Quiz swings to £7m loss as it blames ‘very challenging’ UK high street December 4, 2019 Fast fashion brand Quiz has plunged into a loss due to expensive shop leases and a lack of footfall in the first half of its financial year, it revealed today. Shares sank 16 per cent in response to leave the embattled retailer’s stock valued at just 14.05p per share. Read more: Quiz has already issued [...]
New Look narrows losses as turnaround plan pays off February 11, 2020 High street retailer New Look narrowed its losses in the third quarter, as a new leadership team pushed ahead with its transformation plan. New Look said it narrowed its losses from £63.2m to a statutory loss before tax of £1.2m, despite falling sales. Like-for-like sales in the UK and Ireland fell 7.1 per cent over [...]
The Circuit Breakers should be honest about what they’re asking for: lockdown until Christmas and beyond October 16, 2020 “Circuit breaker lockdown”: sounds cool, doesn’t it? Edgy, effective, high-tech. Circuits involve electricity, electricity is physics, so a circuit breaker must be about science — the kind of science that makes light bulbs flash and powers cutting-edge revolutions that can save a nation from ruin. With pressure building for the government to impose this two-week [...]
Black Friday 2019: Sales up in November after discount event December 3, 2019 Retail sales increased last month thanks to a bumper Black Friday, as shoppers made the most of the pre-Christmas discounting event. November sales figures – adjusted for Black Friday, which fell outside of the British Retail Consortium’s standard recording period – showed 0.9 per cent growth compared to last year. Read more: Black Friday spending [...]
Marks & Spencer shares slip as clothing underperformance weighs on Christmas trading January 9, 2020 Marks & Spencer’s Christmas performance was weakened by poor sales in its menswear business, after the retailer ordered too many skinny jeans in the wrong sizes. The high street chain said it over ordered skinny and slim-fit mens’ trousers, under-bought regular fit jeans and had too many small sizes and not enough medium and large. [...]
Non-alcoholic beers protect Fuller’s from Dry January slump January 30, 2020 Pub chain Fuller, Smith and Turner said an increased range of non-alcoholic drinks protected it from the usual January slump in sales, despite an uptick in the number of people going tee-total for the month. Fuller’s today announced that like-for-like sales in managed pubs and hotels were up 4.3 per cent in the six weeks [...]
Next defies Christmas fears with online sales boost but outlook remains cautious amid Brexit uncertainty January 3, 2019 Next has opened the crucial post-Christmas trading update season by reducing its full-year profit expectations, but defied investor worries by increasing sales. The retailer said full-price sales for the festive period were up 1.5 per cent between 28 October and 29 December, in line with its expectations. Next reported a 14.9 per cent increase in online [...]
John Lewis risks looking old hat as Iceland nails ad virality November 13, 2018 John Lewis’s Christmas adverts always provoke a huge reaction – generating the sort of headlines and cut-through that are the envy of marketers and company bosses everywhere. However, as we await this year’s effort, it is worth looking back to last year’s ‘Moz the Monster’ campaign. YouGov BrandIndex data from Christmas 2017 showed that while [...]
Investment in UK supermarket property surges to six-year high February 5, 2020 UK supermarket property deal value surged to a six year high last year as investors targeted retail real estate with steady returns. According to the latest research, property investors pumped £1.78bn into the UK supermarket sector in 2019, an 80 per cent jump on the previous year. There were 48 transactions during the year, up [...]
Business groups warn South Western Railway strikes will hurt Christmas trade November 6, 2019 Business groups have slammed the rail union’s planned December South Western Railway strikes, predicting they will cause major disruption to Christmas trade. Drivers and train guards from South Western Railway (SWR) are planning on walking off the job for 27 days in December. Read more: RMT union announces 27 days of South Western Railway strikes [...]