Latest news with #Kent-based
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Hobbycraft to close NINE shops today as part of huge restructuring plan – is your local going
See the full list of stores closing below CLOSING TIME Hobbycraft to close NINE shops today as part of huge restructuring plan – is your local going Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SHOPPERS are running out of time to pick up craft and art essentials from selected stores as a high street chain axes nine outlets. Hobbycraft is closing shops in towns including Bristol, Dunstable, Borehamwood and Basildon today. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Hobbycraft is closing nine shops in a blow to locals Credit: PA The high street favourite is also closing two sites in Essex, one in Gloucestershire, plus another in Kent. The stores closing their doors makeup at least nine Hobbycraft stores that have been earmarked for closure this year. Local customers have been disappointed by the news. Bristol residents describing it as a "shame" on social media. The local store is sure to be missed as another customer said they needed to find another "rainy day activity" referencing the store's numerous crafting goods. Talking about the closure, a Kent-based shopper said: "Oh noooooo it's the only one I go to regularly as the rest are too far away!". Another resident said they would "need therapy" following news of the closure. Closing down sales have been ongoing across the stores, with up to 70% off some items. Here is the full list of stores shutting Canterbury, Kent Basildon, Essex Borehamwood, Hertfordshire Bristol, Imperial Retail Park Dunstable, Bedfordshire Epping Forest, Essex Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex Cirencester, Gloucestershire Bagshot, Surrey I transformed my boring, old fence using an electric stapler and bargain buys from Hobbycraft and Amazon The closures come as new owner Modella Capital is launching an overhaul of the chain after buying Hobbycraft in August last year. Modella also recently agreed to purchase WHSmith's high street business. The move is set to impact between 72 and 126 jobs. Retail woe Hobbycraft is not the only retailer scaling down operations. Up to 11 Original Factory Shops stores are to set to close this month, including sites across Worcestershire, Durham and Cumbria. And another five stores across Nairn, Market Drayton, Troon, Blairgowrie and Castle Douglas have been put up for sale. Private equity firm Modella bought The Original Factory Shop back in February and has since launched a restructuring effort to renegotiate rents at 88 TOFS stores. You can see the full list of store closures here: Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire - June 26 Perth - June 28 Chester Le Street, County Durham - June 28 Arbroath, Angus - June 28 Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire - June 28 Pershore, Worcestershire - June 28 Normanton, West Yorkshire - June 28 Peterhead, Aberdeenshire - June 28 Shaftesbury, Dorset - June 28 Staveley, Cumbria - July 12 Middlewich - TBC The following stores are also up for sale: Nairn Market Drayton Troon Blairgowrie Castle Douglas RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. 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."
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I quit boring 9-5 job & make £40K a month on TikTok shop working 3 days a week… I didn't even use social media before
LIKE most parents, Jordan Payne was always keen to find ways to bring in a bit of extra cash. But when she decided to start promoting items for TikTok shop, she never expected to make £40,000 in just ONE month. 13 Mum-of-two Jordan Payne earns thousands by promoting items on TikTok shop Credit: Jordan Payne 13 Her posts are focused around her family life and children Credit: Jordan Payne 13 Jordan sometimes promotes clothes on her TikTok account Credit: Tiktok/@jordanpayne25 And she reckons she's made a staggering £150,000 since opening up her profile on the video-based platform in 2020. The mum-of-two barely used any of her own social media when she first began posting on the app, hoping she might make a few extra quid. By December 2023 she was earning thousands a month - and 18 months later she managed to quit her 9-5 job as a technical product manager to focus full-time on her new TikTok career. In an exclusive interview with The Sun, she said: 'When I first realised I'd made £40,000 in a month, it just seemed crazy. 'You can't quite believe that it's even possible. Most people just don't manage that. 'I did it in November last year around Black Friday. I normally bring in around £10,000 a month, but it's taken me years to build up to this.' TikTok Shop is a marketplace on the social media app, selling everything from beauty products to clothes and garden items, often at bargain prices. When Jordan started you had to have 1,000 followers before you could promote items on the shop. You'd then earn a commission on each sale that came from people clicking through a link on the post. To gain followers Jordan posted tips for brides, as she had got married the month before. Now you need just 500 followers to start doing work for TikTok shop. I've made £18k on Vinted - my clever tip means your photos will stand out 13 Initially Jordan found making the promotional videos awkward Credit: Supplied 13 She spends hours filming content three days a week to promote online Credit: Supplied Commission ranges from two per cent up to 25 per cent, depending on the product and the creator's following and previous success. Jordan, who is appearing in Channel 4's Secrets of TikTok Shop, first considered joining the app to make money in 2020, after a friend who'd been furloughed during lockdown told her how much money they'd been making from it. The Kent-based mum, 33, was initially a little sceptical about if she'd be able to do the same, as she didn't really use social media like Instagram or Facebook, nevermind TikTok. 'At first, it was really awkward making the videos,' she said. 'In the first week, I felt uncomfortable talking to the camera, and I was focusing on that rather than who I though might be watching the content. 'After a bit, you just forget about it. Once I got my first sale, I was like, 'This is all worth it, so worth putting the time and effort in.' 'I do look back at my old videos now and think, 'Wow that's different'. I've just learnt what works and what doesn't.' Jordan's account, jordanpayne25, focuses on family life, as she has two boys aged one and three with husband Lance, 36. It took her a while to find her niche, but now she reviews kids toys, clothing and items for the family home like air fryers and parasols. Booming business 13 Jordan promotes easy beauty hacks that mum's can use Credit: Tiktok/@jordanpayne25 13 The mum mainly focuses on childrens items as they're relevent to her Credit: Tiktok/@jordanpayne25 Once she'd found products that sold well, it took a few years for her to start making around £10,000 per month from TikTok Shop. 'This time last year, it started really booming,' she said. 'It is life-changing. It's enabled me to quit my job, and I had a good, quite highly paid job before. Now I get to be at home with my kids a lot more. "I tend to work three days a week. I spend all day creating content, editing it, looking on TikTok to see what is doing well. 'I do get more time with my kids but I worry they don't realise that when I'm on my phone, I'm working.' Jordan revealed the most important element of a TikTok video is the opening three seconds - called 'the hook' by creators. It's the short time period it takes TikTok users to decide if they want to watch the video or not. 'One I found worked was saying 'I'm buying this for my nan', because it got people intrigued,' she said. 'It worked so well that I repeated it across several videos. It's one of the important things I've learnt over the years.' Jordan always viewed working with TikTok shop as a business venture, and now all of her earnings from the app are paid into a business account. Storage rooms of products 13 Jordan has a storage room full of products she's been sent by brands Credit: Supplied 13 She says that she doesn't like getting rid of things incase she can promote them again Credit: Supplied She pays herself a set salary of £1,048, plus dividends, every month, and resists spending every penny she earns on her ongoing home renovation project. Jordan is one of the top 120 sellers on TikTok in the UK - and as a result, she has to dedicate rooms in her home to storing products. She said: 'I've got content rooms which are just storage because I've so much stuff that I try to keep to promote. 'I've got about eight air fryers in there. Obviously I can't use them, because nobody needs that. 'But I keep them all because the brand sent them to me... it could be that one of them's on sale tomorrow, one's on sale in a few weeks, and I can promote the different ones, because they're all good for different reasons.' While promoting items from the shop is all about getting sales, Jordan does give her honest opinion when she feels an item isn't up to scratch. 'I have given negative reviews as well, which is a bit of a controversial one,' she said. 'Some people do it, some people don't. Mine blew up, which was a bit difficult for me, because it was a Mystery Toy Box, and they are a nice company. 'But I just really didn't think the particular Paw Patrol box was good value for money, so I said that. 'It mainly just had paintings in it and not much variety, and I think a kid receiving that would be disappointed.' Top tips 13 Jordan sometimes sells clothing items on her TikTok Credit: Tiktok/@jordanpayne25 13 Jordan has the full support of her husband Lance who is still working full time Credit: Jordan Payne Jordan is keen to encourage others to replicate her success on the platform. She's helped family and friends set up accounts - including her sister, who promoted products on an account that didn't feature her face. Jordan has also noticed a number of people using the app have told how much they are battling financially with the cost of living crisis. She said: 'I see a lot of people online talking about how they struggle. I saw one lady, who was a nurse, saying that she and her husband were struggling despite both having full time jobs. Jordan's 5 top tips for bossing TikTok Shop Jordan has been encouraging family and friends to start selling things on TikTok Shop. She offers these top tips to budding sellers... 1. Just go for it. I think that's where most people get stuck, they're too scared to even start it. So just give it a try, even if it's faceless, just try. You can always stop doing it. 2. Follow other creators that are doing well in the same kind of products that you're interested in. If you're beauty, follow them. If you're home, follow accounts that do that, because that'll give you lots of ideas. 3. Look at your analytics. We get lots of information, our watch times and all sorts of stuff. Look at which videos have done the best and repeat that if you had a good 'hook' (first three seconds). If you've got a video that's done particularly well, do that exact thing again, on the same product or different ones. 4. Buy the product. Don't always wait for free samples or worry about not spending the money (within reason!) because if you miss the early stages of it being viral, you're probably going to miss out on sales. Someone else will get it. If you get to it too late, it's probably not going to go viral for you, even if it was a trending product. 5. Make sure you are using good lighting. The visual of the video matters. If it's dark or blurry, that video won't get pushed by TikTok. Plus, no one's going to want to watch it. 'Everybody at the moment is looking for a side hustle or a way to just get by with the current cost of living. "TikTok shop is just a great way for people to earn an extra income. 'It doesn't have to be £10,000 a month if you don't want to put time in. "Some people just want a little extra to help out. My sister-in-law makes about £500 a month, which makes a big difference to paying bills and things.' UNTOLD: Secrets of TikTok Shop is now streaming on Channel 4 13 Prior to starting her TikTok account, Jordan barely used social media Credit: Jordan Payne
Scottish Sun
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Towie trip chaos as Dan Edgar flirts with stunning new girl on flight to Portugal – right in front of ex Ella Rae Wise
DAN EDGAR made a beeline for a stunning brunette on a Towie cast flight to Portugal in front of 'fuming' ex Ella Rae Wise. The Dancing On Ice star, 35, caused a stir on a Jet2 flight from London Standard to Faro in Portugal after making a bold move mid-journey. 7 Towie star Dan Edgar was spotted flirting up a storm on a flight to Portugal Credit: Supplied 7 Stunning brunette Chloe caught the eye of newly single Dan Credit: chloeoolivia_ 7 Ella Rae Wise flaunts her curves in Albufeira Portugal for TOWIE season 36 Credit: Instagram An onlooker told The Sun there were 'sparks flying' - but not everyone was enjoying the in-flight entertainment. CBB ex Ella, 24, was accused of shooting 'death stares' to Dan during the entire conversation as Love Island: All Stars couple Sammy Root and Elma Pazar watched on. An image obtained by The Sun shows Dan locked in conversation with the stunning brunette, who he chatted to for 15 minutes after the pair were 'drawn to each other' in the departure queue. A source told The Sun: 'We saw Dan Edgar chatting away to a woman who was on a hen do on our flight - the plane was full of the entire Towie cast. 'One of the girls from the hen do, he took a liking to. He was with her for quite a fair bit of the flight and his cast members didn't seem too happy. 'You could tell it was a flirty exchange - they were laughing and touching. There were definitely sparks flying. 'Sat near where they were talking was Sammy Root, Elma and Ella Wise. Ella was giving death stares - it looked like she was fuming. It was a very entertaining flight. 'We noticed they were drawn to each other - we could see them eyeing each other in the departure queue. 'It looked like socials were exchanged so it seems their conversation went really well.' Dan's potential new romance comes as the Towie cast jetted off to Portugal to kick off filming for the long-running ITV reality series' 15th anniversary. Towie star sparks concern in worrying new video after horrendous trolling as fans 'ask are you ok?' He had been dating CBB star Ella in the run-up to her stint on the show in April. While the last series saw Ella and Dan become "official" ahead of her stint on Celebrity Big Brother, it was revealed on the show that the two had split "amicably". The pair now face the first reunion since their split as the cast film scenes in the Algarve for the latest season, out later this year. Sophie Kasaei, boyfriend Jordan Brook, Junaid Ahmed and boyfriend Joe Blackman also join them in Portugal. Towie has been approached for comment. Meanwhile, Matilda Draper and Jodie Wells have been soaking up the sun at the luxury resort's pool. Elma Pazar, Harry Derbridge, Amber Turner and Dani Imbert, AMY Childs and Lauren Goodger are also on the trip. Dan is also set to face off with another of his exes - 31-year-old Amber Turner, who has since moved on from the Dancing On Ice star with Kent-based hunk Archie Chandler. The pair have been together since May last year, with sources reporting that Amber has finally found 'the one'. 7 Dan seen on Towie last year Credit: Lime Pictures 7 Ella recently revealed their split on Celebrity Big Brother Credit: instagram/ellaraewisex 7 The Towie girls have landed in Portugal
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Burgess Hodgson secures investment from Abry Partners
UK accountancy and advisory company Burgess Hodgson has secured an undisclosed investment from US private equity group Abry Partners. The Kent-based firm caters to fast-growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individual customers across the UK. Established in 1938, Burgess Hodgson, with headquarters in Canterbury, offers accounting and advisory services to more than 5,000 SME clients. The firm's team of more than 200 professionals delivers a broad range of services, including audit, tax, accounts advisory, outsourced finance, payroll, and corporate advisory solutions. Abry said the investment represents a key step in the professional services provider's expansion plans, offering both strategic guidance and financial backing to scale the business. The partnership aims to extend the firm's geographic reach, strengthen its digital infrastructure, and support selective acquisitions as it evolves into a larger, multi-regional advisory platform. Burgess Hodgson's leadership and partners will maintain significant equity ownership and will continue to guide the firm's strategic direction. As part of the investment, Mark Pacitti, former global leader of Deloitte's Corporate Finance Advisory practice and past chairman of the ICAEW Corporate Finance Faculty, will join the board of Burgess Hodgson as non-executive chairman. The transaction's completion is contingent upon customary regulatory approvals. Continuum Advisory Partners is acting as the exclusive financial advisor to Burgess Hodgson, while Hines Associates and Paul Hastings (Europe) are advising and providing legal counsel to Abry Partners. "Burgess Hodgson secures investment from Abry Partners" was originally created and published by International Accounting Bulletin, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chinese takeover of UK smoke alarm maker triggers national security alert
National security restrictions have been placed on a tiny British manufacturer of smoke alarms after it was taken over by a state-owned Chinese company. Pat McFadden, minister for the Cabinet Office, issued a notice banning Kent-based FireBlitz Extinguisher from selling its own internet-connected devices and from sharing data with 'certain entities'. The order was imposed through the National Security and Investment Act after the company was acquired by Canadian-based Maple Armor, which is in turn part of Beijing-headquartered fire alarm company Jade Bird. Jade Bird's largest shareholder is Peking University, which like other Chinese academic institutions has close links with the country's communist government. Weimin Cai, who is Jade Bird's chairman and founded the business in 2001, has also been listed as a director of FireBlitz since April 2024, according to Companies House. No explicit reason was given for the UK Government's restrictions on FireBlitz. However, under the 2021 act, ministers have wide-ranging powers to intervene in takeovers that are seen to pose potential risks to national security. The Cabinet Office said Mr McFadden had deemed the restrictions 'necessary and proportionate' following 'a detailed national security assessment'. A spokesman said: 'The National Security and Investment Act enables the government to continue championing open investment while protecting national security. 'As you would expect, we cannot comment further given the quasi-judicial nature of the Government's investment screening powers.' Such orders are usually issued to tackle either imminent security risks or perceived risks that might arise in future. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by FireBlitz, Maple Armor or Jade Bird. FireBlitz's products are used by a string of fire and rescue services across the country, as well as other public bodies. It secured a joint contract worth up to £40m in 2015 to supply smoke alarms and hard-wired alarms to YPO, a major supplier to the public sector, as well as another joint contract worth up to £30m in 2021 to supply smoke alarms to all of the country's fire services. The Government's order restricts what kinds of devices the company can sell in future and how it uses data. It bans FireBlitz from developing, manufacturing or marketing its own 'internet of things' devices – products that can connect to the internet and wirelessly transmit information to each other – or sell them in partnership with companies based in countries 'outside of a pre-approved list'. The company was also banned from sharing data it collects from any internet-connected devices with any other entities. One cyber security expert said that digitally-enabled fire alarms could theoretically pose a risk as they could be remotely accessed and used for snooping or to gain access secure buildings. Ken Munro, founder of Pen Test Partners, said such alarms are typically connected to 'smart' door systems and automatically disengage the locks when a fire is detected in a building, so that people can escape safely. He said: 'So if you want to break in somewhere, you just trigger the alarm remotely, and it unlocks all the doors.' Internet connected smoke alarms also amounted to 'a sensor in every room', he added. 'Who's to say what's inside that smoke sensor? It's going to be networked, so it's going to be somewhere on the core network. It's going to have an interface, so could easily end up being a backdoor, particularly if it's cloud connected. 'So therefore, you've got a fire alarm that's probably connected to a cloud [computing server]. And that cloud's probably in China somewhere, if it's Chinese.' China has previously been accused by Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, of espionage on an 'epic scale' and MPs have called for the country to be designated as a threat to Britain. There is no suggestion that Jade Bird or FireBlitz is engaged in espionage. FireBlitz was contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
