Virtual gains help support the expense of physical expansion September 13, 2012 JUDGING from these results, one unfortunate legacy of a golden summer for John Lewis is going to be how disappointing its figures seem next time around. The exceptional achievement of a near 60 per cent rise in pre-tax profit also rests on a number of one-off events: a low base for comparison, a Diamond Jubilee [...]
Virtual gains help support the expense of physical expansion September 13, 2012 JUDGING from these results, one unfortunate legacy of a golden summer for John Lewis is going to be how disappointing its figures seem next time around. The exceptional achievement of a near 60 per cent rise in pre-tax profit also rests on a number of one-off events: a low base for comparison, a Diamond Jubilee [...]
John Lewis posts leap in first-half profit September 13, 2012 Profits at British retailer John Lewis jumped 60 per cent in the first half of the year, after strong sales growth at both the department stores and Waitrose brand. John Lewis made a pre-tax profit of £144.5m in the six months to 28 July, boosted by the Jubilee and Olympic Games. Group revenue climbed 8.6 [...]
John Lewis posts leap in first-half profit September 13, 2012 Profits at British retailer John Lewis jumped 60 per cent in the first half of the year, after strong sales growth at both the department stores and Waitrose brand. John Lewis made a pre-tax profit of £144.5m in the six months to 28 July, boosted by the Jubilee and Olympic Games. Group revenue climbed 8.6 [...]
Cheap doesn’t always mean bad but be prepared for a challenge October 29, 2012 bottleopener@cityam.com THE £5 bottle of wine has long been a staple in everyone’s shopping baskets but that’s changing. Today’s 20 per cent VAT and the general impact of inflation is quickly making it nothing more than a distant memory. With that in mind, accompanied by six City A.M. readers, I set on a quest to [...]
What the other papers say this morning November 25, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Microsoft in talks over Europe stores Microsoft is exploring the possibility of extending its showcase stores strategy to Europe as it bolsters the number of devices and appliances on its software platforms. Jenkins urged to axe Barclays unit Some of Barclays’ biggest investors have urged Antony Jenkins, the bank’s new chief executive, to [...]
The good, the bad January 10, 2013 THE DIVIDED state of the UK retail sector was brought into sharp focus yesterday as an upbeat Tesco and Shop Direct claimed victory in the Christmas retail wars, while Marks and Spencer suffered the fallout of a worse-than-expected festive period. Following muted performances by rivals Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, a resurgent Tesco revealed its strongest sales [...]
Jubilee holiday and Olympics help John Lewis September 13, 2012 JOHN Lewis Partnership yesterday revealed that it enjoyed a strong start to the year as first-half profits jumped by 59.8 per cent to £144.5m but said consumer demand remained “fragile”. Gross sales for the six months to July were up 8.7 per cent at £3.9bn, which the firm attributed to capitalising on major events such [...]
Comet’s passing brings a brief celebration for rivals’ shares but the challenges they face haven’t gone away November 1, 2012 COMETS are said to burn across the sky on the death of a prince. The passing of this Comet was marked instead by the rise of its rivals’ share prices, with Dixons Retail Group doing especially well on the assumption that its chains will pick up business. But no one can pretend that kind of [...]
Paralympic win for Sainsbury’s as its sales rise October 9, 2012 J SAINSBURY’S sponsorship of the Paralympic Games and Brand Match campaign has helped the British supermarket steal market share from its three biggest rivals. New figures from industry experts Kantar Worldpanel showed that Sainsbury’s sales rose 5.6 per cent in the 12 weeks to 30 September, boosting its share of the UK grocery market to [...]