Shops being ‘thwacked by colossal’ employment costs Retail Business rates rises totalling £7.6m are being faced by shops in Scotland when the new tax year starts, according to new figures. A total of 4,520 shops liable for the intermediate and higher property rates will experience an increase in their rates bills, according to information obtained by Conservative MSP Craig Hoy and published by [...]
Shoe Zone shares crash as Budget deals major blow to profit plans Retail Shares in Shoe Zone have plummeted to their lowest value for more than three years after the company warning the changes announced in the Autumn Budget has forced it to close a number of stores. The Leicester-headquartered retailer issued a trading update to the London Stock Exchange in which it revealed the impacted that “significant [...]
B&M hires boss of Iron Bru maker as it battles slumping share price Retail B&M has hired the chief executive of Iron Bru maker AG Barr as it battles a slump in its share price. Euan Sutherland will become a non-executive director at the Liverpool-headquartered company from 20 January, 2025, subject to shareholder approval. If appointed, Sutherland will also join the remuneration and nomination committees. Sutherland has been chief [...]
Cook: ‘Upmarket ready meal business is like a 27-year game of Monopoly’ December 16, 2024 Upmarket ready meal maker Cook has compared its financial position to a near-three decade long game of Monopoly as it hailed being in “the best shape it has been in for a long while”. The Kent-headquartered business said that it if the firm was a 27-year game of Monopoly, “we would now be in a [...]
Strathberry: Profit doubles at luxury handbag maker loved by Princess of Wales and Meghan Markle December 12, 2024 Profit more than doubled at luxury handbag maker Strathberry, which counts the Princess of Wales, Jennifer Lopez and Meghan Markle among its fans The Edinburgh-based business has reported a pre-tax profit of £3m for the 12 months to 30 April, 2024, up from the £1.3m it posted in the prior year. Newly-filed accounts with Companies [...]
In The Style cuts job as sales continue to fall ahead of stock exchange return December 12, 2024 In The Style slashed jobs in a bid to stem its losses amid continuing falling sales as its return to the London Stock Exchange edges nearer. The Manchester-headquartered fast-fashion retailer has posted a pre-tax loss of £2.6m for the year to 31 March, 2024, down from the £7.7m loss it reported in the prior 12 [...]
Poundland owner Pepco slumps to huge loss after £640m hit December 10, 2024 Discount retail giant Pepco slumped to a loss of more than £450m after weak performance from Poundland in the UK, it has been revealed. The European group has posted a pre-tax loss of €554m (£458.7m) for the 12 months to 30 September, 2024, after having made a profit of €159m (£131.6m) in the prior year. [...]
Moonpig shares tumble as card maker swings to £33m loss December 10, 2024 Moonpig swung to a loss in the first half of its financial year as the personalised card maker takes longer than expected to turn around its experiences business. The news sent the FTSE 250 firm’s stock price down 12 per cent in early trading on Tuesday. Its shares remain up 57 per cent so far [...]
Asda needs to ‘dig down into its soul’ and recover sense of purpose, say analysts December 9, 2024 Asda needs to “dig down into its soul” and reshape its pitch to customers if it wants to tackle the rising threat from the likes of Aldi and Lidl following a rollercoaster 2024, analysts have warned. The Leeds-headquartered supermarket giant has not been far from the headlines all year amid debt struggles, strikes, falling sales [...]
Vodafone and Three: What £16.5bn merger actually means for customers and prices December 5, 2024 After an almost 18-month battle the UK’s largest ever telecoms deal – which will see Vodafone and Three complete a £16.5bn merger – has been given the green light. Described by Vodafone as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the UK’s digital infrastructure”, the deal has now satisfied the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) enough for [...]