Recession? Try a Rolex: Watches of Switzerland revenue up again May 17, 2023 Luxury watch retailer Watches of Switzerland’s revenue rose 22 per cent in the final quarter but the luxury watchmaker warned that there would be a slight sales dip in the first quarter of the next financial year. In the quarter to April, revenue rose 22 per cent to £371m on a reported basis. At constant [...]
No Cowgill, No Problem: JD Sports nears billion-pound profit May 17, 2023 JD Sports announced record profits this morning despite a challenging economic environment and the exit of longtime chief Peter Cowgill
UK must solve labour issues and cut red tape to help ease food inflation, lobby group warns May 16, 2023 The UK government must address labour shortages and make sure regulations don’t weigh food producers down to help ease food price inflation, an industry lobby group has warned. Downing Street hosted a Farm to Fork event at No10 with retailers, traders and producers invited, as Rishi Sunak announced greater protections for farmers in future trade [...]
Krispy Kreme plays down impact of UK rules on unhealthy foods May 16, 2023 The boss of Krispy Kreme doughnuts has shrugged off the impact of new UK regulations on unhealthy food in supermarkets, insisting that consumers could simply be “trained” to look elsewhere in shops for their sweet treats. Major retailers have been banned from placing high fat, sugar or salt items near prominent store locations such as [...]
Boohoo share price soars as profits halve: Brits ditch fast-fashion and head back to the high street May 16, 2023 Online fashion retailer Boohoo said its profits halved, as the cost of living crisis continues to hit consumers’ spending and Brits flock back to physical stores. Pre-tax profits for the group halved during the 12 month period ended 28 February 2023 to £63.3m, down 49 per cent, with revenues dropping 11 per cent to £1.77bn. [...]
Tesco cuts price on 30 own brand products including pasta and oil as supermarket wars continue May 16, 2023 Tesco has announced another round of price cuts on its own-brand pasta and cooking oil as it sees deflation making its way through to cupboard essentials. The UK’s biggest supermarket is dropping the price of 30 products, with 15p off 500g and 1kg packs of own-brand pasta, 14p off its one litre vegetable oil and [...]
Currys share price soars as profit guidance lifted after trading ‘better than expected’ May 15, 2023 Currys has lifted its prospects for the rest of the year, saying its profit before tax is expected to be £110-120m, up from previously around £104m. Shares in the retailer jumped almost six per cent to 59.45p following the announcement this morning, to their highest level since early April. Currys, which sells everything from computers [...]
Cost of card payments slammed as ‘startling’ after Mastercard exec defends fees May 15, 2023 A lobby group has today warned of the “startling rise in the cost of accepting cards” for small businesses after the European chief of Mastercard defended the fees it levies on merchants over the weekend. Interchange fees, which are charged to merchants and paid to the card issuing bank and payment network, have climbed sharply [...]
Wagamama owner TRG under new pressure from investors ahead of AGM May 14, 2023 The Restaurant Group has come under renewed pressure from investors as Coltrane Asset Management called for change at the company after building a 3 per cent stake in the firm. The New-york based activist investor told The Sunday Times that it backed proposals by another investor, Oasis Management, for the group to sell off its [...]
Imperial Brands: Investors brace to see if cigarette titan can light up vaping future May 14, 2023 Imperial Brands will be looking to convince investors its vaping and so-called ‘next generation products’ can light up profits in the long-term as it updates the City with its first half results on Tuesday.