageo has finally
sold its Burger King fast-food chain, but for a much lower price than
originally sought. .... [more]
13 Dec, 2002
Burger King close to whopping sale. Spirits firm Diageo plans
to sell its Burger King fast-food chain to a consortium led by Texas
Pacific for $1.5 billion (948 million pounds) in a cut-price deal
expected to be announced on Friday, sources close to the talks say.
.... [more]
12 Dec, 2002
Cyburgers. It's 5:30 p.m. on Monday and 31 customers at a
McDonald's franchise in Swiss Cottage, London, aren't buying burgers
but time on the World Wide Web. .... [more]
9 Dec, 2002
Selfridges boss heads to M&S. Vittorio Radice, chief executive
of the upmarket department store group Selfridges, has announced his
resignation and a move to high street rival Marks & Spencer. ....
[more]
9 Dec, 2002
Pizza Express offers bigger bite. Struggling restaurant chain
Pizza Express has increased the size of its pizzas in an attempt to
lure diners back to its tables. .... [more]
6 Dec, 2002
Burger King sell-off hit by more woe. AmeriKing, one of the
largest Burger King franchisees in the US, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection yesterday, casting more doubt on Diageo's sale plans. ....
[more]
5 Dec, 2002
M&S in new talks on sale of US chain. Stores group Marks &
Spencer has reopened talks to sell its last US asset, Kings Supermarkets,
to New York supermarkets chain Gristede's for an estimated £96m. ....
[more]
4 Dec, 2002
Diageo says Burger King sale talks continue. Diageo said on
Wednesday a bankruptcy filing by one of the biggest US franchise operators
of Burger King would not affect its plans to sell the fast-food chain.
.... [more]
4 Dec, 2002
Compass to trial M&S in Moto shops. Compass is to turn its
motorway service stations into upmarket mini supermarkets in an attempt
to persuade customers to spend far more money in its 47 Moto outlets.
.... [more]
4 Dec, 2002
Compass close to Little Chef sale. The world's largest catering
firm, Compass, has said it is close to finalising the sale of its
Travelodge motel and Little Chef roadside restaurant businesses. ....
[more]
3 Dec, 2002
M&S sale of US firm collapses. Marks & Spencer has called
off the sale of its US-based Kings Supermarkets business to food retailer
D'Agostino. .... [more]
1 Dec, 2002
Green curry conquers Europe. Lemon grass soup and pad thai,
anyone? Thailand is encouraging its citizens to open restaurants to
cash in on the growing appetite in the West for Thai food. .... [more]
1 Dec, 2002
US attack on Brambles' offshoot. Brambles' core CHEP pallet
business has come under attack again with a leading global fund manager
describing it as a 'structurally unsound franchise' with poor growth
prospects. .... [more]
29 Nov, 2002
Burger King deal back on the menu. Smirnoff group Diageo's
deal to sell Burger King to Texas Pacific, which was thought to have
foundered last week over price, is reported to be on again. .... [more]
28 Nov, 2002
Brambles tackling problems at CHEP Europe. Brambles Industries
PLC said it is tackling its problems at CHEP Europe, as outlined last
week, with a restructuring which is expected to cost £85 million.
.... [more]
25 Nov, 2002
Mothercare wrestles distribution devil. Struggling Mothercare
has said sales in its UK stores are growing but long-term prospects
for the retail group are dogged by continuing problems at the Daventry
warehouse. .... [more]
21 Nov, 2002
Pizza Express buyback bid fails. Shares in Pizza Express have
fallen steeply after a takeover attempt led by the ailing High Street
restaurant chain's former owner Hugh Osmond fell through. .... [more]
20 Nov, 2002
Burger King on Buffett menu. Legendary investor Warren Buffett
today emerged as a likely $2bn (£1.3bn) bidder for Burger King, after
talks between BK owner Diageo and a Texas Pacific-led venture capital
consortium foundered over price. .... [more]
19 Nov, 2002
Starbucks acquires 13 stores from U.K. rival. Starbucks Corp.
is expanding its presence in the United Kingdom with the purchase
of 13 stores from English rival Coffee Republic, the company confirmed.
.... [more]
18 Nov, 2002
Burger King sale back in balance. The attempt by the food
and drink group Diageo to sell its Burger King fast food chain has
suffered a major setback. .... [more]
18 Nov, 2002
Luke Johnson in PizzaExpress bid. Luke Johnson, the stock
market entrepreneur who made his fortune from PizzaExpress, is understood
to be working on a bid for the restaurant chain in a move that would
see him go head to head with his former business partner Hugh Osmond.
.... [more]
18 Nov, 2002
Ikea to battle government in court. The furniture giant
Ikea is going to battle the government in the High Court after planning
permission for a new store was blocked. .... [more]
17 Nov, 2002
Krispy Kreme plans doughnut assault. Fast-growing U.S.
chain Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has unveiled plans to expand into this
country, but it will be 18 months before Londoners can sink their
teeth into one of America's favourite snacks. .... [more]
14 Nov, 2002
Laura Ashley reviews expansion plans. Laura Ashley has
unveiled plans to shake up its store portfolio as part of a strategy
to boost profits. .... [more]
7 Nov, 2002
Assembly gives Ikea go-ahead. Ikea's first store in
Wales could open ahead of schedule in time for Christmas next year,
after the National Assembly yesterday gave the project its approval.
.... [more]
7 Nov, 2002
Burger King sale under threat. Food and drink group
Diageo has warned that the proposed sale of its Burger King fast food
chain is being reviewed. .... [more]
7 Nov, 2002
Lloyd's Chairman Pledges Reforms. Lloyd's of London's
new chairman took office Wednesday with a pledge to push through reforms
at the world's best-known insurance market, including a transformation
to a franchise network. .... [more]
6 Nov, 2002
Whitbread rules out PizzaExpress bid. Whitbread, the
leisure giant whose brands span David Lloyd Leisure fitness clubs
and Marriott hotels, yesterday categorically ruled out launching a
takeover bid for PizzaExpress, the restaurant chain being stalked
by its former owner, Hugh Osmond. .... [more]
6 Nov, 2002
M&S unveils surge in profits. Marks & Spencer, the UK's
largest clothing retailer, has beaten City expectations by reporting
a 30% leap in profits for the first half of the year. .... [more]
5 Nov, 2002
Former owner stalks Pizza Express. Restaurant group
Pizza Express has received a takeover offer from a group of investors
that includes its former owner, Hugh Osmond. .... [more]
4 Nov, 2002
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