Bad weather and coronavirus fears hurt high street sales March 10, 2020 Bad weather and coronavirus fears kept UK shoppers away from the high street last month, while streaming services and takeaway firms benefited from Brits staying at home. Consumer spending was up 2.2 per cent year-on-year last month, driven by digital subscriptions and takeaways as Brits stayed home to avoid storms and coronavirus risks. More than [...]
Asda sales jump but grocer warns over consumer confidence slump May 19, 2020 Asda reported a jump in sales in the first quarter of the year, but warned that customers are increasingly concerned about the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The supermarket, which is owned by US retail giant Walmart, said like-for-like sales excluding fuel were up 3.5 per cent due to a surge in stockpiling at [...]
Card Factory scraps dividend as higher costs hit profit June 2, 2020 Card Factory today scrapped its full-year dividend as higher costs and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 weighed on profit. The figures Card Factory reported revenue of £451.5m for the year to the end of January, up 3.6 per cent year on year. Like-for-like sale dipped 0.5 per cent over the year. Underlying profit before tax [...]
Hotel Chocolat swings to loss as pandemic bites into sales September 29, 2020 Luxury chocolatier Hotel Choclat swung to a statutory loss in the 52 weeks to June, after shuttered commuter hubs and store closures during the crucial Easter period swallowed up sales and hammered finances. The results Revenue rose three per cent for the 12 months to the end of June, after a 14 per cent hike [...]
McColl’s hires ex-Casual Dining Group finance chief May 28, 2020 Convenience store chain McColl’s has hired former Casual Dining Group finance chief Giles David, the retailer announced this morning. David will join the company as chief financial officer on 1 June, after leaving Casual Dining Group, which owns Bella Italia, Las Iguanas and Cafe Rouge, last year. McColl’s also announced this morning that chief commercial [...]
What is the post-pandemic outlook for Asian shares? April 28, 2021 Despite the global turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, stock markets were generally strong in 2020 and the Asia ex Japan region was no exception. Indeed, in many ways the region was first into the pandemic and first out, with successful containment of the virus in many countries enabling economic activity to resume more quickly [...]
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 [...]
High street prices fall at fastest pace in two years April 1, 2020 Prices on the British high street fell at their fastest pace in nearly two years, and the coronavirus outbreak will only add to price pressures, according to an industry body. Shop prices fell by 0.8 per cent in the first week of March, the biggest fall since May 2018, following a 0.6 per cent decline [...]
Chief executives say UK is top investment target January 21, 2020 The UK has bounced back as a destination for future growth among global chief executives, according to a major survey published yesterday. The UK remained the fourth most important territory for growth for chief executives, joint with India and Australia, and behind the USA, China and Germany. Chief executives in Europe’s largest economies rated the [...]
Consumer law firm Taylor Rose buys rival McMillan Williams in pre-pack deal amid High Street law coronavirus struggles May 20, 2020 Consumer law firm Taylor Rose has bought struggling rival McMillan Williams in a pre-pack administration deal in what could be an early sign of an expected wave of consolidation in the High Street legal sector. Law Society president Simon Davis warned earlier this month that more than 70 per cent of High Street firms may [...]