Retail Archives - 老九品茶Cloud /news/category/sectors/retail/ Tech insight with bite Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:22:25 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2020/07/bc-logo.png Retail Archives - 老九品茶Cloud /news/category/sectors/retail/ 32 32 Neutonic raises $6m at $60m valuation /news/neutonic-raises-6m-at-60m-valuation/ Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:13 +0000 /?p=195051 Functional drinks and supplements brand Neutonic has raised $6m at a $60m valuation, as it accelerates global expansion across the UK, US and new international markets. The round includes backing from Alan Barrett, alongside investors including Ollie Marchon and Ross Edgley in the UK, and Dan Martell, Codie Sanchez, Nomit Shah and Zach Ranen in […]

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Functional drinks and supplements brand Neutonic has raised $6m at a $60m valuation, as it accelerates global expansion across the UK, US and new international markets.

The round includes backing from Alan Barrett, alongside investors including Ollie Marchon and Ross Edgley in the UK, and Dan Martell, Codie Sanchez, Nomit Shah and Zach Ranen in the US.

Gym King founder Jay Parker also joins the company as a special advisor.

Social media stars raise 拢2.7m for ‘nootropics’ brand Neutonic

The round is further supported by a broader group of operators and early-stage backers, with existing investors increasing their positions, reflecting continued confidence in Neutonic鈥檚 growth trajectory.

Neutonic was founded in 2023 by Chris Williamson, host of the globally ranked Modern Wisdom podcast and James Smith, one of the UK鈥檚 most recognised fitness entrepreneurs, alongside Luke Betts and Shan Hanif.

Since launch, the business has scaled rapidly, selling over 7.5 million cans to date.

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It is on track to exceed $25m in revenue this year, having doubled revenue from 2024 to 2025 and forecasting a further 3x increase into 2026, supported by strong performance across both direct-to-consumer and retail channels.

The brand is now stocked in more than 10,000 retail doors globally, spanning grocery, specialist retail and fitness environments.

In the UK, Neutonic is rolling out into 500 Sainsbury鈥檚 stores this month as part of the retailer鈥檚 meal deal, marking a significant step into mainstream retail.

This builds on existing listings including Ocado, Morrisons Daily, Booths and more than 1,200 Motor Fuel Group forecourts, as well as gym chains including Fitness First and Everlast.

In the US, the brand is stocked in GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe and Central Market, with further national grocery expansion expected this summer.

An Australian launch is also planned as part of the company鈥檚 next phase of international growth.

James Smith, co-founder of Neutonic, said:鈥淭his raise gives us the firepower to keep building Neutonic across both the UK and US whilst also launching in Australia.

鈥淲e have seen strong momentum in retail and this next phase is about scaling distribution, strengthening the team and continuing to meet growing consumer demand.鈥

ICT Reverse hits record 拢11.8m turnover

Chris Williamson, co-founder of Neutonic, added:听鈥淲e have always felt there was space for a product that better reflects how people want to perform today.

鈥淩etail appetite has been incredibly encouraging and this funding allows us to accelerate from a strong base.鈥

 

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Huboo, saved in 拢9 deal, buys Sorted for 拢1 /news/huboo-saved-in-9-deal-buys-sorted-for-1/ Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:18:42 +0000 /?p=195074 A Manchester delivery tech firm which once raised almost $100 million in investment has been sold for 拢1 – and the acquirer has endured trials and tribulations of its own. Sorted Group Holdings has joined Bristol-headquartered Huboo, which itself raised more than $150m funding but was saved from administration just before Christmas 2024 in a […]

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A Manchester delivery tech firm which once raised almost $100 million in investment has been sold for 拢1 – and the acquirer has endured trials and tribulations of its own.

Sorted Group Holdings has joined Bristol-headquartered Huboo, which itself raised more than $150m funding but was saved from administration just before Christmas 2024 in a 拢9 deal.

The news comes just two years after Location Sciences completed its reverse takeover of Sorted in a 拢66.73 deal and it was admitted to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.

Sorted was launched as MyParcelDelivery (MPD Group) in 2010 by David Grimes but ran into financial difficulties after raising nearly $100m in investment.

In January 2024, 老九品茶Cloud reported how Location Sciences had agreed to buy Sorted for 拢66.73, as well as take on the global software firm鈥檚 debts of 拢4m plus interest and invest 拢3m of capital.

At its height in 2021, Sorted closed a $40m Series C investment round led by Chrysalis Investments and Arete Capital Partners.

The investment came less than nine months after Sorted raised another $15m to fund future growth.

In January 2021, Sorted saw 243% year-on-year growth as it was named by the FT as one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe.

However, the company鈥檚 growth had not kept pace with its forecasts and it never turned a profit.

On June 28, 2023, Location Sciences announced that it had entered into exclusive non-binding heads of terms regarding a potential acquisition and the deal completed on 30th January, 2024.

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Huboo, meanwhile, was set up in 2017 by Martin Bysh and Paul Dodd and offered third-party logistics services – effectively storing online retailers鈥 stock and fulfilling orders for them.

Operating from micro-warehouses across Europe, it sponsored football club Bristol City as well as Bristol Bears rugby and other sports teams in the city.

By May 2024 it had 700+ employees, operations in five countries, 拢50m in annual recurring revenue and had raised more than $150m in funding.

Bysh was replaced as CEO by former Carphone Warehouse operations head Andrew Pinnington when it raised its last round of funding in mid-2024 – and by 23rd December 2024 it was insolvent after failing to make payroll for its 600 employees.

A pre-pack administration deal backed by BlackRock, Ada Ventures and Atalla Capital saved it from collapse and secured those jobs, but reports suggest the new owners did not take over any of Huboo鈥檚 outstanding debts or credit obligations.

The 拢9 deal saw Goodwill and Intellectual Property bought for 拢1 each; shares in Holdco NL for a quid; and Stock, IT Equipment, Customer Contracts and 老九品茶 Records also each sold for 拢1.

Huboo came under fire from former customers who accused it of losing their stock.

Following the 拢1 deal for Sorted, the combined group will process over 100m parcels annually and serve more than 400 brands and retailers – representing circa 拢1 billion in gross merchandise value.

Revenue is important, but it鈥檚 not the only thing

The combined Huboo Group will operate from established sites in Bristol, Manchester, Eindhoven and Madrid, which Huboo said marks 鈥渁 significant and proud entry into the dynamic North West market and strengthening Huboo鈥檚 ability to deliver truly national coverage across the UK, complementing its established presence in the South West and South East鈥.听

Sorted鈥檚 Manchester office will continue operations.

The business said it plans to continue expanding its presence across the US, Asia and the Middle East as it scales globally.

Jo Kennedy, current managing director of, Huboo, said: 鈥淏ringing Sorted into the Huboo Group allows us to connect fulfilment, shipping and returns into a single intelligent platform. Together, we can help eCommerce brands 鈥 from fast-growth disruptors to established retailers 鈥 operate more efficiently, deliver better customer experiences, and scale with greater confidence.鈥

Paul Hill, product director at Sorted, added: 鈥淏ecoming part of the same group as Huboo gives our technology, people and customers a stronger long-term platform. There is a clear fit between Huboo鈥檚 fulfilment capability and Sorted鈥檚 delivery technology, and we are excited by what the two businesses can build together over time.鈥

Mahmoud Atalla, executive chairman of Brislington Holdco, parent company of Huboo and Sorted, said: 鈥淪orted represents a natural next step in Huboo鈥檚 transformation as a leading European eCommerce fulfilment and supply chain platform. By bringing together two highly complementary businesses, we are building a more powerful proposition for customers across the full spectrum 鈥 from emerging brands to large-scale retailers 鈥 while continuing to support Sorted鈥檚 broad ecosystem of logistics and retail partners.

鈥淭his transaction is supported by continued investor backing, with over 拢200m invested in the Group since inception, including more than 拢30m since the beginning of last year. This enables the acceleration of Huboo鈥檚 growth, with further investment planned as we scale.

鈥淥ur ambition is to build the core operating platform and underlying systems underpinning European commerce.鈥

Idox plc to leave AIM in a month amid 拢340m takeover

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Profits up at listed Bango in 鈥榩ivotal year鈥 /news/profits-up-at-listed-bango-in-pivotal-year/ Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:40:34 +0000 /?p=194985 Listed Cambridge firm Bango has reported a rise in profits as it moves towards an annual recurring revenue model. Bango has revolutionised the monetisation of digital content and services by opening up online payments to mobile phone users worldwide. The payments insights company said that for the year ended 31st December 2025, total revenue was […]

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Listed Cambridge firm Bango has reported a rise in profits as it moves towards an annual recurring revenue model.

Bango has revolutionised the monetisation of digital content and services by opening up online payments to mobile phone users worldwide.

The payments insights company said that for the year ended 31st December 2025, total revenue was down 2% to $52.2 million but adjusted EBITDA rose 7% to $16.4m.

It saw a 30% rise in annual recurring revenue to $18.2m amid an 鈥渋ntentional shift away from legacy low-margin payment routes鈥.

This resulted in modest revenue headwinds but a material improvement in the quality of earnings, it said.

Net debt increased from $1.8m to $9.2m following the agreement of an enhanced loan facility from NHN and a $15m revolving credit facility with NatWest.

Customers for its 鈥楧igital Vending Machine鈥 now include 7 of the top 8 telcos in the US, while it secured听 new customers in Japan, South Korea, Turkey and South Africa together with a leading European bank operating in 24 countries.

“2025 marked a pivotal year for Bango as we delivered strong growth in recurring revenue and reached a key financial inflection point with positive cash EBITDA,鈥 Bango CEO Paul Larbey.

鈥淭his performance reflects continued momentum in our Digital Vending Machine, where active subscriptions grew significantly and drove a 30% increase in ARR.

If mobile data can now be rationed, connectivity should be treated as a public utility

鈥淲e expanded the DVM’s global footprint with a record number of new enterprise customers, deepened our relationships with leading telcos, and expanded in verticals such as financial services, reinforcing our position at the center of the growing subscriptions bundling economy.听

鈥淎t the same time, the payments segment continued to generate strong cash flows, supporting investment in our high-margin, DVM platform.

鈥淧rofitability improved materially during the year, driven by a combination of revenue mix shift towards higher-margin DVM revenues and the operational efficiencies delivered across the business. These improvements enabled Bango to generate positive cash EBITDA and establish a more scalable and efficient operating model to support future growth.

鈥淲ith a strong pipeline, increasing revenue visibility and the operational efficiencies delivered during 2025 now embedded, Bango enters 2026 with good momentum. While we remain mindful of macroeconomic uncertainty affecting the timing of some opportunities, demand for bundling remains strong.听

鈥淲ith a continued focus on long-term shareholder value, we are well positioned to accelerate profitable growth and cash generation as we scale the DVM and execute on our strategy.”

Wi-Fi mobile ordering firm which raised 拢16m to be liquidated

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Inside Cubbi sisters鈥 Dragons鈥 Den pitch after Susie Ma backing /news/inside-cubbi-sisters-dragons-den-pitch-after-susie-ma-backing/ Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:24:37 +0000 /?p=194894 When Olivia and Tanyka Davson pitched the BBC Dragons on our screens in February, it would be fair to say they stole the show. Olivia was nine months pregnant at the time of filming and the relevance to their startup Cubbi, a discount platform for new and expecting parents, was clear. 鈥淲e’d already built our […]

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When Olivia and Tanyka Davson pitched the BBC Dragons on our screens in February, it would be fair to say they stole the show.

Olivia was nine months pregnant at the time of filming and the relevance to their startup Cubbi, a discount platform for new and expecting parents, was clear.

鈥淲e’d already built our community up to about 10,000 users when the BBC got in touch,鈥 Olivia tells me in Digbeth, Birmingham for Founder Friday. 鈥淚 was inundated with emails and I thought it was spam so I just ignored it!

鈥淭hey sent four emails before I was like, okay, let鈥檚 take this seriously. And from then, it moved really quickly.鈥

Tanyka adds: 鈥淲hen they found out she was pregnant, they were like: Okay, we need to get you in before you give birth!鈥

After receiving offers from Deborah Meaden and guest Dragon Susie Ma, they opted for the latter – and when the investment came through from the Tropic Skincare founder, they put it to good use. But more on that later.

Third time lucky

Cubbi, which is now looking to raise a further 拢350,000 in seed funding – with 拢100k already committed – almost never happened.

Olivia had built a career as a project manager at Rolls Royce, Deliveroo, McLaren Automotive and Amazon – the latter for more than five years – while Tanyka鈥檚 path had taken her through PR agency Weber Shandwick, policy roles with the UK Civil Service then senior manager, public affairs at the British 老九品茶 Bank.

鈥淲e always came up with ideas,鈥 Tanyka recounts. 鈥淲e had a couple of business ideas in our twenties and we’d always get to the stage of writing a business plan.鈥

Olivia continues: 鈥淭he first was an underwear company; then we looked at a subscription box allowing people to try black hair products. We were so passionate about these ideas – but just didn’t do them because we weren鈥檛 sure we were the right people to deliver them. And then we saw people come along and deliver our exact vision.

鈥淪o when we had this idea, we were like: yes, 鈥榞o time鈥. We have to be the ones to deliver it.鈥

Superpower

At the British 老九品茶 Bank, Tanyka witnesses founders first-hand – and realisation dawned. 鈥淚 always thought people that founded businesses and raised money had a crazy skill set that I would never have: they’d all be Oxford grads and have lots of money behind them.听

鈥淎t the bank, I was exposed to people just figuring it out and doing it. I was like: okay, they’re just normal people! They were telling me about the difficulties they’d been through, and how they were able to come out the other side.听

鈥淭hat’s when I got the bug again to start something – then Olivia had her great idea.鈥

Olivia had recently given birth to her first child. 鈥淗onestly, it unlocked a superpower that I’ve never known,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 used to be so worried about perception and what people thought.

鈥淚t just disappeared because motherhood is the hardest thing I’ve done in my life and so I realised I could now do absolutely anything. That was the most life-changing thing that enabled me to start on this path.鈥

The passion of this super-positive pitcher in the Den was ignited from a difficult place experienced by many new parents.

鈥淚 found it really scary,鈥 Olivia says of motherhood. 鈥淏efore, I would take trips down to London to visit my friends when I wanted to; on a whim, I would go shopping for a pair of new jeans; I could just book a holiday. I’d built this incredible career, and I had great financial stability.

鈥淭here was suddenly a question mark around those things. I now had this little baby who needed me, and I couldn’t just be Olivia in the same way that I was before. And that was compounded by the fact that my salary was going down and down.听

鈥淚’d been through a physical trauma in childbirth; I’d had the emotional challenges of adapting to motherhood; and then the financial thing was just an extra thing thrown in.听

鈥淚 just felt like new parents deserve so much more. What we’re building here is really to try and lighten that load and make parents feel seen – remind them that they deserve a coffee, or a new pair of jeans if their jeans don’t fit anymore. And they shouldn’t feel guilty about it.鈥

Olivia Davson of Cubbi holding her son

Tanyka adds: 鈥淪tudents get discounts, and everyone agrees with that because students don’t have a lot of money. UNiDAYS generated tens of millions in revenue last year. So did Blue Light Card.

鈥淲e are doing the exact same thing, just for a different audience that we know spends more.鈥

The reference to Blue Light Card, a discount platform for frontline workers – including the emergency services, NHS, social care, teachers, armed forces and veterans – is especially pertinent after Alex Dalby, its former head of strategic partnerships, recently joined as an investor and strategic adviser. Dalby鈥檚 brother Tom founded the firm with Steve Denny.

Founder life

Both sisters had realised that they didn鈥檛 want to spend their working lives in a corporate environment.

鈥淚 worked in jobs I enjoyed, but I never really had that passion which woke me up in the night with an idea,鈥 says Olivia. 鈥淭his has given me that passion. I designed our logo in the early hours during a night feed!鈥

Is it the same logo in use today? 鈥淚t’s developed over time. It鈥檚 much more polished now!鈥 laughs Tanyka.

After coming up with the idea in summer 2023, Tanyka built the first iteration of the app using a no-code platform. Launched in February 2024, they saw 5,000 downloads come through in the first month and used a startup loan to hire a software freelancer to take it from 鈥渟uper simple and scrappy鈥 to something polished and able to withstand heavy traffic.

Dragons鈥 Den

Enter the Den.

鈥淵ou see people who get really combative when the Dragons question their business,鈥 says Olivia. 鈥淪o we went in with a positive mindset.

鈥淚t鈥檚 your baby; but at the end of the day, you need to recognise that not everyone will understand you. So although we had a bit of back and forth with Touker [Suleyman], it was a positive exchange. It was all super light hearted.鈥

Cubbi founders pitching on Dragons' Den

She continues: 鈥淭ouker didn鈥檛 get it. He suggested we should just focus on offers for baby stuff, whereas the business that we’re building is for people who may have gone from being super independent to a new world where something is thrown in the mix鈥 it can be jarring.鈥

The three male judges turned down their offer of 10% stake of the business for 拢50,000, but Meaden offered the money for 20%.

However Susie, making her debut, is a new mum herself – and agreed to stump up the full amount for 10%. The Tropic Skincare founder first found fame on The Apprentice but has grown turnover to $100m.

鈥淲e tried to go in with quite a reasonable offer because we didn’t want to be one of those businesses where the whole episode is focused on discussing our valuation,鈥 says Tanyka.听

鈥淲e also went in there with the attitude of 鈥榯his is a really good opportunity to learn鈥. We hadn’t pitched a huge amount before that and knew we were never going to sit in front of a Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman or Steven Bartlett again.

鈥淚t was a really good opportunity for us to get immediate feedback and understand the kind of questions we might be asked.鈥

Olivia and Tanyka Davson, Cubbi

The pitch lasted for two hours. 鈥淥n the actual day, we got into some really deep discussions which weren鈥檛 shown. They were probably boring for viewers!鈥 reveals Tanyka.

鈥淲e had a really long conversation with Steven about marketing strategies and the funnel. It was a really good, constructive conversation that gave us a lot to take away.鈥

What was the most difficult question they were asked, I wonder?

鈥淪teven asked us why we decided to launch with an app rather than a web platform, which was fair,鈥 answers Olivia.

鈥淏ut from our perspective, we had our eyes on building a companion for parents and being accessible – so being able to share push notifications about new brands and engage with them to stay relevant. It鈥檚 much more sticky.

鈥淏ut it was an interesting conversation and we do now have a web platform too.鈥

On the Ma-ney

Once Susie鈥檚 investment came through, they used the money to work with a development agency and build a truly scalable platform.

鈥淚t had to be solid for the increased traffic we were going to see when the episode aired,鈥 says Tanyka.

鈥淎lso before, we were approving every single user by hand. One some days we would have like 1,000 approvals to do!

鈥淪o we invested in automation which does about 90% of our approvals now. That has been incredible for us and also a great user experience because users can get approved in two minutes, whereas before they might have to wait 24 hours.鈥

Tanyka and Olivia Davson of Cubbi

The sisters say Susie has 鈥渏ust been incredible in general鈥. 鈥淪he鈥檚 been really generous with her time,鈥 says Tanyka.听

鈥淗er office is about half an hour from where I live, so we’ve been able to go and have meetings with her there. She’s let us use her studio in her office, and lent us her graphic designer.鈥

Olivia adds: 鈥淪he sent me a gift when I had my son, which was lovely.鈥

They are now bringing forward on the roadmap a planned expansion to parents of older children.听

鈥淟ots of parents struggle with things like nursery fees, for example,鈥 says Tanyka.

Vision

The user base is now in the tens of thousands with 300 brand partners. With the momentum from the Den, the sisters are aiming to reach over 100,000 users and 500 brands by the end of the year.

Olivia concludes: 鈥淲e have this incredible vision which goes far beyond discount to deliver meaningful support for new parents.

鈥淲e are led by our users. We take their feedback and bolt on the features they want. We’ve been building the car while driving it! And I think the expansion to older children is a perfect example of that.

鈥淲hen we launched, I contacted nearly 1,000 brands and we got 30 to say, yeah, we’ll join you. Now I’m barely doing any outreach because we’re getting so much inbound.听

鈥淭he tables have turned. And it’s really exciting.鈥

Less than a week to enter Founder 250 list

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Wi-Fi mobile ordering firm which raised 拢16m to be liquidated /news/wi-fi-mobile-ordering-firm-which-raised-16m-to-be-liquidated/ Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:32:40 +0000 /?p=194855 A Wi-Fi engagement and mobile ordering platform which raised 拢16 million in funding is to be struck off. Onvi Tech Ltd, founded in 2016 as Wi-5 Technologies, is registered in Cardiff but based in London. It built a team of hundreds to target 鈥榗reate a new paradigm for in-venue and in-store customer engagement鈥. The business […]

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A Wi-Fi engagement and mobile ordering platform which raised 拢16 million in funding is to be struck off.

Onvi Tech Ltd, founded in 2016 as Wi-5 Technologies, is registered in Cardiff but based in London. It built a team of hundreds to target 鈥榗reate a new paradigm for in-venue and in-store customer engagement鈥.

The business was sourced from Wayra, the Telef贸nica-backed technology accelerator programme, which invested with a view to offering its services to O2 clients in the UK and Telef贸nica鈥檚 clients globally.

The platform effectively allowed consumers to order and purchase food, drinks and other goods by connecting to a Wi-Fi network. It was deployed at the O2 Arena; events such as golf鈥檚 BMW PGA Golf Championship at Wentworth; and trialled at Chicago Cubs鈥 baseball stadium Wrigley Field.

In 2018 it raised an 拢8m EIS equity round of funding. In 2021 it announced a 拢4.4m pre-Series A round as it signed up hundreds of hospitality venues, including enterprisebrands such as Pho,听Boxpark and Urban Pubs & Bars, to help with post-COVID mobile ordering.

Wi-5 was led by CEO and chief product officer Prask Sutton (pictured), who has served as CPO of FinTech 50 firm Round Treasury since September 2024. Sutton is still listed on LinkedIn as holding the CEO/CPO roles at Onvi Tech.

Its senior team in 2021 had a track record of rapid growth and US expansion: for example Alberto Menolascina previously worked at dark kitchen giant Reef, where he served as chief growth officer, and started grocery delivery startup Dija, acquired by Gopuff in 2021.

Flagship Welsh tech firm Amplyfi to be liquidated

According to Sutton, he raised a total of 拢16m for Wi-5/Onvi and built a 100+ person team across product, engineering, and ops; expanded the product across the UK, EU, and US; and partnered with Apple for Tap to Pay.

The company was placed into creditors voluntary liquidation on 23rd April 2026. One of its directors is Jon Clarke, CEO of listed Crimson Tide, provider of the mpro5 process management app.

Founders need flexibility rather than full-time staff

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ASOS halves losses as turnaround plan enters final stage /news/asos-halves-losses-as-turnaround-plan-enters-final-stage/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 06:50:41 +0000 /?p=194805 ASOS Plc halved its losses in its latest six-month results but revenue dropped. The online fashion giant said losses before tax for the half-year period ended 1st March 2026 were 拢137.9 million, down from 拢241.5m in the same period last year (H1 FY25). Group revenue was under 拢1.2 billion, a 14% drop from 拢1.3bn in […]

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ASOS Plc halved its losses in its latest six-month results but revenue dropped.

The online fashion giant said losses before tax for the half-year period ended 1st March 2026 were 拢137.9 million, down from 拢241.5m in the same period last year (H1 FY25).

Group revenue was under 拢1.2 billion, a 14% drop from 拢1.3bn in H1 FY25.

Gross margin grew to 48.6% from 45.1%.

ASOS stated: “In 2022, we were aware that ASOS needed to undergo a major transformation and deliver structural change to achieve our ambitious vision. We put in place a comprehensive turnaround plan centred around three distinct phases.

“First, we focused on dealing with the most pressing issue; our stock and debt levels. Second, we focused on transforming our business model to ensure ASOS can deliver sustainably profitable growth, with a renewed emphasis on building healthier, more balanced relationships with our customers. This involved moving from a promotion-led model to one centred around excitement, with customers engaging with ASOS to discover something great rather than hunting for a bargain.

JD Sports chair in shock resignation

“With the fundamentals of our model fixed, our attention would switch to growth, and to regaining the hearts and minds of consumers.

“Until recently, we have been focused on solving the first two steps of our journey. And as we shared in November 2025, we have significantly moved the dial on both fronts. The time has come to focus the organisation on the third step of our transformational journey.

“Over the course of H1 FY26, we have an expanding list of green shoots of growth and have delivered sequential improvement in our GMV trend in Q1, Q2 and Q3-to-date. This improving trend has followed a clear focus on the most significant parts of our business – Womenswear and UK. We have prioritised rebuilding our customer database, starting with the attraction and retention of new customers in our four core markets.”

Ex-Costa Express boss aims to transform UK coffee market… again

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JD Sports chair in shock resignation /news/jd-sports-chair-in-shock-resignation/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:19:40 +0000 /?p=194744 Andrew Higginson is to step down as chair of JD Sports Fashion Plc in a shock move. He joined Britain’s biggest listed sporting goods group in 2022 and transformed its corporate governance.听 Together with his chief executive hire Regis Schultz, the firm expanded overseas and sold off non-core brands. It says that 40% of its […]

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Andrew Higginson is to step down as chair of JD Sports Fashion Plc in a shock move.

He joined Britain’s biggest listed sporting goods group in 2022 and transformed its corporate governance.听

Together with his chief executive hire Regis Schultz, the firm expanded overseas and sold off non-core brands. It says that 40% of its business is now in North America.

Higginson will leave at the conclusion of the company’s annual general meeting on 21st July 2026.

JD Sports is majority-owned by Pentland, a family group which also manages Berghaus, Lacoste and Speedo.

The board has initiated a process for the appointment of a successor, led by Kath Smith, senior independent director.听

Darren Shapland – who has served as an independent NED since June 2023 and currently chairs the board’s ESG committee – will become interim chair following the 2026 AGM until a permanent chair has been appointed.听

Higginson was a long-term executive at Tesco and later chaired Wm Morrison during its almost 拢10 billion private equity sale.

Ex-Costa Express boss aims to transform UK coffee market… again

“I am proud of my time at JD which has coincided with a tough period in the sportswear market,鈥 said Higginson.

鈥淲e have focused the business back to sports fashion, bought out minority interests in subsidiaries, and accelerated our expansion outside JD’s UK market, particularly in the US.听

鈥淎t the same time, we have made significant investments to transform the group’s governance and control systems, reflecting the scale and global footprint of JD, and in doing so materially strengthened our board.听

鈥淎s we move into the next phase of our journey, our focus on business discipline and cashflow leaves JD well placed to deliver the value it unquestionably represents.”

Schultz said: “I’m grateful to Andy for his support and counsel through a critical and transformational period for the group. His leadership and experience have been crucial in building the capability we have around the board today.”

THG shares rise on fastest Q1 revenue growth in 5 years

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Ex-Costa Express boss aims to transform UK coffee market… again /news/ex-costa-express-boss-aims-to-transform-uk-coffee-market-again/ Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:00:37 +0000 /?p=194706 A former boss of Costa Express has raised 拢2 million for automated drinks retail platform Unity Coffee. Founder Scott Martin previously co-founded Coffee Nation, which grew to a network of more than 900 self-service machines. Acquired in 2011 for 拢59.5 million by Whitbread, these were immediately rebranded as Costa Express. Martin effectively introduced the first […]

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A former boss of Costa Express has raised 拢2 million for automated drinks retail platform Unity Coffee.

Founder Scott Martin previously co-founded Coffee Nation, which grew to a network of more than 900 self-service machines. Acquired in 2011 for 拢59.5 million by Whitbread, these were immediately rebranded as Costa Express.

Martin effectively introduced the first premium self-serve espresso solution to the UK, bringing real coffee and fresh milk to consumers at a time when instant coffee dominated the on-the-go market. It subsequently became a cornerstone of Coca-Cola鈥檚 acquisition of Costa Coffee.

Unity is expanding into a market that is rapidly changing how people buy food and drink on the move. It is building an automated retail platform, pairing premium beverages with connected hardware, app-based ordering and payments, and real-time loyalty.听

The second funding round into Unity Coffee follows successful London pilot tests which outperformed expectations with over 10,000 app downloads in 24 hours ahead of rollout.

Unity Coffee

After a successful friends and family raise, Unity Coffee鈥檚 latest round features a consortium of seasoned industry figures, including a figure at The Imbiba Group, and angel investor and W Communications CEO Warren Johnson, whose recent exits from investments in businesses including Pizza Pilgrims and The Clinic have delivered strong financial returns.

It will be used to roll out 500+ state-of-the-art machines across the next 12 months, scaling its app-first coffee stations into high-footfall venues including gyms, hotels and flexible workspaces, and forecourts.听

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Unity says parts of legacy 鈥榖ig coffee鈥 brands have come under pressure, while a new wave of challengers has captured younger consumers looking for innovation in both product and experience. Brands such as Blank Street, known for its matcha-led menu, and Black Sheep Coffee have been among the operators growing quickly in the UK market.听听

In China, the shift has been even more pronounced, with platforms like Luckin Coffee moving early into connected, unmanned retail formats designed to scale rapidly through technology-led distribution.听听

鈥淏ig Coffee has spent decades extracting maximum margin from a captive market, but we are here to flip the model,鈥 said Martin.

鈥淲e are committed to offering barista-quality drinks at up to 20% cheaper than the high street, powered by a digital platform built for the next decade and socially distributed instant rewards which serve customers and owners.鈥

Martin holds several NED roles for several tech-first businesses.

Techies鈥 side hustle becomes national coffee subscription business

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THG shares rise on fastest Q1 revenue growth in 5 years /news/thg-shares-rise-on-fastest-q1-revenue-growth-in-5-years/ Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:23:59 +0000 /?p=194689 Shares in Manchester-headquartered online retailer THG have risen today after it reported revenue growth of 7% in the first quarter of 2026 – the highest Q1 figure for five years. THG shares are currently trading just below 40 pence (writing at 4.15pm), up 3% in today, after rising 7% in early trading. In its results […]

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Shares in Manchester-headquartered online retailer THG have risen today after it reported revenue growth of 7% in the first quarter of 2026 – the highest Q1 figure for five years.

THG shares are currently trading just below 40 pence (writing at 4.15pm), up 3% in today, after rising 7% in early trading.

In its results it said beauty revenue was up 5.8% to 拢233.3m, supported by strong UK order growth and continued outperformance in the US.

Building on the momentum of a strong end to 2025, the company鈥檚 group revenue was 拢393.1m, while Myprotein, the world’s largest online sports nutrition brand, saw its revenues rise by 8.8% to 拢159.8m.

THG also delivered its strongest Q1 cash flow performance in three years and has reiterated full-year guidance for FY 2026.

THG shares are down听14% in the year to date but听37% up last 12 months.

CEO and founder Matt Moulding said this morning: 鈥淚t is energising for everyone at THG to see such a strong start to 2026, building on the better-than-expected momentum we delivered in H2 2025.

鈥淚n Beauty, Lookfantastic is once again outperforming the market following two years of business model change, while the US continues to perform strongly.

Trustpilot shares up as it announces board appointment

鈥淚n Nutrition, our diversification into margin-accretive categories is really paying off.

鈥淎ctivewear continues to deliver exceptional growth, with annualised run-rate sales now fast approaching our 拢100m ambition.

Founder250 banner

鈥淕rowth across activewear and other high-margin categories, including creatine, hydration and collagen, is helping to offset record whey commodity pricing.

鈥淲hile the geopolitical backdrop remains uncertain, we enter Q2 with confidence after a better-than-expected Q1, giving us a stronger base against any unforeseen risks later in the year.鈥

The company said it is continuing to monitor developments in the Middle East, with affected regions representing less than 1.5 per cent of its revenue in 2025.

Debenhams Group names Paul Aspden as CTO

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Trustpilot shares up as it announces board appointment /news/trustpilot-shares-up-as-it-announces-board-appointment/ Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:14:26 +0000 /?p=194685 Shares in Trustpilot Group plc rose today after it announced an addition to its board. John-Paul Savant, who is stepping down as CEO of listed Auction Technology Group after a decade in the role, will become a non-executive director from May. Before ATG, Savant built 20 years of experience in digital marketplaces and commerce. He […]

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Shares in Trustpilot Group plc rose today after it announced an addition to its board.

John-Paul Savant, who is stepping down as CEO of listed Auction Technology Group after a decade in the role, will become a non-executive director from May.

Before ATG, Savant built 20 years of experience in digital marketplaces and commerce.

He spent almost 10 years at eBay/PayPal, serving in a number of leadership roles, latterly as PayPal’s vice president of product, experience and consumer engagement for EMEA.

He then held the role of CEO of Think Finance UK.

Shares in Trustpilot are currently at 259 pence (writing at 4pm) having climbed 3% in trading today. They are up a huge 67% in the year to date.

ATG owns 10 marketplaces and connects auction houses with bidders globally. It also announced its half-year results yesterday.

The London-listed firm recently rejected a remarkable 12 hostile takeover bids from its largest shareholder FitzWalter Capital, the latest for 拢491 million.

AI video platform Synthesia opens new global offices

On Savant鈥檚 departure, chair Scott Forbes commented: “On behalf of the board, I would like to extend our appreciation to John-Paul for his tenure during which he architected the combination of brands serving curated secondary goods markets in the arts & antiques and industrial & commercial goods segments.听

鈥淗e has built a capable team and ATG has a solid foundation of buyers and sellers and an increasingly robust platform for the development of uniquely efficient online marketplaces serving auction and list price buyers and sellers.鈥

Savant said: “It has been a pleasure to lead ATG for over the last 10 years, taking the group from revenue of c.$20m to around $250m in FY26 through building leading marketplace brands.鈥

Moulding hails THG鈥檚 鈥榚nergising鈥 Q1 results (and his mum!)

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