British American Tobacco to axe 2,300 jobs as it focuses on vaping September 12, 2019 British American Tobacco (Bat) is slashing 2,300 jobs across the company as it seeks to simplify its business and re-invest in vaping under its new CEO. Over 20 per cent of senior roles will disappear in the cull, said chief executive Jack Bowles, who added that the swathe of redundancies was “vital” to boost sales [...]
Morrisons extends Amazon partnership as it delivers flat half-year sales September 12, 2019 Morrisons has posted flat sales in the first half as it unveiled a new multi-year partnership with Amazon Prime amid challenging conditions in the grocery sector Read more: Morrisons to expand Amazon online delivery service across the UK The figures Morrisons like-for-like sales excluding fuel and VAT ticked up 0.2 per cent in the six [...]
Fewer deaths hurt profits at The Co-op September 12, 2019 The Co-operative Group saw profits drop dramatically in the six months to July as the firm’s funerals business took a hit from an unexpected drop in the number of deaths. The figures Profit before tax sank to £25m, from £44m the year before owing to the funeral division’s poor performance. Revenue, however, rose 12 per [...]
Vaping ‘a problem’, says Trump as officials move to ban flavoured e-cigarettes September 11, 2019 US President Donald Trump today said that vaping is “not wonderful” as he moved to ban flavoured e-cigarettes from the US market. New proposals put forward by the administration would ban all flavours, apart from tobacco, from being sold in the US. Read more: Altria gets Juul for Yule as Marlboro maker bets big on [...]
Investors back Julian Dunkerton’s Superdry turnaround plan September 11, 2019 Investors voted to re-elect Superdry interim chief executive Julian Dunkerton, showing confidence in the co-founder’s plan to set the struggling retailer back on track. Shareholders backed Dunkerton’s reappointment by 99.97 per cent at the firm’s annual general meeting today following his dramatic return to the company in April. Read more: Superdry completes board line-up after [...]
Spring in sight for Four Seasons with takeover deal September 11, 2019 Residents at Four Seasons care homes may see light at the end of the tunnel tomorrow as it looks posed to announce a deal with H/2 Capital Partners to take over most of the sites. The US hedge fund is set to take on 185 of the company’s 320 care homes and continue to run [...]
Mike Ashley survives shareholder vote at Sports Direct meeting September 11, 2019 Mike Ashley emerged from today’s Sports Direct meeting relatively unscathed as shareholders voted to re-elect him as a director of the FTSE-250 firm. In total, 90.99 per cent voted to reappoint Ashley as a director and 9.01 per cent voting against. However, Ashley owns 61 per cent of the shares. Read more: Mike Ashley to [...]
Zara owner Inditex reports strong growth in first half September 11, 2019 Zara owner Inditex – the world’s biggest retailer – reported strong profit and sales growth in the first half. The retail giant, which also owns brands including Bershka and Massimo Dutti, reported net profit of €1.55bn for the six months to 31 July. Read more: Zara owner Inditex boosts sales with rapid online expansion Sales [...]
New Look sales drop due to ‘unseasonable’ weather September 11, 2019 New Look sales plunged in the first quarter as the retailer battled challenging high street conditions. The figures Core like-for-like sales were down 10.1 per cent, which the company blamed on lower footfall due to “highly unseasonable weather” and consumer uncertainty. Read more: New Look posts £500m loss as turnaround continues Total revenue was £238.3m in [...]
Sports Direct pleads with big four auditors to check its books September 10, 2019 Sports Direct, the retailer founded by Mike Ashley, is pleading with the big four accountancy firms to audit its books as it worries smaller accountants would not be up to the task. Over the last fortnight the company has sent overtures to the auditors ahead of its annual general meeting tomorrow, Sky News reported. Grant [...]