WH Smith, M&S and Argos among hundreds fined for failing to pay minimum wage June 21, 2023 Hundreds of businesses including high-street heavyweights WH Smith, M&S and Argos have been named and shamed after being fined for failing to pay workers the minimum wage. Firms from sole traders to household names were ordered to repay 63,000 staff lost wages totalling close to £5m, after breaching National Minimum Wage (NMW) law. WH Smith [...]
‘You can’t interfere in the markets,’ Asda boss tells government over food price caps May 30, 2023 Veteran retail boss Stuart Rose has warned the government of “unintended consequences” around encouraging supermarkets to impose price caps on food staples to cut the cost of living. Asda chairman Lord Rose, who also ran Marks and Spencer and chaired Ocado, said “you can’t interfere in the markets” and warned of the “unintended consequences” of [...]
M&S hopes share price continues to rebound after further signs of progress May 24, 2023 Marks and Spencer said this morning that it was starting to see the fruits of a refreshed strategy as the British retailer revealed a 9.6 per cent hike in revenues thanks to selling trendy clothes and a wider range of food. For the year, M&S said that revenues reached £11.93bn compared to £10.88bn, in the [...]
Marks and Spencer forced to pull item from website after it ‘rips off’ pub group’s logo April 14, 2023 M&S has removed a clothing item from its website after a pub company accused the retailer of “ripping it off”. Pub group The Craft Beer Co said in a tweet on Thursday that M&S had used its logo in a men’s T-shirt it was selling in its online store. The Craft Beer Co said: “Hey [...]
Where will I buy my knickers now? How closure of M&S Fenchurch Street will be lamented by City shoppers of all ages March 30, 2023 The Marks and Spencer store on Fenchurch Street, on the corner of Gracechurch Street, is set to close on Friday 31 March. The store, which has been one of the City’s remaining department stores since the closure of the nearby House of Fraser on the corner of King William Street in 2018. Marks and Spencer [...]
Ocado’s ‘M&S’ magic fails to impress as shares trade down despite revenue boost March 28, 2023 Ocado said it had helped by some “M&S magic” as the grocery chain’s joint venture with the high street stalwart boosted sales by 3.6 per cent in its first quarter. Shares in the online grocer were last trading down 1.97 per cent or 8.9p at 443.20p. The up market online grocer, which posted a pre-tax [...]
High Street retail race: Marks and Spencer predicted to overtake John Lewis by 2026 February 8, 2023 Marks & Spencer will overtake John Lewis in the rankings of the UK’s biggest retailers by 2026, according to a new sales forecast. Tesco will retain its position as the largest retailer, followed by Sainsbury’s, but Amazon is on track to move into the top three within the next few years, industry title Retail Week [...]
Marks and Spencer’s chairman Archie Norman: Plans to ease post-Brexit trade ‘overbearing and baffling’ January 26, 2023 Marks & Spencer’s chairman has become the latest business leader to criticise the Government’s economic policy, with Archie Norman calling plans to ease post-Brexit trade “overbearing” and “baffling”. Norman, who is also an ex-Conservative MP, has urged the Foreign Secretary during talks with the EU not to consider separate labelling for goods sold in Northern [...]
British retailers cheer Christmas sales, but City analysts warn of coming storm January 15, 2023 Britain’s largest retailers kicked off 2023 strongly last week, posting better than expected Christmas sales, signalling the consumer is holding up a bit better than feared. Tesco’s like for like sales were 7.9 per cent higher, while Marks and Spencer pocketed a 7.2 per cent rise. Sainsbury’s also posted record Christmas sales. Those bumper numbers, [...]
FTSE 100 close: ASOS and Centrica pop to crystalise strong start to 2023 January 12, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 built on gains yesterday that propelled to its highest level since 2018 after a series of British bellwether retailers posted a decent set of results this morning and the owner of British Gas skyrocketed. The capital’s premier index closed up 0.89 per cent at 7,794.04 points, while the domestically-focused, mid-cap FTSE 250 [...]