Debenhams profits up but refit hits sales April 13, 2010 DEBENHAMS posted a profits rise yesterday but sales only rose slightly – as a massive store revamp scheme took its toll.? The store posted half-year profits before tax and exceptional items of £123.6m – a rise of 18.6 per cent. The chain is refurbishing stores as part of its move away from concessions towards more [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF DEBENHAMS’ RESULTS? April 13, 2010 CAROLINE GULLIVER | EXECUTION NOBLE “Debenhams has reported strong preliminary results: underlying profit-before-tax of £120.5m is ahead of consensus expectations of £115m, but more in-line with our estimate of £119m.” TONY SHIRET | CREDIT SUISSE “These figures are just the same old, same old. We would like to have seen more evidence of like-for-like growth. [...]
Debenhams profits jump after own brands boost April 13, 2010 DEBENHAMS has posted half-year profits before tax and exceptional items of £123.6m – a rise of 18.6 per cent. Higher group sales helped to fuel the rise as well as a focus on own-brand ranges – which have bigger margins than designer labels – in the 26 weeks to 27 February. The group’s net debt [...]
European stocks are worth a long position April 12, 2010 IN THE next few weeks we should get a better idea of how far the economic recovery has boosted profits at Europe’s largest companies as they report first quarter earnings. So far consensus estimates for earnings growth this year is a whopping 39 per cent up on last year. This week French luxury goods group [...]
Debenhams boosted by Principles April 11, 2010 DEBENHAMS is expected to report a strong performance in the six months to February, with half-year pre-tax profits of £116m expected – 15 per cent up from a year earlier. The success is attributed to good sales from its own-brand ranges such as Principles, designed by Ben de Lisi, but analysts are still cautious about [...]
Debenhams is boosted by its own products March 16, 2010 HIGH Street stalwart Debenhams yesterday said first half profits will beat those from last year despite the “challenging” backdrop and the snow disrupting shoppers. The department store group, which operates 158 stores in the UK and Ireland, said its focus on own bought products had boosted profit margins but slightly knocked sales growth. Like-for-like sales [...]
Debenhams in sales boost March 16, 2010 DEBENHAMS has tipped its first-half profit to top last year’s as it posted a sales rise. The department store chain saw a 0.3 per cent rise in sales at stores open more than a year for the 26 weeks to 27 February and claimed it was winning market share. In the equivalent period the year [...]
THE TIPSTER March 14, 2010 GREGGS, the bakery chain, has had stellar sales during the economic downturn, as their good value products have appealed to price-conscious consumers. Greggs announces its results later this week, and they should show strong profit growth. IG Index offers a June spread of 419.24p-424.24p. ARM Holdings has seen its share price rise steeply since the [...]
Tesco hires new clothing chief March 10, 2010 TESCO has hired the former head of non-food at J Sainsbury in a bid to revive its £1bn clothing business. Richard Jones will replace Terry Green as Tesco’s clothing chief – running the clothing business in the UK, as well as taking charge of its home furnishings division. Green, whose five-year contract for Tesco is [...]
Sports Direct mulls a cash bid for Blacks March 2, 2010 SPORTS Direct yesterday said it is considering a takeover offer for Blacks Leisure. Mike Ashley’s group, which has brands including Slazenger and Dunlop, already owns almost 30 per cent of Blacks shares. It said it is “evaluating a possible cash offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Blacks”. The company, [...]