Wedgwood owner slumps to loss despite strong Harrods and Selfridges sales October 7, 2024 The owner of historic fine china and porcelain brand Wedgwood has slumped into the red despite strong sales through Harrods and Selfridges. Fiskars UK, which is based in Stoke-on-Trent, is also behind the Waterford, Royal Doulton and Royal Albert brands. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House have revealed that the business fell to a pre-tax loss [...]
Seedlip revolutionised alcohol free drinking. Now its founder has a new product: We tried it first October 6, 2024 Ben Branson birthed the alcohol free spirits scene when he launched Seedlip nearly ten years ago. Five years after selling his majority share, he’s ready to change the face of drinking. Again. He talks to Adam Bloodworth Through the launch of Seedlip, Ben Branson established a reputation as the founding father of the alcohol free [...]
Not ‘much to be optimistic about’ in London rental market October 3, 2024 Pressure on the rental market continues to build this autumn despite a cooling market earlier in spring, with more landlords selling up and more tenants looking for short-term homes, according to fresh data. More than three-quarters of agents have seen an increase in the number of tenants searching for properties, while more than half of [...]
SIG: Revenue drops as housing supplier warns of continued weak demand October 2, 2024 Housing supplier SIG has reported another drop in revenue after soft demand for interiors continued to bite. Group like-for-like revenue saw a sequential improvement but still dropped by four per cent in the three months to 20 September, after a seven per cent decline in the first half of the year. SIG said that weak [...]
Shepherd Neame: Britain’s oldest brewer ups dividend on ‘positive and encouraging’ results October 2, 2024 Britain’s oldest brewer Shepherd Neame have reported record revenue for the full financial year despite ongoing cost headwinds. The Faversham-based brand, which owns and operates 291 pubs across the southeast, told markets this morning that revenue for the 53 weeks to 29 June grew by 3.6 per cent to a record £172.3m, from £166.3m in [...]
Booths: ‘Waitrose of the North’ slashed loss thanks to record sales October 1, 2024 High-end supermarket chain Booths slashed its loss as sales passed £300m for the first time in its history. The Lancashire-headquartered company, which can trace its roots back to 1847, has reported a turnover of £318.6m for the year to 30 March, 2024, up from the £298.7m it achieved in the prior 12 months. Newly-filed accounts [...]
The Works: Arts and crafts retailer’s profit slumped as demand stayed soft October 1, 2024 High street arts and craft retailer The Works has reported weaker sales in 2024, leading to a slump in profit. Adjusted earning before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell by 30 per cent to £6m, from £9m last year, while adjusted profit before tax fell 39 per cent to £3.2m, from £5.3m in 2023. The [...]
Smeg: Sales cool at kitchenware brand as high interest rates ‘stifle’ demand September 30, 2024 The UK arm of kitchenware brand Smeg suffered lower than expected sales during its latest financial year after increasing interest rates ‘stifled demand’ for its products. The Abingdon-based division has reported a turnover of £65.2m for 2023, down from the £67.2m it posted for 2022. The new total is a step back from Smeg’s previously [...]
Pirelli: ‘Strong’ UK price rises helps sales near £500m at tyre giant September 30, 2024 The UK arm of Pirelli has said “strong” price rises helped its sales and pre-tax profit accelerate during its latest financial year. The company has reported a turnover of £471.3m for 2023, up from the £419.3m it achieved in 2022. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House also show its pre-tax profit improved from £11.5m to £14.3m [...]
CVS: Vet probe weighs on profit but fundamentals ‘strong’ September 26, 2024 Veterinary group CVS has said that a competition probe into the vet sector, plus cost of living pressures and a cyber attack, negatively affected its performance over the last year. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a formal probe into the sector in May. CVS shares plunged 20 per cent after the announcement, and [...]