Mike Ashley’s Frasers bets big on brick-and-mortar with 1m sq ft of new shopping malls October 8, 2024 Mike Ashley-owned Frasers group has announced the acquisition of over one million square feet of retail space across three shopping centres in a huge new bet on physical retail. The shopping centres – in Exeter, Maistone and Gloucester – have a combined annual footfall of almost 17 million visitors and 1.015 million square feet. The [...]
Retail bosses urge Chancellor to reform business rates to boost growth October 7, 2024 The letter, co-ordinated by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), argued the retail industry paid 7.4 per cent of all business taxes when it only made up five per cent of the overall economy.
Online discounting gives retail a boost but puts margins under pressure October 4, 2024 Widespread retail discounting boosted online sales growth in September, but has continued to squeeze their already-tight profit margins, according to fresh data. Total retail sales grew by 4.7 per cent compared to September last year and online sales were up by 11.6 per cent, accountancy and business advisory firm BDO’s high street sales tracker found. However, [...]
Will JD Sports be able to shrug off problems at Nike? October 2, 2024 Despite a strong set of results, with record revenue and a pick-up in sales, shares in JD Sports fell around five per cent this morning. After a tough year, which included a profit warning in January and £2bn wiped off its market cap, JD reported like-for-like sales growth in the first half of the year [...]
JD Sports: Revenue hits record as US expansion pays off October 2, 2024 JD Sports has reported record revenue in the first half of the year after a pick-up in sales and the acquisition of American retailer Hibbett. Revenue at the retailer reached just over £5bn in the 26 weeks to 3 August 2024, up by 5.2 per cent year on year. Profit before tax rose by two [...]
New tips law welcomed but it could cause a headache for hospitality bosses October 1, 2024 A new tipping law, which has made it illegal for companies to withhold tips from employees, has been welcomed by workers and industry bodies but could lead to a headache for employers. Until today, firms were able to choose whether to keep tips made on card, or whether to pass the earnings on to employees. [...]
The Works: Arts and crafts retailer’s profit slumped as demand stayed soft October 1, 2024 High street arts and craft retailer The Works has reported weaker sales in 2024, leading to a slump in profit. Adjusted earning before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell by 30 per cent to £6m, from £9m last year, while adjusted profit before tax fell 39 per cent to £3.2m, from £5.3m in 2023. The [...]
Mulberry rejects Frasers £83m offer as too low October 1, 2024 British luxury brand Mulberry has rejected a possible takeover from minority shareholder Frasers Group on the grounds that it doesn’t recognise the company’s future value and will not lead the group back to profit. Frasers announced a possible takeover bid yesterday, 30 September, after it was snubbed from Mulberry’s £10m capital raise with majority shareholder [...]
Greggs delivers success once again as evening trade boosts sales October 1, 2024 High street bakery Greggs has reported another quarter of strong sales growth, fueled by new products and extended evening opening hours. The sausage-roll maker told markets this morning that total sales rose by 10.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2024, with like-for-like sales up five per cent. This growth was “supported by menu [...]
Next boss Lord Wolfson sells £29m of stock in the high street bellwether September 29, 2024 Next’s chief executive has sold £29m worth of shares in the FTSE 100 fashion and homeware store. Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise sold around 290,000 shares, leaving him with 950,000 shares worth £100m, Next told markets on Friday. News of the sale sent Next’s share price down 3.5 per cent, although it’s risen by 21.24 [...]