Latest news with #TMLewin
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
Scruffy British office workers should put a damn shirt on
Finally, British bosses are getting tough, and workers are heading back to the office. John Lewis is insisting on a minimum of three days a week, while Conde Nast, whose magazines include the likes of Tatler and Vogue, is demanding a minimum of four. The Telegraph insists most of its workers are in the office five days a week, my dispensation excepting, as I have to be out for lunch for most of the time in your service. And one very clear indicator of this cultural shift back to sanity is that the smart shirtmaker TM Lewin is gearing up to open more shops. It recently opened a new store on Bow Lane in the City of London, with the company saying it will open other stores in the capital as well, in cities such as Manchester and Edinburgh. Which is wonderful news because it could be an opportunity for this nation to return to sanity on another issue: dress. I'm frequently drawn on social media to old footage, often colourised, of Britons walking the streets in the past. And it's heartbreaking not just to see how handsome our buildings and wide avenues were, and with the appropriate numbers of people and traffic, but how well dressed everyone was. No man is without a suit and hat, no woman without a dress, even the children are in jackets and trousers. Today, we are a nation of slobs, and the word dress doesn't even cover it, as many people's notion of clothing is not to dress at all, slouching out of bed to haul their sorry, often obese, forms onto the streets dressed in trackies and T-shirts. So let's use the return to the office as a watershed moment and consider that, as work is a professional endeavour, so we should honour it by dressing appropriately. Buy a suit, get a shirt, hell, you can even shove on a tie. And let's help the next generation get off on a good foot by scrapping mufti Friday. A headteacher I know says they dread Fridays because when the kids wear what they want, their behaviour worsens. She can't wait for Mondays when the kids turn up prim and proper and remember again to say, please, thank you, and to shake their teachers' hands at the end of the day. Research from Philadelphia's Temple University, published in the Academy of Management Journal in 2023, found that when we feel good about how we look, our productivity improves. If Britain wants to get serious, it needs to look serious. And while you're at it, shave off the beard and cover up all those hideous tattoos.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Popular retailer RETURNS to more high streets five years after collapsing into administration and shutting 66 stores
A POPULAR British retailer which has returned to the high street after collapsing into administration is set to open more shops. Shirtmaker T.M. Lewin is gearing up to open more stores in London Manchester and Edinburgh after staging a dramatic comeback. The retailer recently opened its first new store in the capital since 2020, when it fell into administration and shut all of its 66 branches. The site in Bow Lane, City of London, stocks a range of formal shirts, office-wear and a new Clerkenwell Jacket. But it is now eyeing up further locations across the UK in an expansion drive. Dan Ferris, T.M. Lewin's managing director, told The Times, which first reported news of the additional openings: "A big part of our three-year plan is to expand the real estate very quickly. "We're looking for another couple this year, and thereafter it'll just be about opening as many additional outlets as we can." T.M Lewin was founded by Thomas Mayes Lewin and Geoffrey James Lewin in London in 1898, and supplied the RAF and Army with uniforms during the First World War. The company made its shirts in Southend, Essex until the late 1980s, when production moved overseas. However, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic led to the retailer falling into administration in 2020 and going online-only. The administration process led to the closure of T.M. Lewin's 66 branches. In 2022, the business was forced to call in administrators for a second time as shoppers shifted to working from home. Britain's retail apocalypse: why your favourite stores KEEP closing down RETAILERS MAKING A COMEBACK T.M. Lewin is not the first retailer to stage a comeback in recent years despite a challenging economic backdrop. The Centre for Retail Research said more than 13,000 stores, the equivalent of 37 each day, shut their doors for good in 2024. This was after more than 10,400 stores closed permanently in 2023, the centre said. However, some retailers have been bucking the closure trend and opening stores across the UK. Others have been making major comebacks after going bust too. Cath Kidston opened up a brand new store last October, after going into administration in June 2023. Meanwhile, earlier this year ASOS revealed plans to relaunch a Topshop website. The two names have joined a host of other brands that have announced they will make some form of return. Toys R Us, Cath Kidston and M&Co all said last year they would be making a comeback after previously falling into administration. Major brand Wilko is already back on the high street after closing 400 stores in 2023. Its new owners, CDS Superstores, have opened branches across the UK. 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."
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Popular food chain to open in our area with mouth-watering exotic dishes
A NEW Thai restaurant is opening in the area next month. Rosa's Thai, a popular chain with more than 40 branches across the UK, will open its newest establishment on the Promenade in Cheltenham in the former TM Lewin building on Monday, March 10. It was originally set to open in November 2023 but this was delayed. The restaurant chain was founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who started out selling home-cooked meals from a market stall. Rosa's Thai is known for its "bold and authentic" flavours and offers a menu that combines Saiphin's family recipes with British produce and ingredients from Thailand. It will be open to the public from March 10 but customers can get a sneak preview of the restaurant at its soft launch from February 27 to March 9. During this period, you can get 50 per cent off pre-booked food orders. Saiphin said: "Cheltenham's vibrant cultural scene, love for great food, and appreciation for global flavours make it a perfect fit for Rosa's Thai. "We are incredibly excited to introduce our family recipes and signature dishes to this beautiful town." At the soft launch, a limited number of reservations will be available as the restaurant's new team perfects its service. The restaurant has warned that soft launch reservations are expected to book up quickly, and priority will be given to those signed up to the Rosa's Thai email newsletter. Anybody wanting to take advantage of the offer is encouraged to sign up to avoid disappointment. Guests can enjoy 50 per cent off food, with drinks at full price. Advance bookings are required to secure a table. Rosa's Thai will also offer delivery via Uber Eats and Just Eat, as well as click and collect through their own website, allowing diners to enjoy their favourite dishes from the comfort of their own homes. These services will be available from the hard launch on March 10. In addition to the soft launch, Rosa's Thai will also be holding a Free Curry Day. More information about the opening at
