Wine lovers cheer Majestic January 6, 2010 MAJESTIC Wine said its decision to half its minimum purchase to six bottles helped boost its pre-Christmas sales. The wine chain, which has 150 stores in the UK, said like-for-like sales were up 11.7 per cent in the nine weeks from 3 November. Majestic began selling six-bottle batches to customers in September as part of [...]
SuperGroup in £125m flotation plan February 15, 2010 FASHION company SuperGroup is is set to launch a £125m stock market flotation. The move comes after a series of other companies, including fellow fashion retailer New Look, decided to shelve their planned initial public offerings (IPOs) last week. SuperGroup owns the Superdry brand sported by celebrities such as David Beckham and High School Musical [...]
Debenhams appoints new chairman January 28, 2010 DEBENHAMS has appointed Nigel Northridge as its new chairman to replace John Lovering. The company said Northridge – currently chairman of betting group Paddy power – will step up to the role on 1 April Lovering had chaired the retailer since 2003 and led its flotation on the London Stock Exchange in 2006. Northridge is [...]
Dairy Crest creams profit after a promotions spree February 2, 2010 DAIRY CREST has announced strong trading for the nine months to the end of December, buoyed by its performance in the run-up to Christmas. Pre-tax profit was slightly ahead of analysts’ expectations, but the maker of Cathedral City cheese and Clover spreads remains cautious about the year ahead. “The trading environment for 2010 is tough for [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS January 10, 2010 TED BAKER Singer Capital maintains a “buy” rating for Ted Baker after strong trading from 1 November to 24 December. Retail sales growth for this period was 19.1 per cent and trading was up 14.3 per cent year-on-year. It says Ted Baker’s collections are doing well and has revised its target price from 505p to [...]
Thorntons revels in sweet profit figures February 17, 2010 THORNTONS reported a 25 per cent rise in first half profits yesterday – with the company hoping its new ice cream lines will boost summer figures. Pre-tax profits jumped to £9.1m in the 28 weeks to 9 January as the group managed to shift most of its Christmas stock. Thorntons’ chocolates are sold through supermarkets [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS February 9, 2010 ICAP Bank of America Merrill Lynch adds ICAP to its “Europe 1” buy list saying its current share price ignores the company’s strong portfolio of assets. Despite its revised earnings guidance for the third quarter, it believes its recent share price fall has been overdone. It notes half ICAP’s profits will come from electronic businesses [...]
THE TIPSTER January 17, 2010 Retailers have had mixed fortunes over the Christmas period. Although shoppers spent huge amounts of cash in the run-up to the festive season, not everybody has gained in the same way. Supermarkets and cheap high-street chains have out-performed – department store John Lewis recorded its best ever revenues in December. But others could not keep [...]
Co-op sales surge after price war January 10, 2010 THE Co-operative Group’s like-for-like sales rose almost 5 per cent after slashing prices in a battle with its rivals over Christmas. The UK’s fifth biggest food retailer – which now has 3,000 stores after buying Somerfield last year – was boosted by a massive advertising campaign and overhaul of brands. Like-for-like sales – including VAT [...]
Comet festive sales are a worry for owner Kesa January 20, 2010 COMET dragged down sales at parent company Kesa as the electrical store failed to beat off its rivals over Christmas. Like-for-like sales dropped by 3.9 per cent at Comet between 1 November and 8 January, the company revealed yesterday. However, Kesa’s overall sales fall was limited to 0.3 per cent after growth in its international [...]