Ex-Superdry boss Dunkerton calls shareholder meeting in bid to return to board March 1, 2019 A power struggle at the top of Superdry looks set to intensify as Julian Dunkerton, the founder and former chief of the troubled designer, has requisitioned a shareholder meeting in a bid to muscle back on to the firm’s board. Dunkerton, who is still an 18.4 per cent shareholder, left the business a year ago because [...]
Primark sales sweeten the pill as retailer outperforms Christmas gloom January 17, 2019 Primark today reported a rise in revenues over the festive period as store expansion outweighed a fall in like-for-like sales. The fashion retailer saw UK sales rise one per cent on last year in the 16 weeks to 5 January, defying a downturn in the wider retail market. Read more: Retail sector suffers worst Christmas in [...]
DEBATE: Is the Asos profit warning a sign that online retailers face the same challenges as the high street? December 18, 2018 Is the Asos profit warning a sign that online retailers face the same challenges as the high street? Scott Guthrie, a digital strategy consultant, says YES. Online retailers have previously appeared immune to the hardships faced by their high street rivals. Yet there are many marketplace similarities between the two opposing business models – especially in [...]
Profiting from the retail revolution: What’s hot and what’s not? January 15, 2019 It turns out that so-called Super Thursday wasn’t so super after all. Despite being lauded as a day when retailers boast strong figures from the festive period, last Thursday proved to be a mixed basket of results. With consumers feeling the pinch and Brexit-sized uncertainty looming large over the high street, it’s not surprising that [...]
Do not succumb to the ‘Fat Cat Friday’ outrage January 3, 2019 As if Greggs’ vegan sausage rolls hadn’t prompted enough misplaced shock and outrage for the start of a new year, you can expect more of the same this morning when campaigners declare it to be “Fat Cat Friday”. The High Pay Centre, which opposes current levels of executive remuneration, calculates that by this afternoon a [...]
Your road map to the Isa universe: Make the most of your tax-free allowance March 10, 2020 There are just 27 days to go before the tax year ends on 5 April. For savers and investors, that means there are only a few weeks left to make use of their Individual Savings Account (Isa) allowance. Introduced in 1999, Isas allow people to invest up to £20,000 into savings each tax year, and [...]
Laura Ashley shares fall as it prepares to shutter 40 UK stores in fresh growth strategy December 17, 2018 British fashion retailer Laura Ashley is preparing to close 40 more stores in the UK, as it looks eastward for further business growth. The home furnishings chain, which is owned by Malaysian United Industries (MUI), has closed around 40 stores to date since 2015, and is set to double that. MUI's freshly appointed executive chairman [...]
AIM high as daily share trading on alternative market hits record highs September 30, 2018 The value of traded shares on alternative exchange AIM more than tripled in two years, a new report has found. Spurred by success stories like ASOS, Boohoo and Fever-Tree, the average value of daily trading per company on the market grew to £328m, up from £109m in 2015/16, accountants UHY Hacker Young said. The growth [...]
UK online retailer Sosandar thinks it can score better margins than Boohoo and Asos October 30, 2017 The giants of e-commerce have become experts at selling catwalk looks to cash-strapped millennials online, but new entrants are looking to take advantage of gaps in the online market. Founders of newcomer Sosandar, Ali Hall and Julie Lavington, are targeting wealthier women who have grown up buying clothes from Asos, but now want to buy [...]
Golden quarter could bring Christmas cheer to struggling British retailers November 9, 2018 Retailers might find seasonal cheer in an early Christmas present as experts predict a strong final quarter to the year. Sales in the sector are expected to tick up by two per cent year-on-year, according to analytics company Global Data. The increase will be driven by food and groceries, which are expected to grow 2.5 [...]