Alliance Boots profit tops £1bn for first time May 17, 2010 BRITAIN’S biggest pharmacy chain Alliance Boots has posted annual profits of more than £1bn – becoming only the third UK retailer to pass that milestone. The group, bought in 2007 by private equity firm KKR and executive chairman Stefano Pessina for £11bn in Europe’s biggest leveraged buyout, said the 13 per cent increase in trading [...]
House price boom starts to crumble June 28, 2010 HOME prices fell for the first time in more than a year in May, Land Registry data showed yesterday, sparking fears of a second downturn in Britain’s fragile housing market. The average residential property dropped 0.2 per cent in value during the month as uncertainty over austerity measures to be enforced by the incoming government [...]
House price boom starts to crumble June 28, 2010 HOME prices fell for the first time in more than a year in May, Land Registry data showed yesterday, sparking fears of a second downturn in Britain’s fragile housing market. The average residential property dropped 0.2 per cent in value during the month as uncertainty over austerity measures to be enforced by the incoming government [...]
Defensive shares lift FTSE but banks and miners weak January 26, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading share index added 0.3 per cent yesterday, as support for defensive issues, and a modest early rally on Wall Street, offset weakness in heavyweight miners and banks. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 16.54 points at 5,276.85, snapping a four-session losing streak, having earlier reached an intraday low for the [...]
Strong retail sales growth but 2010 outlook uncertain November 9, 2009 RETAIL sales enjoyed their strongest October growth for seven years with retail sales values rising 3.8 per cent on a like-for-like basis, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). But the BRC warned that last month’s strong performance was compared to October 2008, when sales fell 2.2 per cent due to turmoil in the financial [...]
BRC: solid start to Christmas despite weaker sales growth December 7, 2009 BRITISH retailers saw weaker growth in sales values last month after experiencing their best October since 2002, the latest survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) will show today. Retail sales rose 1.8 per cent on a like-for-like basis in November compared to the same period last year when sales volumes fell 2.6 per cent [...]
US stocks rally after ISM reports economy boost May 3, 2010 US stocks staged a broad rally that drove the S&P 500 to its best day in two months yesterday after manufacturing, consumer spending and construction data instilled confidence that the economic recovery is gaining traction. Transport stocks had their best day in six months following an industry report that the US manufacturing sector grew in [...]
JD Wetherspoon urges caution as sales drop May 5, 2010 PUBS group JD Wetherspoon is feeling the sobering effects of lower consumer spending and tax and duty rises with sales growth slowing in recent months. Same outlet sales for the 13 weeks to 25 April slipped 0.8 per cent. This was much steeper than the 0.2% decline recorded over the nine month period. Meanwhile total [...]
Wetherspoons in sales dip as tough times hit its pubs May 5, 2010 INTERACTIVE INVESTOR PUBS group JD Wetherspoon is feeling the sobering effects of lower consumer spending and tax and duty rises with sales growth slowing in recent months. Same outlet sales for the 13 weeks to 25 April slipped 0.8 per cent. This was much steeper than the 0.2 per cent decline recorded over the nine [...]
End of the decade optimism is looking likely to lift global stocks after a flat start to the week December 6, 2009 UK and European stock markets are set to start the week little changed, but as we enter the second week of December, traders will not want to miss out on a possible end of decade rally. GFT is quoting the FTSE 100 index to open unchanged from Friday’s close, at a level of 5,322. The [...]