UK businesses pay £1bn of furlough money back to the Treasury June 17, 2021 British firms have paid back the government more than £1bn in previously claimed furlough payments, after weathering the Covid recession successfully. A Freedom of Information request, sent by the Financial Times, revealed that £709m of money claimed through the coronavirus job retention scheme has now been repaid to HM Revenue and Customs by businesses. Another [...]
Sir Philip Green’s office furniture up for sale as administrators flog Arcadia assets after collapse March 22, 2021 Administrators have begun flogging Arcadia’s assets, including sewing machines and Sir Philip Green’s office furniture, following the collapse of his retail empire. Deloitte has appointed Hilco Global to sell the former Topshop owner’s London headquarters in a dramatic fall from high street royalty to the auction house. Arcadia collapsed into administration last year, putting 13,000 [...]
Why ASOS just dived to a multi-month low June 26, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. With an impressive recovery in 2019 unwinding in spectacular fashion, how far will the shares fall? A downgrade for ASOS (LSE:ASC) shares yesterday flagged margin pressures as the former high-flying stock attempts to drive global expansion in the face of fast-fashion rivals including Boohoo (LSE:BOO). The note from UBS analyst Olivia Townsend suggests that recent [...]
US jobless claims rise again despite signs of recovery April 1, 2021 New claims for unemployment benefits in the US rose unexpectedly despite the vaccine rollout and a huge fiscal support driving market recovery. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits came in at 719,000, according to the Labor Department. Last week claims fell to 684,000, their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic. While the number [...]
UK supermarket chiefs call for online sales tax on firms like Amazon February 8, 2021 Some of the UK’s largest retailers, including Tesco and Asda, have called for Rishi Sunak to “rebalance the tax base” between online and bricks and mortar retail in an apparent push for a new digital sales levy on firms like Amazon. In a letter to Sunak, 18 chief executives and union bosses said “online retailers [...]
Has ASOS just issued its third and final profits warning? July 23, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. With ongoing operational issues aplenty, investor confidence hinges on a belief in stock market adages. Warehouse troubles drove ASOS (LSE:ASC) to a third profits warning in less than a year as the fast-fashion giant slipped even further behind the market value of upstart rival Boohoo Group (LSE:BOO). Shares dived as much as 22 per cent [...]
JD Sports mulls equity raise to fund acquisition spree January 26, 2021 JD Sports has confirmed it is considering tapping shareholders for extra cash to fund acquisitions, following reports that it is mulling a £400m equity raise. The retailer announced this morning that it is “exploring additional funding options” which could involve an equity placing. It said it is seeking to increase its “flexibility to invest in [...]
End of lockdown: Most UK shoppers feel safe about returning to the high street on 12 April April 8, 2021 Most consumers feel safe returning to the high street, the latest research has shown ahead of non-essential retailers reopening on 12 April. According to a survey by Deloitte, 56 per cent of shoppers will feel safe about coronavirus risks when heading out to the high street next week, a 16 percentage point increase compared to [...]
Co-op hands furlough cash back to government as profit doubles April 8, 2021 Co-op has announced it will repay furlough money received during the pandemic as the convenience store chain announced profit more than doubled last year. The firm will hand £15.5m back to the government it said this morning as it revealed that profit after tax and discontinued items was £77m, up from £33m in 2019, on [...]
Ethical clothing move by Asos aligns with views of eco-conscious June 26, 2019 Fast fashion is an increasingly hot topic as consumers become more environmentally aware, conscious about the impact of their shopping habits and look to reduce waste. Despite this, environmentally positive changes have been slow or non-existent, such as the recent rejection of the 1p fast fashion tax by government that would have raised money for [...]