Thomas Cook pays dear for world unrest May 9, 2011 TOUR operator Thomas Cook has said the impact of unrest in the Middle East and North Africa would be worse than expected as holidaymakers avoided destinations in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. Europe’s second-biggest travel firm said yesterday it expected around £35m to be knocked off its profits in the second half of the year, worse [...]
Whitbread to expand faster as profits jump 20pc April 28, 2011 Pub and hotel operator Whitbread has pushed pre-tax profits up 20 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 and committed to further expansion in core brands such as Costa Coffee and Premier Inn. Whitbread produced £287.1m underlying pre-tax profit, up from £239.1m in the same quarter in 2010, as like for like sales increased [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: IS DEBENHAMS HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? March 15, 2011 HONOR WESTNEDGE | VERDICT RESEARCH Despite rising commodity prices and high levels of promotional activity on the rest of the UK high street, Debenhams has managed to improve its gross margin on the previous year. Through focusing on its own-bought product, the retailer is in a better financial position to face a tough second-half. JONATHAN [...]
John Lewis sales fall sparks retail fears March 18, 2011 Sales figures from the John Lewis department stores show a “substantial softening in trade”, economists have said, as consumer confidence falls and the VAT rise takes effect. The latest weekly sales data shows a 1.8 per cent year-on-year fall in the week to 12 March and leaves department store sales up just 1.6 per cent [...]
FTSE buoyed by Glencore as IMF chief quits May 19, 2011 The FTSE 100 climbed this morning as commodities giant Glencore made its debut, helping to buoy European markets. But an announcement that IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was standing down over assault charges in the US was the talk of the markets as the hunt for a successor starts. The re-building of the eurozone’s finances was [...]
UK manufacturing slows as costs rise April 1, 2011 UK manufacturing growth came under pressure in March and output prices rose to a record high, according to a new report. Manufacturing activity fell to 57.1 on the Markit/CIPS purchasing managers index, down from a record high of 60.2 in February, as growth slowed to a five-month low. A combination of weak consumer confidence, surging [...]
Dixons warns on profit as UK trade worsens March 30, 2011 The UK’s No.1 electricals retailer Dixons has issued a profit warning, becoming the latest store group to report worsening trade as shoppers are hit by rising prices and government spending cuts. Dixons, which runs the Currys and PC World chains, said profit before tax and one-off items for the year ending April 30 was likely [...]
Dixons warns on profit as UK trade worsens March 30, 2011 The UK’s No.1 electricals retailer Dixons has issued a profit warning, becoming the latest store group to report worsening trade as shoppers are hit by rising prices and government spending cuts. Dixons, which runs the Currys and PC World chains, said profit before tax and one-off items for the year ending April 30 was likely [...]
Regional slump weighs on Daily Mail owner March 28, 2011 Business to business revenue and events has supported growth at the Daily Mail’s parent group, but its regional news division has seen revenues slide. The Daily Mail and General Trust said revenues from business publishing such as its Euromoney Institutional Investor arm were up 11 per cent in the five months to the end of [...]
THE TIPSTER May 16, 2011 THE Nikkei was sold off a little on Monday following some disappointing consumer confidence data. The country is still struggling back to normality following the terrible earthquake, but for contrarian investors, Japanese stocks could look good value. Capital CFDs quotes a price of 9,540-9,550 for the Nikkei 225. Mothercare reports its earnings on Wednesday. Its [...]