ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF SABMILLER’S TRADING UPDATE AND THE COMPANY’S SHARE PRICE? April 20, 2010 ANDREW BLAIN | SHORE CAPITAL “SAB has issued something of a mixed trading update. For the 12 months to 31 March organic volumes were flat, which we view as unimpressive given the stock rating and association with emerging markets. However, this is marginally ahead of our forecast.” SAM HART | CHARLES STANLEY “These figures are [...]
NEVER KNOWINGLY UNDERSOLD April 20, 2010 RETAIL partnership John Lewis is rolling out a new £6m advertising campaign – its most expensive ever – as it returns to its roots by emphasising its “never knowingly undersold” proposition. The campaign features a woman progressing through the key phases of her life and how the John Lewis brand accompanies her at every stage.
ASOS remains firmly in fashion April 20, 2010 Online fashion retailer ASOS yesterday said it expects full-year profit to meet market expectations after annual sales rose a third and said the new year had started well, helped by continued growth overseas. The firm, which targets internet-savvy 18-34 year olds looking to emulate the designer looks of celebrities like Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and [...]
MGM’s troubles hurt Craig April 20, 2010 Financial difficulties at MGM studios, which is reported to have a $3.7bn (£2bn) debt, have led to fears over Daniel Craig’s future as James Bond after the latest film was put on hold. Fans are concerned that a long delay could lead Craig to walk away from the role before his third appearance makes it [...]
Tesco beats volcano with record profits April 20, 2010 TESCO yesterday reported record pre-tax profits of £3.2bn – while escaping the impact of the volcanic ash crisis because so little of its produce is imported by plane. The company saw its net profit up 10.4 per cent up on the previous 12 months. The supermarket giant said the reason for the gains included an [...]
Tesco April 20, 2010 THE LATE Jack Cohen, who founded Tesco in 1924, was fond of telling staff “you can’t do business sitting on your arse”. It’s a slogan that clearly resonates with the current management team, who show no sign of losing their expansionary zeal. Tesco has grown much further and faster than domestic rivals like J Sainsbury [...]
Primark and recovery boost AB Food outlook April 20, 2010 PRIMARK owner Associated British Foods said the global recovery was underway, prompting it to predict a “very good” rise in annual earnings after beating forecasts with half-year profits up 20 per cent. The London-based food and retail group reported strong momentum in many of its businesses around the world and even Britain showed signs of [...]
Thorntons hit by poor Easter profit warning April 20, 2010 CHOCOLATE maker Thorntons issued a profit warning yesterday after bad winter weather and competition from supermarkets hit Easter sales, forcing it to give a cautious outlook for the year. Thorntons said it now expected to post a full-year pre-tax profit before exceptionals of around £7.5m against £8.9m forecast in a Thomson Reuters poll. In a [...]
UK fly ban criticised as an over-reaction April 20, 2010 LAST night’s decision by the authorities to re-open Britain’s airspace was yesterday criticised by the aviation industry and London Mayor Boris Johnson for being “too little, too late.” The six day suspension has left hundreds of thousands stranded and caused severe damage to the economy. British Airways chief executive, Willie Walsh, said he was pleased [...]
Grounded commercial flights create a boon for private jets April 20, 2010 A RAFT of private jet and helicopter companies have cashed in on the chaos generated by thousands of grounded commercial liners as they transported stranded business passengers to and from mainland Europe. Operators, including NetJets, Ocean Sky and Jet Aviation have seen the number of requests sky rocket as most of Europe continues to face [...]