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 UNITED KINGDOM FRANCHISE NEWS ARCHIVE
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: : Mar/Apr 2004
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Body Shop plans £100m expansion. The Body Shop
is launching a £100m global expansion following a strong increase
in group profits last year. .... [more]
30 Apr, 2004
Londis shop owners to cash in as board agrees £60m
takeover. Hundreds of shareholders in Londis are set to triple their windfall
to £31,000 after their board struck a renewed agreement to sell the convenience
store group to Ireland's Musgrave for £60m. .... [more]
28 Apr, 2004
Lawyer splits to set up franchising team. John
Pratt, immediate past president of the Birmingham's chamber of commerce, is quitting
law firm Pinsents to set up his own franchising practice. .... [more]
26 Apr, 2004
Subway sets out to torpedo McDonald's. The
money-making possibilities of the British appetite for fast food looked so good
to Deirdre Anderson that in 1999 she quit her influential post as Subway's global
head of operations to become one of the company's franchisees. .... [more]
25 Apr, 2004
Laura Ashley moves back to profit. Strong demand
for home furnishings at retail chain Laura Ashley has helped the firm return to
the black. .... [more]
22 Apr, 2004
O'Briens serves up new outlets. The O'Briens
sandwich bar chain is planning to open five new franchise outlets in Belfast this
year. .... [more]
19 Apr, 2004
Specsavers eyes UK and Europe expansion. Specsavers,
the high street opticians group, yesterday said it intended to create up to 700
jobs in the UK and the rest of Europe. .... [more]
19 Apr, 2004
M&S disaster areas: food, clothes and home. Marks
& Spencer is back in crisis after announcing a grisly set of sales figures
which proved that the group's recovery has come to a juddering halt. .... [more]
15 Apr, 2004
Scotland embraces concept of being your own boss.
As the British Franchise Association’s Franchise Group for Scotland (FGFS)
moves into its third year, it is a successful 12 months for both the group and
Scotland to reflect back on. .... [more]
15 Apr, 2004
M&S chief Vandevelde urged to curb outside interests.
Luc Vandevelde, the chairman of Marks & Spencer, is coming under pressure
to devote more time to trying to turn around the high street retailer, which looks
set to deliver another set of dire sales figures this week. .... [more]
12 Apr, 2004
Musgrave begins franchise search. Budgens owner
Musgrave is looking for independent retailers to take on 172 grocery stores that
it plans to turn into franchises. .... [more]
8 Apr, 2004
Thorntons appoints new chairman. Chocolate maker
Thorntons has named Chris Burnett as its new chairman. .... [more]
8 Apr, 2004
Store detectives take M&S to employment tribunal.
Marks & Spencer will next week face claims from 55 former store detectives
at a London employment tribunal that it breached statutory guidelines for outsourcing
staff. .... [more]
7 Apr, 2004
Growing success for lawn care company. Greensleeves
Garden Care is preparing for major expansion through a series of franchise deals.
.... [more]
6 Apr, 2004
Trouble in store for M&S chief. The chairman
of Marks & Spencer, already widely criticised for spreading his time too thinly,
was in hot water today as his private equity firm looked set to buy a European
womenswear clone called 'M&S'. .... [more]
5 Apr, 2004
Former PizzaExpress chiefs move into curry with Bombay
Bicycle acquisition. David Page, who helped to put PizzaExpress on the
culinary map, is attempting to repeat his success with a south London-based Indian
takeaway chain. .... [more]
3 Apr, 2004
M&S delivers jobs cut warning. Marks &
Spencer, which suffered dismal Christmas sales, today said that it could cut up
to 1,000 jobs over the next two years. .... [more]
2 Apr, 2004
Moss Bros back in fashion. The Moss Bros menswear
chain - which also includes 39 Cecil Gee and Hugo Boss outlets - is back in profit
after four years and forecasting good growth this year after a 9% leap in recent
sales. .... [more]
1 Apr, 2004
Profits up - but it's hard work. This year's
survey of the franchising market by NatWest and the British Franchise Association
found that despite a competitive economic climate, 95% of franchisees claimed
that their businesses were profitable. .... [more]
31 Mar, 2004
Mothercare may bring back divi. Mothercare
is considering reintroducing its dividend after a two-year gap. .... [more]
31 Mar, 2004
Handbags in court as action starts over fcuk logo.
One of Britain's biggest fashion firms, French Connection, has taken on a small
Manchester company in a battle over its notorious fcuk logo. .... [more]
29 Mar, 2004
Benjys takes a step closer to stock market.
Benjys, the fast expanding sandwich shop chain, yesterday signalled its intention
to pursue a possible float or sale of the business by beginning the search for
a finance director. .... [more]
26 Mar, 2004
Peacock Expands In Middle East Through Franchising.
Discount apparel retailer Peacock Group Plc has signed a franchise agreement with
Kuwait-based group MH Alshaya Co to roll out up to 40 stores in Turkey and the
Arabian Gulf over the next five years. .... [more]
25 Mar, 2004
Show ordinary cyber cafés That's the way to
do it. That Café was established in 2001 to provide an alternative
approach to the expanding world of cyber cafés. .... [more]
24 Mar, 2004
MFI disappoints the City with its poor bedroom furniture
sales. MFI yesterday blamed a dire end to its key winter sale for plunging
like-for-like sales at its core UK retail business. .... [more]
24 Mar, 2004
Find out bottom line before you sign. The decision
is made and the background research on the franchise selected has been completed.
All that is left is to sign on the dotted line. .... [more]
24 Mar, 2004
Become a high roller with new car wash technology.
Established by entrepreneur Jim Allison, Bathgate-based Autoshine Express has
four outlets in central Scotland which utilise a revolutionary new brushless car
wash system, based on the technology used to clean abattoirs. .... [more]
24 Mar, 2004
M&S probes £100,000 staff theft.
High Street stores group Marks & Spencer has effectively accused staff at
one of its biggest outlets of having their hands in the till. .... [more]
21 Mar, 2004
Dunkin' Donuts in US bidding battle. British
food and drinks group Allied Domecq's Dunkin' Donuts subsidiary is poised to join
the bidding for a US doughnut chain. .... [more]
21 Mar, 2004
Somerfield adds new store chain to basket. Somerfield,
the supermarket group, confirmed its plans to expand into the convenenience store
market yesterday with the purchase of Aberness, a Scottish chain. .... [more]
19 Mar, 2004
M&S moves into youth sector. Marks &
Spencer is to tackle the young fashion market - dominated by the likes of Top
Shop and New Look - with a range of clothing put together by veteran high street
fashion expert George Davies. .... [more]
18 Mar, 2004
Franchises could be a safer bet, claim advisers.
Franchises could be the best bet for budding entrepreneurs because they are less
likely to run into cash problems than other start-ups, according to research.
.... [more]
15 Mar, 2004
French Connection suits US tastes. Fashion
chain French Connection has reported a 28% rise in annual profits and said its
outlook remains strong. .... [more]
9 Mar, 2004
Motivation and Experience are Top Characteristics for
Franchisees. The ability to self motivate (68%) and experience of sales
and marketing (24%) are the most important characteristics that franchisors seek
in potential franchisees, according to the 2004 NatWest/British Franchise Association
survey. .... [more]
8 Mar, 2004
Burger King opts for Office politics. This time
last year few in the US had heard of David Brent. But just weeks after scooping
two gongs at the prestigious Golden Globe Awards The Office is, it seems, inspiring
attention from the unlikeliest of quarters - Burger King. .... [more]
5 Mar, 2004
Radice takes on M&S's clothing. Just last week
he was sorting things out in Gateshead. Now former Selfridges boss has control
of everything at Marks. .... [more]
5 Mar, 2004
M&S appoints new head of clothing. Fashion retailer
Marks & Spencer has promoted Vittorio Radice to head its main clothing and merchandise
business. .... [more]
4 Mar, 2004
Fox negotiating partnership with UK fashion chain. Sources
inform "Globes" that Fox-Wiezel is negotiating a partnership with a UK fashion
chain. .... [more]
2 Mar, 2004
M&S tackles its pension shortfall. Marks & Spencer
is to inject £400m into its final salary pension scheme to cover most of the current
fund deficit, the company has announced. .... [more]
1 Mar, 2004
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