Hornby set to reveal £1bn Boots profit May 16, 2010 ANDY HORNBY, the man associated with the near-collapse of HBOS, will return to the limelight today as he announces an estimated £1bn profit at the helm of Alliance Boots. Hornby is expected to say the private equity-owned healthcare and beauty products retailer’s trading profit for the year to 31 March grew at a faster pace [...]
Banks drag FTSE down even lower June 2, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index fell yesterday, led down by banks, but finished well off session lows on fresh hopes for economic recovery after strong US pending home sales data. The FTSE 100 closed 11.98 points or 0.2 per cent lower at 5,151.32, having dropped as low as 5,072.53. The index fell 0.5 per cent on [...]
Banks drag FTSE down even lower June 2, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index fell yesterday, led down by banks, but finished well off session lows on fresh hopes for economic recovery after strong US pending home sales data. The FTSE 100 closed 11.98 points or 0.2 per cent lower at 5,151.32, having dropped as low as 5,072.53. The index fell 0.5 per cent on [...]
Capello pens new deal to send England to World Cup in high spirits June 2, 2010 FABIO CAPELLO handed England the perfect boost before they jetted out to the World Cup last night by pledging to stay on as manager until after the 2012 European Championship. Capello, 63, had sparked unease in the camp in recent days by refusing to commit beyond this summer’s tournament, with Inter Milan thought to be [...]
M&S bonus spree for shop staff April 7, 2010 Marks & Spencer is to resume bonus payments to around 77,000 workers after sales continued to improve in the first three months of the year. Shop staff will receive between £500 and £1,000 each as analysts expect M&S to deliver a 1.7 per cent rise in earnings for the 13 weeks to 27 March. The [...]
Boots in £1bn profit haul May 17, 2010 ALLIANCE Boots yesterday posted an annual profit of more than £1bn – becoming only the third UK retailer to pass that milestone. The group, taken private in 2007 in Europe’s biggest leveraged buyout, also said there was strong growth in own-brand products like No7 cosmetics. Its international wholesale operations also helped in a tough consumer [...]
Debenhams profits jump after own brands boost April 13, 2010 DEBENHAMS has posted half-year profits before tax and exceptional items of £123.6m – a rise of 18.6 per cent. Higher group sales helped to fuel the rise as well as a focus on own-brand ranges – which have bigger margins than designer labels – in the 26 weeks to 27 February. The group’s net debt [...]
M&S staff to get £80m bonus pot after sales rise April 8, 2010 MARKS & SPENCER sales rose by 5.1 percent in the 13 weeks to 27. The hike was driven by sales of formalwear and knitwear and the figures outstripped analysts’ forecasts of a 1.7 per cent rise M&S said full-year pre-tax profit would be around £630m, in its trading statement. The first day of the Christmas [...]
The bike and car parts retailer who wants to own Britain on the move June 20, 2010 Halfords and its chief executive David Wild are having a good recession. Earlier this month, the bikes and car maintenance retail chain posted a strong set of full-year figures: pre-tax profits rose 42 per cent to £110m, while sales rose three per cent to £832m. The FTSE 250 business said the trend for healthy living [...]
M&S beats forecasts as it says no to discounting November 4, 2009 MARKS & SPENCER (M&S) yesterday said that there would be no blanket promotions that dominated the high street last year in the run up to the Christmas period, after its half year sales beat City forecasts. Executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose yesterday said that this year included very different circumstances. He said: “Last year people [...]