Latest news with #Ratcliffe
Miami Herald
9 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
IKEA suddenly closing more stores amid concerning customer trend
It's not exactly the prettiest time to be a retailer right now. The past five years have wrought seemingly irreversible damage to even the strongest retail brands. Related: Huge retail chain suddenly closing 100s of stores, no bankruptcy Covid, which swept the U.S. in early 2020, forced many people into their homes for prolonged periods of time. Suddenly, very few of us were driving to an office every day, going out to restaurants, concerts, or sports events. The world screeched to a halt. And this had outsized effects on the economy. With fewer of us driving around or commuting, demand for everything from gasoline to button-down shirts decreased. As Covid wore on, we adapted to these changes. More people opted for loungewear and traded cars for walks around the block. More of us made coffee at home, prepared meals at home, and ordered a lot of our necessities from the comfort of our couch. Customer behavior patterns have changed forever, and retail chains have been forced to follow the money. That means trying to meet customers where they are. And, increasingly, that is online. Image source: Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images Before the pandemic, some of the most popular brick-and-mortar stores were furniture and home decor chains. Whether they were planning a new space, welcoming a new family member, or simply needed a furniture upgrade, many people spent the weekend traipsing through a showroom. More closings: Popular local Dairy Queen rival suddenly closing, no bankruptcyAnother big Mexican chain closing down restaurant, no bankruptcyUPS suddenly closing more stores amid chaotic new change, layoffsPopular fast-food burger chain closes all restaurants in key area And, largely, these showrooms were considered necessary and convenient. They'd allow folks to test out everything, from dining room tables to nursery chairs to mattresses. But when Covid struck, most of these stores closed down. So people adapted. They opted to shop instead at online retailers, like Wayfair. Fast shipping and easy returns helped to reduce friction to the online furniture world, so taking a risk on a pricey item became less daunting. Of course, this hurt many brick-and-mortar operations, and many have been forced to reduce their footprints as our online shopping habit sticks around. But some retail chains seem to defy the odds. IKEA, the Swedish chain known for discount furniture and reliable quality (if you have patience for the assembly instructions), has been growing steadily over the years. Customers enjoy winding through the massive, warehouse-style stores and often drive hours just to access the closest one. IKEA has rolled out a new concept, called the Plan & Order Point, which allows more distant customers to come into a smaller-format location to plan out rooms, such as the living area or bathroom. Related: Whole Foods suddenly closing down another grocery store forever These stores, which are often located in urban areas and range in size from 3,000 to 15,000 square feet, don't function as physical stores where a customer can purchase and carry out inventory immediately. Instead, they can chat with specialists and plan out future purchases. But IKEA has announced it will shut down three Plan & Order Point stores - two locations in England and one in Long Beach, Calif. They are located at: Aintree, Liverpool, UKMerseyway Shopping Centre, Stockport, UKLong Beach, Calif., U.S. "There has been an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, something which, owing to the space available, the current location is unable to offer," a spokesperson for IKEA said of the UK closures. All are slated to close in June 2025. IKEA is, however, planning to open several Plan & Order Point locations in 2025 and 2026, especially around the U.S. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe locked in legal battle with Tottenham over broken multi-million sponsorship deal
DEAL BREAKER Man Utd chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe locked in legal battle with Tottenham over broken multi-million sponsorship deal Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SPURS are locked in a legal battle with Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in a row over a broken sponsorship deal. Ratcliffe's Ineos chemicals giant and its Grenadier car brand agreed a five-year deal as Spurs' 'official 4x4 vehicle partner' in December 2022. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Tottenham are locked in a legal battle with Sir Jim Ratcliffe in a row over a broken sponsorship deal Credit: Alamy It followed a 2020 contract with Ineos unveiled as the club's 'official hand sanitiser supplier' during the pandemic. Following Ratcliffe's takeover at Prem rivals United last year it was confirmed that the company intended to pull out of the agreement. It was believed that a break deal in the multi-million pound agreement had been reached between the two parties. But now Spurs have instigated a High Court legal action against Ineos. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL BRY OH MY Tottenham hold initial Bryan Mbeumo talks with Brentford in major Man Utd blow As part of what is listed as a 'general commercial contracts and arrangements', Tottenham have lodged a claim against Ineos Automotive Limited, a subsidiary of Ineos. That suggests negotiations have failed to find an agreement, with the Tottenham claim lodged on June 12. Tottenham declined to comment while Ineos said in a statement: "INEOS Automotive has been a partner of Tottenham Hotspur since 2022, expanding on a partnership agreement that INEOS Group had in place with the club since 2020. "We have a contractual right to terminate our partnership contract and in December 2024 exercised that right." CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS SunSport understands it is hoped a deal can be reached to prevent a full High Court hearing. Spurs appointed Thomas Frank as their new manager on Thursday, six days on from the departure of Ange Postecoglou. Liverpool's £100m Barcola bid / Gyokeres forces Man Utd move / Grealish City axe | Transfers Exposed The Lilywhites paid Brentford around £10million in compensation for the Dane. Frank's move took time to be completed due to negotiations over backroom staff - specifically highly-rated head of coaching Justin Cochrane. Man Utd considered the Brentford boss as a potential replacement for Erik ten Hag last summer. However, the Red Devils instead opted for Ruben Amorim in October.
13-06-2025
- Sport
Georgia women take the team lead at the outdoor track and field championships
EUGENE, Ore. -- Stephanie Ratcliffe captured Georgia's first hammer throw title since 2010, and the Bulldogs took the team lead at the women's outdoor track and field championships Thursday. Ratcliffe, who also won the hammer title in 2023 while at Harvard, had a national-leading toss of 234 feet, two inches in the fourth round. Georgia leads the team standings with 26 points, followed by Illinois with 16.5 and Washington at 16. The Huskies got a boost when Hana Moll won the pole vault with a collegiate-record toss of 15-8 1/2. Moll, who also won the 2024 indoor title, broke the outdoor record held by her twin sister Amanda. Freshman Pamela Kosgei continued New Mexico's dominance in the 10,000 meters with a meet-record time of 31 minutes, 17.02 seconds. The Lobo men had a 1-2 finish on Wednesday. Mya Lesnar won the shot put with a first-round toss of 62-4 1/2 to become the first Colorado State athlete to win an outdoor event title since Loree Smith in 2005. Lesnar, the sixth Ram to win outdoor gold overall, also won the indoor shot put national title in 2024. Valentina Barrios Bornacelli secured Missouri's first individual javelin national title with a person-best throw of 203-5 to leap from fourth place to first on her final throw. Georgia freshman Manuela Rotundo finished second. Louisville's Synclair Savage took the long jump title on her final attempt with a school-record leap of 22-0.75 to move up from fourth. On the men's side, Mississippi State's Peyton Bair followed up his 2025 indoor heptathlon title with a commanding win in the decathlon, scoring a personal-best 8,323 points and winning both the 100- and 400-meter races outright. It was the 14th highest score in collegiate history.
Fox Sports
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Georgia women take the team lead at the outdoor track and field championships
Associated Press EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Stephanie Ratcliffe captured Georgia's first hammer throw title since 2010, and the Bulldogs took the team lead at the women's outdoor track and field championships Thursday. Ratcliffe, who also won the hammer title in 2023 while at Harvard, had a national-leading toss of 234 feet, two inches in the fourth round. Georgia leads the team standings with 26 points, followed by Illinois with 16.5 and Washington at 16. The Huskies got a boost when Hana Moll won the pole vault with a collegiate-record toss of 15-8 1/2. Moll, who also won the 2024 indoor title, broke the outdoor record held by her twin sister Amanda. Freshman Pamela Kosgei continued New Mexico's dominance in the 10,000 meters with a meet-record time of 31 minutes, 17.02 seconds. The Lobo men had a 1-2 finish on Wednesday. Mya Lesnar won the shot put with a first-round toss of 62-4 1/2 to become the first Colorado State athlete to win an outdoor event title since Loree Smith in 2005. Lesnar, the sixth Ram to win outdoor gold overall, also won the indoor shot put national title in 2024. Valentina Barrios Bornacelli secured Missouri's first individual javelin national title with a person-best throw of 203-5 to leap from fourth place to first on her final throw. Georgia freshman Manuela Rotundo finished second. Louisville's Synclair Savage took the long jump title on her final attempt with a school-record leap of 22-0.75 to move up from fourth. On the men's side, Mississippi State's Peyton Bair followed up his 2025 indoor heptathlon title with a commanding win in the decathlon, scoring a personal-best 8,323 points and winning both the 100- and 400-meter races outright. It was the 14th highest score in collegiate history. ___ AP sports: recommended in this topic
Winnipeg Free Press
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Georgia women take the team lead at the outdoor track and field championships
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Stephanie Ratcliffe captured Georgia's first hammer throw title since 2010, and the Bulldogs took the team lead at the women's outdoor track and field championships Thursday. Ratcliffe, who also won the hammer title in 2023 while at Harvard, had a national-leading toss of 234 feet, two inches in the fourth round. Georgia leads the team standings with 26 points, followed by Illinois with 16.5 and Washington at 16. The Huskies got a boost when Hana Moll won the pole vault with a collegiate-record toss of 15-8 1/2. Moll, who also won the 2024 indoor title, broke the outdoor record held by her twin sister Amanda. Freshman Pamela Kosgei continued New Mexico's dominance in the 10,000 meters with a meet-record time of 31 minutes, 17.02 seconds. The Lobo men had a 1-2 finish on Wednesday. Mya Lesnar won the shot put with a first-round toss of 62-4 1/2 to become the first Colorado State athlete to win an outdoor event title since Loree Smith in 2005. Lesnar, the sixth Ram to win outdoor gold overall, also won the indoor shot put national title in 2024. Valentina Barrios Bornacelli secured Missouri's first individual javelin national title with a person-best throw of 203-5 to leap from fourth place to first on her final throw. Georgia freshman Manuela Rotundo finished second. Louisville's Synclair Savage took the long jump title on her final attempt with a school-record leap of 22-0.75 to move up from fourth. On the men's side, Mississippi State's Peyton Bair followed up his 2025 indoor heptathlon title with a commanding win in the decathlon, scoring a personal-best 8,323 points and winning both the 100- and 400-meter races outright. It was the 14th highest score in collegiate history. ___ AP sports:
