News about Brian Duffy

Watches of Switzerland shares rose on Friday after the group revealed it will acquire Hodinkee, a New York-based platform popular with watch enthusiasts. In a bid to bolster its online presence, Watches of Switzerland plans to integrate Hondinkee's digital content and e-commerce activities, which attract around 22million unique visitors annually and draws in roughly one million social media followers. Watches of Switzerland said the acquisition will be funded through existing financing facilities.

Watches of Switzerland revealed that it was 'on track' to meet expectation for the 2025 financial year. The luxury retailer, which is the UK's biggest seller of Rolex, revealed that 'trading for the first 18 weeks of the financial year has been 'in line' with expectations. The FTSE 250 firm added that it has 'seen continued stabilisation of the UK market in both luxury watches and jewellery'.

London's famous Oxford Street has been blighted by an influx of gaudy US candy stores - but a footwear brand worn by the England squad could signal a change. Last year, Westminster City Council officials announced an intention to rid the iconic shopping area of the tacky American shops which have replaced household names. Business bosses even branded it a 'national embarrassment' and called for a 'higher standard' of shops in the area. Flagship stores on the street such as Topshop, which closed in early 2021, and The House of Fraser, which also shut shop in January 2022, left a gap for the garish brands to move in and mar the area. But the curse of Oxford Street may be lifted this year, as a sneaker brand worn by the Three Lions is leading the way back to reclaim the street and restore it to glory.

Watches of Switzerland Group's UK sales fell after 'significant price increases' put off hard-pressed British shoppers as 'reduced consumer confidence' continues to hit discretionary spending. WOSG on Thursday also blamed a 'minimal return of tourist spending due to lack of VAT-free shopping' in the UK, where Ecommerce revenues also fell 11% on last year.

The company, which also owns the Goldsmiths and Mayors chains, bemoaned the 'minimal return of tourist spending due to the lack of VAT-free shopping'. The tax break was axed in 2021, hammering demand for expensive goods. Watches boss Brian Duffy said he hopes that compelling evidence will force ministers to backtrack.

Watches of Switzerland shares rose sharply on Thursday after the group said it was 'cautiously optimistic' about the year ahead. The group's share price jumped 11.25 per cent or 38.00p to 375.80p, having fallen nearly 50 per cent in the last year. Watches of Switzerland, which sells brands like Rolex and Cartier, forecast higher revenues of £1.67billion to £1.73billion in its new financial year.

Watches of Switzerland Group has acquired Italian jewellery firm Roberto Coin for $130million, or around £104million. In a statement on Thursday, Watches of Switzerland said $10million of the purchase price was going to be deferred for one year and 'contingent on the future profitability of the acquired business.' Watches of Switzerland said it secured the deal in a bid to expand further into the lucrative luxury jewellery market.

In 2022, the Metropolitan Police said there had been a 60% increase in watch thefts in London, with the capital accounting for more than half of the 12,000 reported in the United Kingdom that year. Following a string of sting operations in the West End, the fts have plummeted since then.

The British department store chain Fenwicks, the flagship British department store, closed for the final time on Saturday, more than 130 years since it first opened. Since the luxury chain sold the property to developers for £430 million, customers have been left 'devastated,' with the new owners planning a 'deep retrofit' that will include demolition of portions of the building. This comes as a result of the explosion of tacky American candy stores replacing household names like Topshop on Oxford Street, in a sad decline of what had once a world-famous shopping spot.

In a major raid on one of Oxford Street's biggest candy shops, more than 2,000 alleged illicit items worth £55,000, including candy and vaping, was confiscated. Officers from the UK gathered Swedish Fish and Hot Tamales candy, which are outlawed in the UK due to the adverse effects of their additive ingredients on children. The Westminster City Council staff also found supersize vaping tanks that were many times larger than the UK legal threshold of 2 mills and twice the legal amount of nicotine. Fake designer phone covers and potentially lethal electrical equipment, including power banks, chargers, and adapters, were confiscated in London yesterday. At the store, heated tobacco was also discovered to be openly on sale, not in closed cabinets as the law states. The large store is located on the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, which is across the road from the Dominion Theatre and across the road from the Elizabeth line station.

Regent Street in London is set to undergo a significant European-inspired upgrade, with traffic reduced to allow more space for bicycles and pedestrians. In Paris, La Diagonal, Barcelona, and Mariahilfer Strasse in Vienna, town planners are researching pedestrian-friendly plans of the Champs-Élysées. The Westminster City Council team is also inspired by cycling-friendly cities such as Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Seville, and Seville when they make up their plans. It comes as a result of proposals for Oxford Circus to be converted into an Italian-style piazza after the West End has been plagued by crime and hunger in recent years, with empty shops, littered streets, and dwindling numbers of visitors. Central London has also been overrun by tacky American-style sweet shops, unofficial Harry Potter stores, and souvenir shops selling low quality merchandise. The council and the Crown Estate are now promoting the 'Regent Street Public Realm Vision,' which includes proposals to upgrade Piccadilly Circus, Haymarket, and portions of Pall Mall as part of a wide-ranging West End revitalization initiative. Planners want a 'new green link across the West End' from St James' Park to Regent's Park, reimagining architect John Nash's 'park-to-park' scheme, which began in 1811 under the patronage of Prince Regent, later King George IV.

On Thursday, watches of Switzerland shares plummeted after the group became the first luxury store to sound the alarm and issue a profit warning. The London-listed company slashed its annual revenue forecast as shoppers reinfaded on luxury products and economic headwinds prevail. On Thursday, watches of Switzerland shares fell by more than 30% or 172.40p to 414.60p, having dropped by more than 56% in the last year.

According to the major retailers of Rolex watches, which was a favorite of tennis player Roger Federer (pictured), UK and Europe figures in the 26 weeks to October 29 were 4% less than a year ago at £433 million. And worldwide, sales dropped from £765 million to £761 million. Chief executive Brian Duffy said, 'The consumer environment in the UK continues to be more challenging.'

Shares in the luxury store, which sells iconic timepiece brands like Rolex, Breitling, and Tag Heuer, soared 13 percent to 586.5p right before markets closed, making them the top riser on the FTSE 100 Index. The organization's 'Long Range Plan,' aims to grow its shop estate and start selling more custom jewelry and used watches.

After the number blighting the road dropped by a third in a year to 21 from a record of 30 on Oxford Street, the crackdown seems to be operating. Westminster City Council representatives are attempting to remove the tacky shops from London's historic shopping street, which have changed household names and blighted the area. In the midst of allegations that some have avoided £8 million in business rates, they have been working with Trading Standards on a probe into the 'American style' shops. Since being in late 2021, the council has confiscated £1 million worth of illicit and counterfeit products from candy shops and souvenir shops on Oxford Street. As new stores open up in new cities as others close, the number of sweet shops is expected to fluctuate with the council playing 'whack-a-mole.' Now, according to a study by the council's overview and scrutiny committee, it has'ramped up the pressure on candy shops, souvenir, and vaping stores, with some freeholders even urging Trading Standards to intervene so they can begin legal action against tenants. It would be a boost to the West End, which has been plagued by gaudy shops after established stores such as Debenhams, House of Fraser, and Topshop closed down.

Despite embezzling nearly £60,000 from nationalist organisations, she will have to pay just £66. McGarry, who was the SNP representative for Glasgow East from 2015 to 2017, was found guilty of stealing £19,974 as the treasurer of Women for Humanity. While treasurer, secretary, and convener of the Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP, the 41-year-old also embezzled a further £4,661; In June 2022, she was sentenced to two years in prison, but her term was later reduced to 20 months, and she has since been released from jail.

Investors were concerned that Rolex is planning a long-term departure away from using approved partners for retail sales to marketing directly to customers after the acquisition. A such arrangement could place a huge dent in Watches of Switzerland's trade, but the London-based firm insisted that Rolex's 'processes of product allocation or distribution changes will not be affected.'

'Oxford Street is on a path to recovery,' said property manager Andrew Milner-Walker.' However, the opening of Ikea new store in a new setback furniture chain is being postponed because the building's renovation needs more work - with a target opening in autumn 2024. HMV, which is reopening its old store after a four-year absence, is another big company expected to move in.

Last week, the Mail revealed how by night, it has become a dormitory for rough sleepers, with rows of mattresses and cardboard boxes now huddled in doorways each evening. After chaos erupted when a social media-fueled drive to 'rob JD Sports' and storelift went viral, police wielding batons clashed with hundreds of youths this week, chaos erupted. Your shopping choices are not what they were expecting when you came here to buy something.

According to Chief Executive Brian Duffy, Covid lockdowns stopped people from dating and going out, and that the luxurious jeweller is already feeling the consequences as the number of expensive jewelry sales plummet. The bridal jewelry industry in the United States and the United Kingdom has been affected by Covid's knockout,' Duffy explained.

For the 13 weeks ending in July, the upmarket chain's turnover fell by 11% at stable currency rates to £382 million, although this was in accordance with forecasts. Purchases of both watches and jewellery products declined amid bumper prior-year comparators, with the latter also affected by weaker consumer sentiment and a shift to full-price trade in the US

Rents must be reduced and investment ploughed into Oxford Street to remove it from the scourge of tacky candy shops, according to House of Fraser and Sports Direct's CEO. Many stores were avoiding the West End due to high rents and business rates, according to Michael Murray, the Sports Direct and Flannels owner.

Following Kirkby's appointment, one analyst predicted that BT would'struggle to keep' Allera, with the executive being accused of being formerly sued by competitors, including Vodafone. Moreover, there are allegations that he was deemed too young for the top job by some at BT. He is five years younger than his new boss, who is 51 years old. Many close to Allera maintain he is staying put and is 'focused on the job at hand,' - apparently content to wait a little longer for his replacement. Given that BT is expected to rebrand itself as EE, the company may also want to prevent another boss from leaving before the job is complete.

People were sleeping on makeshift mattresses outside shops, according to photos taken on Oxford Street at daybreak today. These are also photographed: the same shops that were packed with shoppers a few years ago. Others can be seen using cardboard boxes, umbrellas, and upturned shopping trollies to screen off a spot where they can shield from the wind and rain. Oxford Street has been a shadow of its former glory, with a rash of empty shops and tacky American candy stores replacing household names such as Topshop and Debenhams, despite being still considered Britain's top shopping destination.