Sainsbury’s chief to step down after ten year rule January 29, 2014 SAINSBURY’S chief executive Justin King is to step down after ten years at the helm, having overseen nine years of consecutive growth and restored the company’s status as Britain’s second largest supermarket chain. King will step down at the company’s annual general meeting in July, when he will be replaced by Sainsbury’s commercial director Mike [...]
Supermarkets grow ahead of shopping malls December 8, 2013 THE AMOUNT of space being added by UK supermarkets has overtaken that being added by shopping centres for the first time, despite some retailers calling an end to the space race as consumers shift to shopping online. The pipeline of grocery developments has grown by 67 per cent, or 19.24m square feet (sq ft) since [...]
The financial A to Z of Scottish independence – CNBC Comment September 15, 2014 A new, independent Scotland might flummox a foreign visitor. So it’s lucky this financial A to Z has turned up – even if some say it’s a parody of the Better Together campaign. A: Alex – Scotland’s official unit of currency, though largely superseded by an informal bartering system, where one barrel of oil [...]
Fidelity revolts over executive short-termism July 3, 2014 FUND manager Fidelity yesterday launched an attack on executive pay after revealing it voted against aspects of pay deals at more than half of UK annual meetings this year. The influential group, which owns stakes in hundreds of UK-listed companies, said it had voted against remuneration proposals for 52 per cent of FTSE 350 firms [...]
Bolland loses key womenswear buyer from M&S October 20, 2013 MARKS and Spencer confirmed yesterday that one of its key womenswear executives has resigned, delivering a further blow to the chain as it attempts to repair its struggling clothing division. Gillian Ridley Whittle, development and buying director for womenswear plans to leave in six months to join Australian department store group Target. Her departure comes [...]
London report: Housing data to show soaring market levelling July 6, 2014 Housing prices are likely to be in focus this week, as two surveys show prices are still rising, though the market is levelling off. The RICS survey, published today, is expected to show less growth than in past months. Barclays’ Armela Mancellari said: “We expect the overall balance to have edged down [...]
Amanda James joins FTSE female top execs after Next promotion May 19, 2014 NEXT has promoted the finance boss of its retail division Amanda James to group finance director after announcing yesterday that David Keens is to stand down. Keens, who has held the post for 23 years and who has been at Next for 28 years overall, will retire from the group shortly after its full-year results [...]
M&S braced for a third year of falling profits May 19, 2014 MARKS & Spencer boss Marc Bolland is tomorrow expected to flag the beginning of a new era for the retailer, marked by improved margins and increased shareholder returns, despite a third year of falling profits. The 130-year-old firm is expected by analysts to report a 7.5 per cent decline in full-year pre-tax profits from £665m [...]
Icap’s worst May volumes since 2009 June 5, 2014 INTERDEALER broker Icap had its worst May for five years last month, after total electronic broking volumes fell 12 per cent, according to data released yesterday. The company, which competes with firms such as Tullett Prebon, said average daily volume fell to $690.8bn last month from $788.1bn during the same period last year. The month [...]
Best of the Brokers for 23 May 2014 May 22, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com MARKS & SPENCER UBS has kept its “neutral” rating for the high street shop, but cut its target from 475p to 465p after this week’s results, which were slightly better than expected. The broker thinks M&S’s three-year recovery plan has been disappointing so far, [...]