, Watches of Switzerland has bought Hodinkee, the New York City-based creator of print, digital and video content for luxury watch enthusiasts. Hodinkee, which began as a watch blog in 2008, has 22.2 million annual unique visitors to its website and over one million social media followers.
Its founder Ben Clymer will return to lead the operations of Hodinkee for the first time since he ceded his role as chief executive in December 2020. Watches of Switzerland chief executive Brian Duffy said: “We have been avid followers of Hodinkee for many years and have long-respected Ben and his team’s success in creating the undisputed destination for luxury watch enthusiasts.” He said the acquisition will support his company’s e-commerce business, helping to drive traffic and brand awareness across its markets.
, Annual sales at JD Wetherspoon have topped £2 billion for the first time after the pub chain reported a 5.7% increase for the year to 28 July. On a like-for-like basis, bar sales rose by 8.
9% on a year earlier and food sales by 5.6%. Pre-tax profits before one-off items lifted 73.
5% to £73.9 million, having recorded a loss of £30 million in the 2022 financial year. The company said sales continued to improve into the new financial year after a 4.
9% increase in like-for-like sales in the nine weeks to 29 September. It currently trades from about 800 pubs, although it believes there’s potential to grow this figure to around 1,000. Recent openings have included The Ca.