M&S boss Marc Bolland defends Xmas discounts January 9, 2014 MARKS & SPENCER chief executive Marc Bolland yesterday denied that the retailer had sparked this Christmas’s frenzied discounting as the chain’s clothing sales fell for a 10th consecutive quarter. The high street bellwether said like-for-like general merchandise sales, which include homeware and clothing, dropped by 2.1 per cent in the 13 weeks to 28 December. [...]
London Report: Retailers set to reveal scale of 2013 hangover January 5, 2014 RETAIL figures due this week will reveal whether Britain’s major brands are going into the New Year with a Christmas hangover. Marks & Spencer and Tesco are both set to report on Thursday, and J Sainsbury on Wednesday, with figures likely to show retailers faced a dismal festive season. Debenhams has already set the tone, [...]
Inside Track: HSBC to get one over on Barclays with capture of Moreno April 9, 2014 LIKE hands-on managers who get rebranded as directors of football, senior advisers at investment banks often find their august titles are merely stepping-stones on the way to a graceful exit. HSBC’s latest recruit suggests that theory is unfounded at Europe’s largest bank. City sources say it has signed up Glen Moreno, the chairman of Pearson, [...]
M&S sales lose their shine after poor Christmas January 6, 2014 MARKS & Spencer is set to report poor festive trading this week as heavy discounting activity in the run-up to Christmas failed to spark a late surge in spending. Analysts predict the retailer will report a drop in third quarter general merchandise sales of as much as 1.5 per cent, despite a highly publicised revamp [...]
Here’s why one analyst is getting excited about M&S February 19, 2014 Marks & Spencer shares have jumped this morning after investment bank Jefferies upgraded the stock to reflect the retailer’s new online street cred. M&S, which has been battling to turn around its clothing business in the face of massive competition on the high street and online, has seriously impressed Jefferies with its new “industry-leading” [...]
Bolland’s bought more time, but what does M&S need now? April 10, 2014 The trading update from high street staple Marks & Spencer has been described by stockbroker Shore Capital as “frankly, quite mellow”. The encouraging figure was for clothing sales, which rose 1.3 per cent and 0.6 per cent on a like-for-like basis in the first quarter of 2014. The group reported sales up 1.9 per cent, [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 09 April 2014 April 8, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Heartbleed bug threatens web A flaw has been discovered in a encryption method used on about two-thirds of all websites, including Google, Amazon, Yahoo and Dropbox, potentially exposing web traffic, user data and stored content to cyber criminals. The heartbleed bug was found in the OpenSSL software by a team of security engineers [...]
Bottom Line: Boohoo floats on rising tide as M&S sinks February 17, 2014 BOOHOO.COM’s founders look set to be crying tears of joy this March when the retailer, which specialises in catering to fashionistas, floats on the London stock exchange. For one of its most established competitors, however, it’s another reason to reach for the Kleenex and start sobbing. Marks & Spencer’s clothes division is a once-great national [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 01 April 2014 March 31, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES US overseas cash pile rises to $947bn American companies have stockpiled nearly a trillion dollars of cash offshore to avoid paying higher tax bills at home, according to an analysis released yesterday. The growing overseas cash pile has also become the most visible sign of corporate America’s unwillingness to place bigger bets on [...]
Tulchan’s profit tumbles during a difficult 2013 January 14, 2014 CITY PR outfit Tulchan’s revenues tumbled more than eight per cent to £7.6m during the year to 31 March, after the firm lost clients G4S and Marks & Spencer in 2013. “This past year has been a challenging one for the firm, best characterised as trying to walk up a down escalator,” chief executive Andrew [...]