Jeweller Pandora slashes forecasts as lower sales take the shine off growth November 6, 2018 Bereft of a chief executive and wounded by tough trading conditions, Danish jeweller Pandora painted a bleak picture this morning after slashing its sales outlook for the second quarter running. Missing its profit and sales expectations in the third quarter of 2018, the jewellery maker today revised down its full-year revenue growth guidance for the [...]
Cost cutting helps New Look slow decline in like-for-like sales after China exit November 6, 2018 Retailer New Look slowed its decline in like-for-like sales amid challenging conditions on the high street, it said this morning. The company has said it will consider its position in markets abroad following a decision to pull out of China by the end of the year. In the UK, New Look is closing 85 stores, [...]
Festival goers give boost to consumer spending November 6, 2018 Music lovers snapping up tickets to Glastonbury Festival helped drive consumer spending during October, compensating for a continued slump in activity on Britain’s high streets. Industry data out today shows that consumer spending hit 4.4 per cent annual growth last month, marking a modest rise from September when purchasing hit a five-month low of 3.9 per [...]
Asset manager Invesco ups stake in Patisserie Valerie amid shareholder bailout November 6, 2018 A top ten investor in Patisserie Valerie has more than quadrupled its stake in the under-pressure cake shop chain. Invesco increased its shareholding to 7.76 per cent on Friday, taking it above the three per cent threshold where investors must disclose their stake. The investor, with around $1.2 trillion (£919bn) in assets under management, held [...]
Sugar business misses the sweet spot as eyes turn to Primark November 6, 2018 Primark has today been pinned as next year's source of growth for its owner Associated British Foods (ABF), which is looking to fill a gap left by falling profits from its sugar arm. ABF is hoping that expansion of Primark’s selling space will help deliver expected earnings per share next year, in a bid to [...]
Greene King boss to step down after 14 years in charge of brewer November 6, 2018 The chief executive of Greene King, Rooney Anand, is set to leave his role at the end of the financial year after 14 years in the job, the company announced today. Anand, who has led the pub chain and brewer since 2005, will step down in April 2019. Greene King said it has already begun the [...]
William Hill predicts lower profit for 2018 as regulation offsets US expansion November 6, 2018 Betting firm William Hill today predicted lower full-year profits for 2018, despite efforts to take advantage of the legalisation of sports gambling in many states in the US. Operating profit is predicted to come in between £225m and £245m by the end of the year, compared to operating profit of £291.3m for 2017. The firm's [...]
Morrisons reports rising sales despite slowdown after summer of hot weather and World Cup November 6, 2018 Sales at Morrisons climbed more than five per cent in the third quarter of 2018, although the supermarket chain reported an expected slowdown in growth after a bumper summer bolstered by hot weather and the World Cup. Shares fell more than four per cent in early morning trading. Morrisons posted a 5.6 percent rise in quarterly [...]
German budget supermarket chain Lidl boosts wages for UK employees November 6, 2018 German budget supermarket Lidl will boost wages for thousands of its workers in the UK, it said yesterday. Lidl said entry-level wages will increase from £8.75 an hour to £9 an hour outside of London and from £10.20 to £10.55 an hour within the capital. The increase will come into effect from 1 March next year, [...]
Here’s where Crawshaw’s 35 butchers shops are closing down November 5, 2018 The locations of the 35 Crawshaw butchers stores that will be closed have been revealed by administrators following this morning's announcement that 354 workers would be made redundant. Administrators at EY announced the closure of mainly high street branches as they begin the search for a buyer for the remaining 19 stores that are continuing to trade. EY [...]