Matalan auction boosted by Xmas sales January 12, 2010 FASHION and homewares retailer Matalan has boosted its £1.5bn auction by revealing further strong growth over the Christmas period. The group revealed that like-for-like sales rose 13.7 per cent in the five weeks to 2 January. The upbeat trading statement came despite tough comparatives with positive trading figures seen a year earlier. Five private equity [...]
Starbucks UK hails record performance January 21, 2010 A 20 per cent rise in sales of gingerbread and toffee nut lattes helped Starbucks UK record its sixth straight month of like-for-like sales growth in December. The coffee giant, which has 661 stores across the UK, said an “exceptionally busy Christmas period” saw like-for-like sales last month rise six per cent leading to an [...]
Sherry and mince pies leave people £52m deeper in debt February 1, 2010 BRITISH consumers embarked on a festive spending splurge in December, running up credit card debts and using their overdrafts. Overall borrowing outstripped the amount being paid back for the first time since June, according to the Bank of England. Credit card use was the main force driving unsecured consumer leverage up by £52m over Christmas [...]
Matalan price gets a boost January 13, 2010 FASHION and homewares retailer Matalan has boosted its £1.5bn auction by revealing further strong growth over the Christmas period. The group revealed that like-for-like sales rose 13.7 per cent in the five weeks to 2 January. The upbeat trading statement came despite tough comparatives with positive trading figures seen a year earlier. Five private equity [...]
Mothercare sees strong trade January 14, 2010 Mothercare said yesterday that sales rose 4.6 per cent in the third quarter, after a strong Christmas performance helped its core business record its 18th consecutive quarter of sales growth. International sales rose 9.3 per cent – 14 per cent at constant exchange rates – and the group said it was on track to meet [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: HOW ROSY IS THE OUTLOOK FOR GREENE KING? January 27, 2010 MARK BRUMBY | ASTAIRE SECURITIES “Greene King is performing strongly. There is a note of caution regarding the remainder of the year, but the group is confident it will hit targets. The economic environment is uncertain and the employment outlook in Scotland is set to worsen but Greene King, which trades at ten times earnings, [...]
ECONOMIC DIARY February 21, 2010 AFTER a week packed with economic data releases, the next five days promise to be a bit quieter. Last Thursday, the US Federal Reserve hiked the rate it charged banks to hold reserves in a surprise move that signalled a return towards more normal monetary policy. On Wednesday Fed chairman Ben Bernanke will be giving [...]
Bank DLR to re-open January 26, 2010 A VITAL transport artery into the heart of the City will re-open at the start of next month after an overhaul to allow longer trains to run, Transport for London (TfL) said yesterday. The Docklands Light Railway station at Bank, which has been closed since Christmas Eve for expansion and modernisation works, will re-open on [...]
BA and Unite disagree over strike figures March 22, 2010 BRITISH AIRWAYS and cabin crew union Unite continued to stand their ground yesterday, even as a three day strike drew to an end. BA said it was still open to talks with Unite but that there were no immediate plans to go back into negotiations over plans to cut the pay and staff numbers of cabin [...]
MODELLING LEAVES METRO BOSS RED-FACED April 5, 2010 MOST of the management over at shiny-new high street lender Metro Bank might be patting themselves on the back over their latest marketing ruse, a giant mascot for the bank, but some of the poor staffers have been left red-faced. The new mascot – an enormous foamy “M” in blue and red, the bank’s colours [...]