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Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
All the shops closing this weekend including iconic department store shutting after 124 years
We reveal why the retail sector is struggling below SHUTTERED UP All the shops closing this weekend including iconic department store shutting after 124 years A HOST of stores are shutting for good this weekend including a historic department store. Retailers have struggled over recent years as shoppers' wallets and purses take a hit from high inflation. Advertisement 1 A range of stores are shutting this weekend Credit: Alamy An increase in employer National Insurance contributions and wage costs since April has added to the pressure. Combined with soaring business rates, energy and rental costs, some retailers have been forced to hike prices and even shut stores. It's worth bearing in mind of course that retailers close shops for a host of reasons and not always because of a poor economic backdrop. Sometimes chains will shut a poorly-performing branch in one area and open another further afield where they think they'll see better footfall. Advertisement Plenty of retailers are moving away from high streets and towards out-of-town retail parks too. In any case, five shops will shut this weekend including a more than 120-year-old department store. Here is the full list of shops we know are closing down permanently. Ginger Norwich-based Ginger will pull down its shutters for the final time on Saturday. Advertisement The shop was founded by David and Rodger Kingsley in 1978 following the success of their sister company Jonathan Trumbull in 1971. But current store manager Beckie Kingsley said the store will close due to the economic climate and aftermath of Covid-19. Britain's retail apocalypse: why your favourite stores KEEP closing down She said: "It's with truly heavy hearts that, after 46 unforgettable years, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to close the doors at our beautiful, beloved and historic Timber Hill home. "We've weathered many storms over the decades, but there's been ongoing challenges of today's financial climate - coupled with the lasting impact and huge shifts within the retail landscape since Covid. Advertisement "This led us to ask - does it still work for us? After deep reflection, the answer, sadly, is no." Daniel of Ealing Historic department store Daniel of Ealing, in London, will shut for good on Sunday, after opening 124 years ago. Prices have been slashed across homeware, fashion, toys, sportswear and shoes, with up to 50% off. Shoppers finding out the iconic shop will close have shared their dismay online. Advertisement One posted saying: "Loved this shop and it's top floor restaurant." While another added: "Ealing has lost its heart, soul and uniqueness!" The Works Stationer The Works is shutting its Margate store on Sunday, with shoppers' next nearest branches in Westwood Cross Shopping Centre or Ramsgate Garden Centre. A spokesperson for the chain said the decision to shut the branch had been made "as part of ongoing plans to optimise our store portfolio". Advertisement The move has been met with sadness by shoppers, with one online stating: "No I love The Works." Another dejectedly added: "Be nothing left in the town soon." Emporium Worthing Independent bar and shop Emporium Worthing is closing to the public on Sunday "with a heavy heart". The owners posted a lengthy statement on Facebook announcing the closure. Advertisement It said: "We share the challenging decision to close Emporium Worthing after five memorable years of serving you. "This has been a tough choice for us, but after careful reflection, we believe it is the best path forward and the right choice for us at this time." A huge closing down sale has been launched to clear stock, even including fixtures and fittings from inside. It's not all bad news though as the Emporium will be moving online and selling hardwares. Advertisement New Look New Look is closing its branch in the Northfield Shopping Centre, Birmingham, on June 8. A picture recently posted on Facebook of the shop window advertised the closure and signposted customers to the retailer's website. Customers finding out about the closure have been left gutted. One posted on Facebook: "Will soon be a ghost town, absolutely nothing left." Advertisement Another commented: "Online (retail) is killing shops." A New Look spokesperson said: "We would like to thank all of our colleagues and the local community for their support over the years. "We hope customers continue to shop with us online at where our full product ranges can be found." RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs would cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research published by the British Chambers of Commerce earlier this year shows that more than half of companies planned to raise prices by early April. Separately, the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Advertisement Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Scottish Sun
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Celtic and Rangers face growing competition to sign £10m-rated star, 23, available for knockdown fee
He's a former youth international and can be snapped up on the cheap at just 23 TRANSFER TALK Celtic and Rangers face growing competition to sign £10m-rated star, 23, available for knockdown fee Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EVERY other summer there is at least one player who's linked with both Rangers and Celtic - and so the battle begins. Go back to Nacho Novo in 2004. Or Luis Palma more recently in 2023. And who could forget Scott Brown being courted by both sides of Glasgow in 2007? Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Tyrhys Dolan will be a hot property this transfer window Credit: Getty This year the man who could be the subject of a similar fight is Tyrhys Dolan. The Blackburn Rovers winger has been valued at around £10m but he has ran his contract down at Ewood Park and will be available for a fraction of that. Dolan, 23, made his pro debut with Rovers in 2020 and the Championship club will be a due a compensation fee if he signs elsewhere. Similar rules saw Celtic snap up Moussa Dembele from Fulham on the cheap and Rangers followed a similar route to lure Joe Aribo from Charlton. We told you earlier this month that both Old Firm were tracking Dolan. At that point there was still a chance (however slim) that he would sign an extension at Blackburn. But now that he's all set to leave, it's perhaps no surprise that the list of clubs interested in him has grown. Norwich-based news outlet The Pink Un is reporting that Dolan is on the summer transfer wish list for Norwich City. The Canaries are still waiting to officially unveil new boss Liam Manning but with Rangers yet to have finalised their next manager, it would appear Celtic may have a head start in the race. Claims down south have also suggested Middlesbrough as a potential destination but local reports say those are just rumours at the moment. Rangers fans react as 49ers takeover completed Dolan scored seven goals and provided six assists in 47 games for Blackburn this season. The former England Under-20 international was reportedly on the list of wingers Celtic were considering around the time they convinced Jota to return. But a cruciate ligament injury will keep him out of action until the New Year and with James Forrest not getting any younger, reinforcements will be needed. Rangers will soon part with £4.5m to make the signing of Oscar Cortes permanent but he has struggled with injuries since the day he first arrived at Ibrox. The expiration of Vaclav Cerny's loan deal also leaves whoever takes over at Gers needing to replace the goal threat he offered. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The Independent
04-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Gene edited fruits and vegetables that last for weeks could hit supermarket shelves
Fruits and vegetables could stay fresher for a lot longer as gene-edited foods could hit supermarket shelves as son as next year. Parliament is preparing to pass new legislation which will allow British consumers to have access to food modified to last longer. The bill has already passed through the House of Commons and will be debated in its final reading by the Lords on Tuesday. It's understood that these gene-edited foods will hopefully allow British consumers to benefit from healthier food with a lower environmental impact. Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner said in a statement to The Independent: 'Precision breeding is a real chance to transform how we grow crops here in England. 'We can turbo charge the natural breeding process our farmers have used for generations to create food that's more nutritious, crops that can withstand our changing climate, and plants that naturally resist disease', he continued. 'This is essential for our farmers to thrive and for our nation's food security. That's exactly why this legislation matters. 'This isn't about abstract science - research trials are already delivering, from tomatoes with high levels of vitamin D to sugar beet that is less reliant on pesticides.' Already, UK crop-growing industries are developing products in line with the new act, supported by the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). The John Innes Centre, a research institute in Norwich, has developed a tomato using precision breeding with a high amount of vitamin D in the fruit and leaves. Another Norwich-based company, Tropic, has developed a non-browning banana, as well as a banana resistant to Panama disease, which could help to reduce food waste. Other crops could include virus-resistant sugar beets, which may help to reduce neonicotinoid pesticides and yield losses that cost the sector £67 million in 2020. Mr Zeichner added: 'It's really exciting that innovations that once took decades could now reach our fields and ultimately our plates in just a few years, and delivering on our promise of sustainable economic growth. 'This isn't just good news for our farming communities but our thriving science and research sector will benefit too, positioning us at the forefront of cutting-edge technology across the world.' The Genetic Technology (Precision Breedng) Act passed into law in March 2023. It outlined a new regulatory framework for plants and animals developed through precision breeding, which is when a range of technologies - such as gene editing - can make the same type of genetic changes as traditional breeding but in a more efficient and precise way. This is different to genetic modification (GM), where products contain genetic changes that could not have occurred through traditional breeding.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Firms linked to tax fraud raid owe HMRC millions
Companies linked to a firm at the centre of a criminal inquiry owe the taxman more than £2.5m, the BBC can reveal. The businesses were being wound up after Norwich-based Green Jellyfish was raided by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) last year on suspicion of tax relief fraud. Administrator and liquidator reports also disclose that former employees are owed more than £600,000. The sole director of Green Jellyfish and almost all the other companies, Daniel Mark Robinson, did not respond when asked for comment. At least 13 companies are currently in liquidation or administration, including GJ2020, which has traded as Green Jellyfish. It provided advisory services for research and development tax relief claims. Latest filings on Companies House disclosed how HMRC removed physical and electronic records when Green Jellyfish's premises were raided in September 2024. They also revealed how Green Jellyfish's income deteriorated after the taxman had stopped paying out on new claims after it had allegedly placed an unofficial "flag" on companies within the group. The companies currently being wound up were based in the same building in Norwich or nearby, with two more registered at an address in Cambridgeshire. Eleven people across the country were arrested on suspicion of tax relief fraud at the time. HMRC would not comment, but documents posted on Companies House revealed their inquiry was ongoing. The papers also identified those who were owed money by the 13 with the advisory firm Quantuma appointed as administrators or liquidators. The biggest portion of creditors were from within the group of companies itself. Documents indicate that, between them, they had more than 130 employees who had been let go. One former staff member told the BBC they and some of their colleagues had managed to secure some money via the government's redundancy scheme. Analysis of the administrator and liquidator's reports indicate that HMRC is owed approximately £2.52m in unpaid corporation tax, VAT, PAYE and national insurance across the 13 companies. HMRC is listed in some documents as a "secondary preferential creditor". Under UK insolvency law, this means HMRC will only be paid after what are known as "secured creditors" receive their money. "It is anticipated that a nominal dividend will be paid to HMRC", one of the reports said. Another company within the wider group, called Green Jellyfish Ltd, is owed almost £5m despite it being listed as dormant, with the most recent submitted accounts indicating just £1 in assets. Mr Robinson is listed as sole director. Norwich City Council is also listed as a creditor of two of the companies currently in liquidation, and is owed more than £115,000. Mr Robinson did not respond when asked for comment. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Companies raided over tax relief fraud allegations Companies linked to tax fraud raid firm to fold
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Norwich firms linked to tax raid owe HMRC £2.5m, papers reveal
Companies linked to a firm at the centre of a criminal inquiry owe the taxman more than £2.5m, the BBC can businesses were being wound up after Norwich-based Green Jellyfish was raided by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) last year on suspicion of tax relief and liquidator reports also disclose that former employees are owed more than £600, sole director of Green Jellyfish and almost all the other companies, Daniel Mark Robinson, did not respond when asked for comment. At least 13 companies are currently in liquidation or administration, including GJ2020, which has traded as Green provided advisory services for research and development tax relief claims. Latest filings on Companies House disclosed how HMRC removed physical and electronic records when Green Jellyfish's premises were raided in September 2024. They also revealed how Green Jellyfish's income deteriorated after the taxman had stopped paying out on new claims after it had allegedly placed an unofficial "flag" on companies within the companies currently being wound up were based in the same building in Norwich or nearby, with two more registered at an address in Cambridgeshire. Eleven people across the country were arrested on suspicion of tax relief fraud at the would not comment, but documents posted on Companies House revealed their inquiry was papers also identified those who were owed money by the 13 with the advisory firm Quantuma appointed as administrators or liquidators. The biggest portion of creditors were from within the group of companies indicate that, between them, they had more than 130 employees who had been let former staff member told the BBC they and some of their colleagues had managed to secure some money via the government's redundancy scheme. 'Secondary preferential creditor' Analysis of the administrator and liquidator's reports indicate that HMRC is owed approximately £2.52m in unpaid corporation tax, VAT, PAYE and national insurance across the 13 is listed in some documents as a "secondary preferential creditor".Under UK insolvency law, this means HMRC will only be paid after what are known as "secured creditors" receive their money."It is anticipated that a nominal dividend will be paid to HMRC", one of the reports said. Another company within the wider group, called Green Jellyfish Ltd, is owed almost £5m despite it being listed as dormant, with the most recent submitted accounts indicating just £1 in Robinson is listed as sole director. Norwich City Council is also listed as a creditor of two of the companies currently in liquidation, and is owed more than £115, Robinson did not respond when asked for comment. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
