Profit warnings trigger sharpest drop in share prices since financial crisis October 22, 2018 Profit warnings have sparked dramatic share price drops not seen since the height of the financial crisis a decade ago, according to a report out today from accountancy firm EY. FTSE companies that have issued a profit warning in the third quarter of 2018 have suffered an average 21 per cent fall in the value [...]
EU may need to extend trade deal talks with UK, says von der Leyen December 27, 2019 The European Union may have to extend the deadline for talks over a new trading relationship with Britain, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen told French paper Les Echos that both sides need to think seriously about whether there is enough time to negotiate a new trade deal. Read [...]
DEBATE: As discounts get out-of-control, is there a case for retailers to ignore Black Friday altogether? November 21, 2018 As discounts get out-of-control, is there a case for retailers to ignore Black Friday altogether? Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday, says YES. Black Friday started off as a day when consumers could enjoy making great purchases, but now it has just become a day for deep discounting – and that is incredibly damaging to small [...]
Lidl sales help it hit record stake in UK supermarket sector December 10, 2019 The biggest supermarkets shed yet more market share to discounters Aldi and Lidl in the three months to the start of December, new data out today reveals. The big four grocers saw their collective market share drop by over one per cent to 67.7 per cent as people delayed their Christmas shopping and Black Friday [...]
Manufacturing PMI offers ‘crumb of positive news’ amid lacklustre conditions and Brexit uncertainty December 3, 2018 The UK manufacturing sector offered “a crumb of positive news” this morning as it announced the rate of improvement for business conditions improved slightly in November, but remained relatively subdued as the inflow of new export orders fell further. This month’s IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to rose to a two-month high of [...]
Luxury jewellers Boodles reports profits ‘back on track’ November 18, 2019 Luxury jewellery retailer Boodles reported sales growth following a strong Christmas trading period last year and a 220th anniversary collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe. The family-owned jewellers reported turnover of £77.1m for the year ended 28 February, up 8.9 per cent from £70.8m in 2018. Read more: Diamond in a rough year: Petra sell [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: What A Legend can be the Star for Valley punters January 7, 2020 WITH Christmas festivities and new year celebrations out of the way, it’s back to the serious business of finding winners at Happy Valley in Hong Kong today. Having had to endure a two-week break from any action at the inner-city track over the holiday period, you can guarantee racegoers with be flocking through the turnstiles [...]
Christmas delivery nightmare: More than half of online shoppers suffered delivery issues last year November 22, 2019 More than half of people suffered a delivery disaster during last year’s festive period after ordering online, according to new research from Which. Of the 2,071 people survey, 54 per cent said they had encountered problems with the delivery of their packages. The issues ranged from being left outside in the rain to not turning [...]
Model maker Hornby on track to meet targets despite drop in sales September 26, 2018 Model train maker Hornby told investors its trading outlook was staying on track this morning, despite a drop in sales over the last six months. Ahead of its annual meeting later on today, the company gave a trading update – saying its decision to slow discounting has led to lower sales. However, it said not slashing [...]
BBC commercial arm ‘has more to do’ as streaming competition heats up January 9, 2020 The BBC’s commercial division must up its game if it is to fend off fierce competition from deep-pocketed streaming rivals, according to the public spending watchdog. In 2018 the broadcaster created BBC Studios by bringing together its commercial production and distribution arms into one distinct body. Read more: BBC ‘may not be sustainable’ in current [...]