Coca-Cola HBC fizzes up profit forecast as firm puts Russia exit hit behind it July 7, 2023 Coca-Cola HBC AG, the bottling company for the soft drink giant, upped its profit forecasts for 2023 on the back of a “very strong” June performance this morning, prompting shares to jump nearly 5 per cent. The Switzerland-based firm said that it now expects pre-tax earnings growth of between 9-12 per cent for 2023, up [...]
Retailers struggle to rack in sales in June as shoppers continue to scale back July 7, 2023 Retailers continued to show signs of struggling in June, new figures show, as sales growth remained well below inflation due to customers scaling back their shopping habits due to the cost of living crisis. Total like-for-like sales in June grew 1.9 per cent from last year’s base of 8.4 per cent, according to figures from [...]
We are not rip-off retailers, says Sainsbury’s July 6, 2023 Bosses at Sainsbury’s have said they are “not rip-off retailer” or “profiteers” as they defended the profit made by the retailer amid scrutiny related to food inflation over the past year. The company also defended increased pay packages for its senior executives at its annual general meeting in London, despite the continued cost-of-living crisis. It [...]
Square Mile booming as return to office and pub ramps up footfall July 6, 2023 The near one thousand pubs and businesses across London’s Square Mile have been boosted by an uptick in footfall across the region in recent months, as punters return to the office and enjoy after work drinks. Tuesday to Thursday footfall, the most popular days in which workers travel in the office, is back to over 80 [...]
Young’s: Pub chain shrugs off inflation as London acquisitions spur revenue bump July 6, 2023 Young & Co’s Brewery provided a cheery update to investors this morning as the pub operator revealed a 8.3 per cent lift in revenues in the first thirteen weeks of the year. The 220-strong pub chain said it was boosted by a string of acquisitions it made last year in London and the wider UK, [...]
Currys: £60m wiped off market cap as share price tanks 12 per cent after retailer pulls dividend July 6, 2023 Around £60m has been wiped off Currys’ market cap this morning as its share price tanked over 12 per cent, following the retailer pulling its dividend in wake of poor results. Currys revealed that it would not be paying its final dividend to shareholders following poor performance, as its Nordic arm weighed down revenue. The retailer [...]
Commons Committee demands answer from Asda over ‘unclear’ fire and hire evidence July 5, 2023 The Business and Trade Committee is demanding Asda provide more evidence over it’s “unclear” fire-and-rehire strategy, after some 7,000 workers were threatened with the practice back in May. Chair of the committee, Darren Jones, is hauling the ‘Big Four’ grocer back in front of MPs after it said it was “concerned about apparent discrepancies” between [...]
Supreme becomes ‘master distributor’ for top vape brands as shares spike July 5, 2023 Supreme shares are up five per cent today as the vaping giant announced it is now the “master distributor” for UK e-cigarette brands, although the company has reported weak annual profits. The firm has been chosen as the master distributor for two leading UK vaping brands, ElfBar and Lost Mary, which it will supply to [...]
Center Parcs: £4bn deal back in spotlight as frontrunners for British resorts firm bail July 5, 2023 The £4bn deal to buy British holiday resorts firm Center Parcs is back in the spotlight after two frontrunners for sale have reportedly dropped out of the race. Its Canadian owners, Brookfield, put the six strong holiday village up for sale in May, with the sale sparking interest from a flurry of private investment firms [...]
Matalan accused of ‘cowboy buying practices’ in cost-cutting drive July 5, 2023 A group of Asian suppliers has accused Matalan of “cowboy buying practices,” after the value retailer reportedly attempted to haggle for 20 per cent price cuts on some orders. The disgruntled supplier said the fashion and homewares brand displayed some of the “most aggressive, unreasonable buying practices” they had ever seen, speaking to The Times [...]