WH Smith profits suffer after £155m purchase of US airport store In Motion April 11, 2019 WH Smith suffered a huge drop in profit in its half year as the costs of its purchase of US airport retailer In Motion grounded its bottom line. The figures Group revenue grew eight per cent year on year to £695m for the six months to the end of February as the stationery chain relied [...]
Debenhams’ Christmas sales slip as it continues talks with lenders over its future January 10, 2019 Sales at troubled department store chain Debenhams dived over Christmas, its latest trading update revealed today, sending its share price even lower. In the 18 weeks to 5 January like-for-like sales fell 5.7 per cent compared to the same period last year. Read more: These are the high street retailers that collapsed in 2018 The [...]
The Drinks Master: Our columnist from Le Cordon Bleu is here to help confused Christmas preppers choose a dessert wine November 1, 2018 Choosing a dessert wine is often a topic that comes up at the end of a meal. While most of us know what we like in the way of a red, white or rose, it is the sweet wines that can leave people a bit baffled. Mulled wine is synonymous with Christmas; there’s nothing more [...]
Heathrow breaks through 80m passenger mark as it plans for expansion January 11, 2019 A record-breaking 80m passengers travelled through Heathrow last year as the airport reaped the rewards of larger planes and an increase in bookings. Heathrow saw its passenger numbers rise 2.7 per cent in 2018 on the year before, becoming one of only seven airports in the world to surpass the 80m mark. December was a [...]
Redrow hails record profit as founder bows out on a high February 6, 2019 Housebuilder Redrow hailed record half-year profits before tax this morning, striking a resilient tone despite fears of greater uncertainty over Britain's imminent departure from the EU and a “subdued” Christmas. The figures In Steve Morgan’s final trading statement as chairman, the FTSE 250 developer said that pre-tax profits rose five per cent to £185m in [...]
A change is as good as a repeat in the supermarket Christmas ad run November 28, 2018 Retailers are continuing to battle for ad supremacy as we approach Christmas, but which brands in the supermarket sector have been most successful in grabbing viewers’ attention? YouGov brand tracking data indicates that Aldi currently has the highest level of Ad Awareness (whether someone has seen or hear an advert for a brand in the [...]
The best Christmas gift for rail users would be more competition and scrapping HS2 December 21, 2018 This week is set to be one of the busiest of the year for domestic travel. So, as London’s train stations are swamped with those endeavouring to get away for the their holidays, it’s worth dwelling on what would be the best Christmas present for travellers: a properly functioning rail system. Amid the whirlwind of [...]
City focuses on Boohoo as online giant hopes to defy retail gloom January 13, 2019 Online fashion giant Boohoo looks set to defy the gloom hanging over Britain’s retail industry later this week when it is expected to post another quarter of sharp sales growth. The City will be turning its attention towards the e-commer giant to see whether its festive fortunes were enough to buck a current trend of dismal [...]
London consumers are set to splash out on Boxing Day sales, according to Barclaycard December 23, 2017 Consumers across the UK are set to top last year’s Boxing Day spending totals, with Londoners splashing out the most, according to Barclaycard. Boxing Day is predicted to be the most popular shopping day of the Christmas period, with a third of shoppers planning to buy discounted goods up from a quarter last year. In [...]
Bike crash: Halfords share price plummets as mild weather and consumer confidence hit profits January 10, 2019 Shares in Halford have dropped through the floor as the company said mild weather and weak consumer confidence were set to hit its bottom line. The bikes and car parts seller said it was reducing expected profit before tax of between £58m and £62m, far down from November estimates that profit would be broadly in [...]