M&S expected to reveal weak non-food sales July 8, 2012 RETAIL giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) is expected to announce weak first-quarter sales at its annual meeting tomorrow, after clothing sales were hit hard by the poor weather. A consensus forecast of 12 analysts compiled by the company predicts a 6.7 per cent drop in clothing and homeware sales compared to the same period last [...]
FTSE edges down as UK borrowing rises July 20, 2012 Telecoms giant Vodafone pushed the FTSE 100 lower while UK government borrowing came in above estimates this morning. The Office for National Statistics said that public sector net borrowing excluding financial sector interventions rose last month to £14.4bn from £13.9bn in June 2011. On London’s blue chip index Vodafone fell 1.3 per cent after the [...]
Deloitte offers tech advice in new digi-arm May 13, 2012 BIG FOUR accountancy firm Deloitte has joined the digital revolution and will today launch a new division to cater for clients seeking tech advice. Deloitte Digital, a practice of over 800 employees globally with 100 staff based in the UK, will provide strategy, creative and implementation advice across the areas of mobile, web, social and [...]
SIGNS OF LIFE AFTER SHOPPERS RETURN August 5, 2012 LONDON’S retailers were handed a welcome boost over the weekend as shoppers flocked back to stores, though figures released today show Britain’s high streets have seen their worst monthly sales in almost a year. Footfall picked up in the second half of last week and over the weekend, with the capital’s retailers reporting a leap [...]
Debenhams sales rise June 28, 2012 Debenhams, Britain’s second largest department store group, showed its resilience in the economic downturn by beating forecasts for quarterly underlying sales and winning market share even though it faced a deluge of rain in April. The firm, ranked second in Britain after employee-owned John Lewis JLP.UL, said on Thursday sales at stores open over a [...]
Habitat guru made head of design at John Lewis chain October 17, 2011 RETAILER John Lewis has appointed former Habitat creative director Theo Williams as design manager. Williams will be in charge of developing the seasonal and home design trends. The designer, who headed the creative direction at Habitat for four years, will put his energy into revamping the department, focusing on furniture, lighting and 3D design. He [...]
Habitat guru made head of design at John Lewis chain October 17, 2011 RETAILER John Lewis has appointed former Habitat creative director Theo Williams as design manager. Williams will be in charge of developing the seasonal and home design trends. The designer, who headed the creative direction at Habitat for four years, will put his energy into revamping the department, focusing on furniture, lighting and 3D design. He [...]
Bargain hunters help lift FTSE May 25, 2012 The FTSE 100 nosed up this morning as bargain hunters snapped up stocks which have been hit in recent sessions. On Monday the blue chip index was at a six-month low but has clawed back ground since then. Gains in Asia and on Wall Street overnight also served to lift sentiment. Insurer Aviva was the [...]
Severn Trent to target bonds at retail investors June 21, 2012 INDIVIDUAL investors will have the chance to buy bonds from FTSE 100 utilities firm Severn Trent, the company announced yesterday. The company hopes to raise up to £100m from the scheme, which will offer individuals a return of 1.9 per cent above retail price inflation (RPI) over the next 10 years. “There’s a lot of [...]
Retail investors step in where others fear to tread July 16, 2012 With UK institutional shareholders effectively closing the door on supporting money-raising for anything that has the smell of risk about it, like an IPO or new issue for instance, some companies and their financial advisers have been scurrying around to find new methods of raising capital. One such instrument that has been gaining currency in [...]