Content about Retail and Leisure

Rank Group has announced it is to acquire Gala Casinos from Gala Coral Group for £205 million.

Rank will acquire 23 casinos in Great Britain and three non-operating licences. The deal is set to create the largest casino operator in Great Britain by number of casinos, with 58 operating venues and 13 non-operating licences.

Rank said the deal presents a “significant opportunity” for it to continue delivering sustainable value for shareholders through the development of its casino portfolio.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has confirmed its acquisition of a 2.987 per cent stake in Ireland’s national carrier, Aer Lingus.

Etihad said the purchase reflected its desire to forge a commercial partnership with Aer Lingus, believing this could lead to significant commercial benefits for both airlines.

Etihad Airways operates 10 flights a week from Abu Dhabi to Dublin and has carried more than 750,000 passengers between the two destinations since it began flying the route in July 2007.

The eagerly awaited Deerfields Town Square Mall is just eight months from opening in Abu Dhabi. General manager Banu Tas talks to Gay Sutton about fulfilling the needs of the community.

In December this year, the new Deerfields Town Square Mall will be opening its doors to the public in the Al Bahiya area of Abu Dhabi, providing a much needed blend of shopping outlets, entertainment venues, restaurants and family activities for the rapidly growing communities living on the mainland close to the Emirate’s island capital. 

Keeping a brand popular for 100 years when the content is essentially the same year on year, and where there is no shortage of competitors, requires a level of commitment way beyond what is normally found, as Alan Swaby discovers.

Despite living in a mercenary world, there are often individual acts of altruism that take us by surprise and remind us that not everyone is fixated on self-aggrandizement. When these voluntary acts involve a whole city, that’s something special. And when it happens year after year… well, you get the picture.

Taste Holdings manages franchises, developing efficient and customer-focused brands tailored towards South Africa’s discerning diners and consumers of jewellery.

Supermarket giant Tesco has announced that it will create 20,000 new jobs in the UK over the next two years.

The jobs will be created through a major investment programme in customer service, refreshing existing stores and opening new ones. 

Starting immediately, Tesco said it will invest significantly in additional staff hours and training to boost the customer experience—including on fresh produce, fresh meat, bakery and counter services.

Hotel and restaurant group Whitbread has announced it will create 10,000 new jobs in the UK over the next three years.

The new jobs will come as a result of Whitbread’s rapid expansion of its Premier Inn and Costa Coffee businesses, which already saw the creation of 2,500 jobs in the 2011/12 period.

Whitbread increased the number of Costa Coffee stores in the UK by 158 to 1,375 during the last year, and now has plans for an additional 10,000 Premier Inn rooms.

Over the past 42 years Avis has established an impressive average 38 per cent share of the South African car rentals market. Maintaining that position, however, requires continuous innovation and improvement, as chief executive Wayne Duvenage explains to Gay Sutton.

Zimbabwe-based Meikles has spent three years rebuilding its retail, hotel and tea growing business in the aftermath of devastating hyperinflation. Executive director Mark Wood talks to Gay Sutton about new business opportunities and plans for growth.

Meikles is a household name in Zimbabwe: 17 Meikles-branded department stores and a luxury five-star Harare hotel form the face of a company that has extensive experience in retail, hospitality and agriculture dating back to 1892.

International Airlines Group (IAG) and Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa have reached a binding agreement for IAG to acquire UK-based airline British Midland Limited (bmi).

IAG will pay £172.5 million for bmi, which consists of three distinct business units—bmi mainline, bmi regional and bmibaby.

According to Department of Labor data released yesterday, the retail industry added nearly 50,000 jobs in November, the second highest increase since September 2007.

However, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) warned that new regulations could impede the continued pace of job growth.

The Department of Labor figures show that the retail industry added 49,800 jobs in November, raising the total of US retail jobs to 14.7 million. The retail industry has added nearly 200,000 new jobs this year alone, averaging 14,000 new jobs each month.