Womenswear firm Sosandar cuts sales outlook after pivot away from discounts October 22, 2024 Sosandar, the women’s fashion retailer, has slashed its sales predictions for the year by £5m today but said a pivot away from clothing discounts would help keep its profits on track. The AIM-listed brand reported pre-tax loss of £0.6m in the six months to 30 September, up from a pre-tax loss of £1.3m in the [...]
Concern for British high street as sector set for four-fold tax rise in April October 16, 2024 The double effect of inflation-linked tax bumps, as well as the end of business rate relief for consumer-facing firms, will lead to a four-fold tax increase for high street businesses next April, industry bodies have warned. Industry leaders across the board have been increasingly vocal about the need for reform to business rate taxes, and have [...]
Fenwick: John Lewis rival slumps into the red and cuts jobs October 15, 2024 Department store chain Fenwick slumped back into the red and cut jobs as it battled the cost-of-living crisis and a “changing retail environment”. The Newcastle-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £28.3m for the year to 26 January, 2024, having previously made a pre-tax profit of £57.1m in the prior 12 months. Newly-filed accounts [...]
Retailers pin hopes on bumper golden quarter with Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas October 14, 2024 The final three months of the year, also known as the golden quarter, are make-or-break for retailers. Retail spending has consistently languished this year, or been propped up by margin-carving discounts, but pent-up demand is expected to give the sector a much-needed boost during the holidays, according to a panel of industry experts. Despite consumer [...]
Marston’s in ‘strong’ position as pub chain outperforms market October 9, 2024 Pub operator Marston’s has reported sales growth ahead of the wider market and said its profit this year will be in line with expectations. The FTSE-listed firm told markets this morning that total retail sales for the 52-weeks to 28 September were 5.8 per cent higher than the prior year, with growth in like-for-like sales [...]
The ‘battle for value is on’ at UK grocers as supermarkets push discounts October 8, 2024 Higher spending at supermarkets over the last month has been driven by sales of discounted goods as grocers compete to bring financially-stretched customers through their doors, according to fresh data. Grocery price inflation increased slightly to two per cent during the four weeks to 29 September, up from 1.7 per cent last month, according to [...]
Oasis tickets and discounts ensure September spending doesn’t slide away October 8, 2024 Retail sales in the UK have held up despite a dip in confidence, driven by widespread discounts and a spike in entertainment spending after Oasis‘ tickets went on sale. Consumer card spending increased 1.2 per cent year on year in September, after returning to growth in August, according to data from Barclays. Discounting pushed spending [...]
Wine sellers in ‘bleak’ alcohol duty tax burden warning October 7, 2024 Four of the UK’s biggest wine sellers have said that upcoming changes to alcohol duty will lead to price rises in a “bleak” warning to their customers. Majestic, Laithwaites, The Wine Society and Cambridge Wine Merchants are amongst the wine businesses who together launched a poster campaign against changes to the excise duty. Excise Duty [...]
Footfall at UK retailers improves for first time in over a year October 4, 2024 This was the first time that footfall has shown an improvement since July 2023.
Online discounting gives retail a boost but puts margins under pressure October 4, 2024 Widespread retail discounting boosted online sales growth in September, but has continued to squeeze their already-tight profit margins, according to fresh data. Total retail sales grew by 4.7 per cent compared to September last year and online sales were up by 11.6 per cent, accountancy and business advisory firm BDO’s high street sales tracker found. However, [...]