Ocado still overvalued, says analyst October 14, 2010 OCADO’S stock fell another 3.5p yesterday to 123.5p, despite its announcement this week that it has begun work on its new warehouse in Warwickshire. It is now trading 46 per cent below the mid-point of its initial IPO price range. But yesterday another analyst released a note warning the stock could still have a long [...]
Receding fears over Eurozone debt levels hand FTSE a boost December 6, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed higher yesterday, buoyed by oil stocks after crude reached a two-year peak, while banks fell on fears over Eurozone debt as EU ministers met to discuss ways of preventing debt contagion. The FTSE 100 ended up 24.96 points, or 0.4 per cent, higher at 5,770.28, for its highest close since [...]
John Lewis is ranked among influential list November 14, 2010 RETAIL giant John Lewis has surged into a ranking of Britain’s most influential brands, as the group’s partnership approach to doing business and a record year for till receipts propelled it into the top three. TLG’s annual index of UK Business Thought Leaders ranks John Lewis below Apple and Google but above other respected names [...]
Margins too tight to bear September 16, 2010 THE British dairy market is notoriously competitive, but investors were not prepared for yesterday’s shock profit warning from Robert Wiseman. Although its first-half numbers are in line, the second half is going to turn sour. Full-year profits are now forecast to be £7m lower than thought. A crushing round of price negotiations with Tesco is [...]
AUTO-ENROLMENT October 27, 2010 Q.HOW MUCH DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO EARN TO BE ENROLED? A.The earnings threshold for auto-enrolment into the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) will be the same as the income tax threshold, currently £7,475 (much higher than the £5,035 level mooted by the last government). But Peter Woods, pensions partner at PwC, points out the coalition [...]
Asos sees sales surge by 47 per cent October 14, 2010 Online fashion retailer ASOS said it was on track to meet full-year profit forecasts after a 47 per cent surge in second-quarter sales. ASOS, which launched a US website last month, also said it expected to launch French and German versions by the end of the month. Retail sales jumped to £69.7m in the three [...]
Tesco sees £3.4bn profit after Clubcard boost April 20, 2010 TESCO has reported pre-tax profits of £3.4bn – 10 per cent up on the previous 12 months. The supermarket giants said the reasons for the gains included an 18 per cent rise in the use of Clubcards Group sales, excluding petrol, went up by 6.8 per cent to £62.5bn in the 52 weeks to 27 [...]
THE PEOPLE’S SUPERMARKET September 15, 2010 TESCO chief executive Sir Terry Leahy was on hand at the Economist Emerging Markets Summit in London yesterday to hear his designated successor Philip Clarke predict China will become profitable for the retailer during his tenure. The supermarket giant is planning to invest around £2bn into developing shopping malls in the People’s Republic.
THE PEOPLE’S SUPERMARKET September 15, 2010 TESCO chief executive Sir Terry Leahy was on hand at the Economist Emerging Markets Summit in London yesterday to hear his designated successor Philip Clarke predict China will become profitable for the retailer during his tenure. The supermarket giant is planning to invest around £2bn into developing shopping malls in the People’s Republic.
Webb unveils pension plans October 27, 2010 INDUSTRY breathed a sigh of relief yesterday, after the government watered down plans to boost the number of private pension savers. The government is still pressing ahead with plans to enrol millions of workers into a pension scheme automatically from 2012 onwards, but made several concessions following intense lobbying from businesses. By 2017, the vast [...]