Halfords’ revenue and profit dip as it snaps up garage chain November 7, 2019 Revenue and profit at Halfords fell in the first half of the year, the bicycle and car maintenance retailer said today. Halfords also announced today it had acquired independent garage chain McConechy’s Tyre Service in a £9.3m deal. Profit before tax slipped 2.5 per cent to £27.5m in the six months to 27 September from [...]
Sainsbury’s half-year profit plunges 92 per cent November 7, 2019 Sainsbury’s has suffered a 92 per cent drop in half-year profit, as costs from store closures took a toll on the grocer’s balance sheet. Read more: Sainsbury’s former boss wants government to halve business rates and raise VAT The figures Statutory pre-tax profit fell from £107m last year to just £9m in the three months [...]
TheWorks share price crashes after issuing profit warning amid caution over crucial Christmas trading period November 7, 2019 Discount arts-and-craft retailer TheWorks.co.uk has warned that profit will miss expectations this year, sending shares plummeting roughly 40 per cent this morning. The value business has reported a 1.9 per cent drop in like-for-like sales, which it said reflected a “difficult consumer backdrop” over the 26 weeks to the end of October. Read more: Sainsbury’s [...]
DEBATE: Will the M&S venture with Ocado turn around its fortunes? November 7, 2019 Will Marks & Spencer’s joint venture with Ocado turn around the struggling retailer’s fortunes? YES, says Adam Vettese, investment analyst at multi-asset investment platform eToro When you think of Marks & Spencer, you think of food. And not just any food, but top-quality food. In fact, food is so important to M&S that it now [...]
Airbnb has promised to verify all of its properties – 11 years after it was founded November 6, 2019 Airbnb has said it will verify all properties on its website, after an investigation uncovered a series of scam listings. Last month, Vice News revealed a string of false or misleading rental properties posted on the platform. The tech company said it would review every property by December next year. It also said it would [...]
Pizza Express owner to pay down debt pile with £80m cash injection November 6, 2019 The Chinese owner of restaurant chain Pizza Express has launched a tender offer to buy up £80m of the company’s unsecured bonds, as it looks to allay concerns about the firm’s financial future. Chinese private equity firm Hony Capital, which bought the company in 2014, appointed financial advisors before crucial talks with creditors last month [...]
Luke Johnson hires bankers for Gail’s Bakery sale November 6, 2019 Serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson has reportedly appointed bankers to explore a sale of Gail’s Bakery. Johnson has appointed bankers at Nomura to oversee the sale of Gail’s parent company Bread Holdings, Sky News reported. A sale process is expected to be launched in the next few months with a price tag of £150m, the report [...]
Arcadia bolsters senior digital team in online sales push November 6, 2019 Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia has bolstered its digital team with three new senior hires, as the embattled retail group seeks to improve online sales as its physical stores continue to struggle. Arcadia, which owns high street brands such as Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, has created a new role – group chief digital officer – as [...]
Connect Group shares slide as pre-tax profit falls 18 per cent November 6, 2019 Shares in newspaper distributor Connect Group fell more than four and a half per cent this morning as the company reported an 18 per cent fall in pre-tax profits for the year ending 31 August. According to the group’s preliminary results, profits fell from £28.4m in 2018 to £23.2m this year, with earnings per share [...]
Intu braced for income drop as retail CVAs take a toll November 6, 2019 Shopping centre owner Intu is expecting to report a sharp drop in rental income for 2019 after a higher-than-anticipated volume of insolvencies from its occupants. Shares in the group tumbled 13 per cent after the bell this morning as the real estate giant revealed that it might have to sell off assets or make a [...]