Morrisons could cut dividend as earnings slump March 12, 2015 THE DAUNTING task facing the new boss of Morrisons was illustrated on yesterday when UK’s fourth biggest supermarket reported its lowest annual profit in eight years and warned investors it would cut its dividend. The profit slump, a third straight decline, reflects Morrisons’ decision last year to spend £1bn on price cuts over three years [...]
Analyst Views: How does the future look for Morrisons its under new leadership? March 12, 2015 DARREN SHIRLEY | SHORE CAPITAL Without material leasehold obligations compared to its peers, and a comfortable pension position, we see the group as being in a relatively favourable position to commence shareholder friendly initiatives in the medium to long term. Shore Capital reiterates our “buy” stance on Wm. Morrisons shares. DAVID STODDART | EDISON INVESTMENT [...]
Morrisons share price falls as it announces 23 store closures after losses mount and sales drop March 12, 2015 A bad morning for Morrisons. The supermarket announced it will close 23 stores and cutting its future dividend pay-out after reporting a large full-year loss and falling quarterly sales. Shares in the retailer opened one per cent down this morning. The trading environment is a tough one, Morrisons said, and it isn’t expected to get [...]
Morrisons to cut dividend and post lowest profit in eight years March 9, 2015 Morrisons is expected to signal lower dividend payouts on Thursday this week when the troubled supermarket chain is to report its lowest annual profit in eight years. The Bradford-based retailer has been hit hard by the fierce industry price war as all big four supermarkets battle it out to retain customers’ loyalty and fend off [...]
Richard Gillingwater steps down from Morrisons board March 4, 2015 SSE chairman-to-be Richard Gillingwater has decided to step down from the board of Morrisons, the supermarket announced today. Gillinwater, who was appointed to the board just two years ago, will step down from the post at the next annual general meeting in June. Today, he alluded to the supermarket's recent struggles to compete with discounters. [...]
From Greece and Natalie Bennett to the banks and London’s skyline: Here’s what got us talking this week February 27, 2015 There was a lot of talk about a dress. And quite a bit about the llama drama. But here at City A.M. Towers, we were obsessing about plenty of other things. Greece finally managed to break the stalemate over its debt, negotiating a four month extension with Germany, and ending weeks of debate about a [...]
StanChart’s new man lifts FTSE to a record level – London Report February 26, 2015 Britain’s top equity index yesterday hit a record closing high – for the second time this week – helped by a surge in the share price of the Asian-focused bank Standard Chartered. Standard Chartered advanced by 5.4 per cent as traders welcomed its appointment of a new chief executive, former JP Morgan investment bank boss [...]
Former Tesco exec takes over as boss of Morrisons supermarkets February 25, 2015 MORRISONS has named former Tesco executive David Potts as its new chief executive, completing the recruitment of a triumvirate of ex-Tesco men to restore growth at the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket. Potts was Tesco’s longest serving director after beginning his career as a shelf stacker in 1973 and rising to become head of its Asian business. [...]
After the record high FTSE falls on Weir warning – London Report February 25, 2015 THE FTSE 100 yesterday retreated from the previous session’s record high, with engineer Weir Group leading the market lower after warning about a significant drop in its revenue in the current year. The blue chip index closed down 14.25 points, or 0.2 per cent at 6,935.38 points after setting a new record high of 6,958.89 [...]
Morrisons share price edges up as it names former Tesco man David Potts as chief exec February 25, 2015 Shares in embattled supermarket Morrisons opened one per cent higher this morning, after it named its new chief executive: former Tesco Asia boss David Potts. The supermarket launched its search for new boss in January, after chief executive Dalton Philips announced his departure. The appointment is part of a fresh start for the company: chairman Andrew [...]