Should you invest in crowdfunding? June 1, 2016 From craft beer to knitting and films, crowdfunding allows you to invest in the things which matter to you. It’s grown massively in the last five years and revolutionised the possibilities for start-up businesses. Rather than rely on friends for their generosity, or wait months for a bank to say no to a loan, entrepreneurs have [...]
Asos poaches new finance chief from debt manager Capquest April 14, 2015 FASHION giant Asos said yesterday it has ended a six-month search for a new chief financial officer after poaching Helen Ashton from debt management business Capquest. Ashton will join the online retailer in September, replacing Nick Beighton who has already moved into his new position as chief operating officer. Ashton [pictured left] was finance director [...]
Best of the Brokers for 18 November 2015 November 18, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com STANDARD CHARTERED Jefferies believes the $17bn revenues implied in Standard Chartered’s 2018 returns on an equity target of eight per cent will be “tough to achieve”, given the ongoing pressure at the bank. Five per cent returns would be more achievable in 2018 [...]
New Look third quarter sales jump as menswear stores prove a hit with shoppers February 9, 2016 New Look has shrugged off a tough Christmas trading period to post a jump in sales over the quarter, boosted by its website and the expansion of its new menswear standalone stores. The fashion retailer said revenue grew by 5.6 per cent in the three months to 26 December, taking revenues to £1.18bn for the year to date. Pre-tax profits rose by 38.9 per cent to £87.9m. [...]
The death of Aim: Can equity crowdfunding eclipse the LSE’s junior market? April 28, 2016 The alternative finance market enjoyed near triple-digit growth last year, with the value of its loans, investments and donations hitting £3.2bn. Within this, the main sub-sectors of peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding significantly increased awareness of the concept of lending directly to individuals – excluding those entities like the banks which have for too long dominated markets [...]
Asos hires Capquest boss Helen Ashton as new chief financial officer April 14, 2015 The chief financial officer merry-go-round continues. Today, it's the turn of Asos, which has hired Helen Ashton to take on the role being vacated by Nick Beighton. Ashton, who is currently chief executive of debt management business Capquest, will join in September. She will join the board at the same time. Beighton has already moved [...]
Asos UK sales soar but half year profit is cut by 10pc April 1, 2015 Asos' share price soared more than six per cent this morning after releasing a bullish statement for the rest of the year. The figures Asos has reported a rise in group revenue for the first half to 28 February, with group sales climbing. 14 per cent. UK retail sales soared 27 per cent but profit before [...]
ASOS looking swish with 19pc increase in quarterly sales March 12, 2015 ASOS, the online clothing retailer, reported a fashionable 19 per cent increase in sales to £290.1m, up from £244m last year, for the three-month period to 28 February. The better-than-expected performance was a welcome relief for the firm after a difficult 2014 forced it to issue a string of profit warnings as shares plummeted and [...]
Best of the Brokers for 16 October 2015 October 16, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ASOS ASOS is still “overweight”, according to Barclays, but the broker says that while investor confidence remains low, thanks to under-performing the FTSE 250, it believes shares can “materially outperform” as sales accelerate on price investments, margins are unlikely to fall below four [...]
Best of the Brokers for 17 September 2015 September 17, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ASOS Berenberg reiterated its “buy” rating on the online retailer, and reduced its target price from 4,700p to 4,100p. The broker said that while currency headwinds are a near-term concern, a strong pound is factored into management guidance, and “the increasing utilisation of [...]