Exclusive: High Street queen Mary Portas says retail’s 2022 race to the bottom is finally over January 12, 2023 City A.M. sits down with the 'Queen of retail', or Madam High Street, retail consultant and broadcaster Mary Portas.
Next boss Lord Wolfson: London’s High Streets had ‘more to worry about’ four years ago despite loss of brands like Topshop January 5, 2023 Next boss Lord Wolfson has “less reason to worry about the high street” compared to a few years ago, on the tail of a slew of household names shuttering. Physical retail was in a less concerning position than in recent years, when a switch to online shopping signalled a death knell for many staple retailers, [...]
Next: Prices to rise in the spring – but boss hopeful inflation will ease in second half January 5, 2023 Next has warned it will lift prices further in the spring as the retailer’s chief said he was optimistic that inflation would let up in the second-half of the year. The fashion firm hiked its full-year profit guidance after seeing better than expected sales over the Christmas shopping period. The high street staple lifted its [...]
Next: Fashion chain starts January sales early ahead of update January 1, 2023 Fashion chain Next is set to shine a light on the health of the retail sector in the aftermath of the “crucial” Christmas shopping period. Investors will be closely watching the clothing and homeware giant’s trading update on Thursday for detail on its sales figures over the festive season. In August, chief executive Lord Wolfson [...]
Made.com customers will not see return of £12m in deposits for pricey furniture December 27, 2022 Tens of thousands of Made.com customers will be left out of pocket by a total of nearly £12m, according to the homeware firm’s administrators. The London-listed sofa seller collapsed this autumn after a consumer crunch caused sales to slow, resulting in hundreds of job losses. Now, a report by PwC administrators has revealed that more [...]
Made.com board proposes formal liquidation of collapsed furniture firm December 22, 2022 Shareholders of Made.com have been encouraged to back a board proposal to formally wind down the furniture firm through a member’s voluntary liquidation. In an update to the London Stock Exchange, the collapsed homeware firm said this would allow liquidators to realise its remaining assets pending completion of its administration. It would also allow the [...]
Joules bought out of insolvency by Next with 19 stores to close December 1, 2022 Next has bought fashion retailer Joules out of insolvency, beating other high street names in a bidding war. The high street chain called in administrators a few weeks ago, with 1,600 jobs hanging in the balance. Now, stalwart Next has confirmed it has emerged victorious in a battle for the brand, forking out £34m for [...]
IKEA owner ‘optimistic’ about future price cuts as input costs ease November 28, 2022 The owner of most IKEA stores is eyeing additional price cuts as its cost headwinds have started to let up. While the flat-pack furniture specialist hiked prices earlier this year, Ingka group’s retail manager Tolga Oncu told Reuters that he was “optimistic” the firm would be able to reduce prices even further. The furniture giant [...]
Retail sales fall off cliff in November in sign of Christmas spending slump November 28, 2022 Retail sales have fallen off a cliff, pushed by consumers reining in spending as scorching inflation eats away at their finances, a new survey out today reveals. A net 19 per cent of retailers said spending fell over the year to November, down from a net rise of 18 per cent in October, according to [...]
Beaverbrooks: We don’t expect government to solve all of firms’ problems November 16, 2022 A wedding “catch-up” boom post-pandemic has driven momentum for jeweller Beaverbrooks, its top boss told CityA.M. After the Covid-19 lockdowns saw many couples put plans to get hitched on hold, the easing of restrictions has seen a boom in plans for nuptials, driving ring sales, Anna Blackburn said. The pandemic spurred some couples to get [...]