Iceland speeds up store roll-out as Christmas ad improves perceptions June 13, 2019 Iceland Foods is aiming to speed up its store roll-out this year despite facing a market with uncertain customers. The figures Sales rose 4.5 per cent over the financial year to almost £3.2bn, the company announced today. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) fell 8.4 per cent to £140m. It came after [...]
Fashion retailer Select launches fresh attempt to rescue business May 28, 2019 Administrators at Select have launched proposals for a controversial insolvency process as the troubled women’s fashion group battles to stay in business. Creditors are set to decide whether or not to trigger a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) on 11 June, with administrators warning that a vote against a CVA would mean the company could stop [...]
Restaurant sector defies confidence slump as UK leisure spending grows February 6, 2019 Restaurant goers continued to show an appetite for dining out towards the end of last year, with net spending in the UK’s leisure sector rising in the final three months of 2018. According to a new report from Deloitte, the UK’s leisure industry grew by two percentage points year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2018, [...]
Netflix loses its chill: Four ways the streaming giant can recover July 18, 2019 Netflix shares dropped roughly 11 per cent when Wall Street opened today, as bleary-eyed investors reacted to a disappointing set of second-quarter results. The streaming firm posted a 26 per cent rise in revenue to $4.9bn (£3.9bn), but added just 2.7m worldwide subscribers, well below its 5m forecast. Read more: Netflix to open huge UK [...]
Growing pains: Asos share price plunges after fresh profit warning July 18, 2019 Online fashion giant Asos suffered a double-digit drop in its share price this morning after warning that profits will be lower than expected this year, citing new troubles in its international warehouse facilities. In its second profit warning in just over six months, the firm said today that it was reducing its forecasts as it [...]
Carpetright shares soar as restructuring plan starts to pay off April 25, 2019 Shares in Carpetright soared almost 25 per cent this morning after it reported a “significant” improvement in sales as its restructuring plan begins to pay off. The London-listed carpet specialist said like-for-like sales were up in the fourth quarter in a sign of renewed customer confidence. Read more: Carpetright sales drop but pace of decline [...]
Outlook 2020: Global economy December 16, 2019 The global economy should perform better in 2020, underpinned by a US-China trade truce and lower interest rates, Schroders’ chief economist Keith Wade explains. We recently upgraded our 2020 global growth forecast to 2.6 per cent, due to prospects of a “phase one” US-China trade deal and lower US interest rates US interest rate cuts [...]
Confidence hits 18-month low as Brexit jitters fuel uncertainty January 28, 2019 Consumer confidence has plunged to its lowest level in 18 months, as uncertainty over Brexit takes its toll on shoppers’ spirits despite rising wages and record low unemployment. Confidence among consumers fell for the second consecutive quarter in the final three months of 2018, sliding from -7 per cent to -9 per cent, according to data [...]
UK house prices surge 5.7 per cent in June July 5, 2019 UK house prices shrank by 0.3 per cent in June compared to the previous month, according to data released today. But the growth rate rocketed 5.7 per cent on an annual basis last month, according to Halifax’s latest house price index, to take the average UK house price to £237,110. Read more: UK house price [...]
High-yielding Greene King shrugs off weather warning July 4, 2019 Bad weather is bad news, but the dividend is attractive and Greene King typically excels in winter. On balance, Greene King (LSE:GNK) full-year numbers edge into the “glass half-full” category, as the pub owner and brewer continues to extract value from its brand and estate. Apart from a healthy return on capital of 8.5 per cent, Greene King [...]