House of Fraser: Profit doubles at Mike Ashley’s department store chain amid store closures September 10, 2024 House of Fraser more than doubled its pre-tax profit despite a fall in revenue after closing stores across the country, it has been revealed. The performance of the department store chain, which is owned by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, has been outlined in accounts filed with Companies House more than seven months after the deadline. [...]
Bloom & Wild hires first finance chief from Purplebricks as it targets return to profit September 10, 2024 Online flower delivery company Bloom & Wild has appointed a top boss at Purplebricks at its first-ever chief financial officer. Dominique Highfield has been hired by the London-based group from her position as chief operating officer at the online estate agency. Highfield has been at Purplebricks for almost two years, first joining in November 2022 [...]
Halfords: Shareholders voice displeasure in political donations vote September 9, 2024 Shareholders in Halfords have voiced their displeasure in a vote to authorise the retailer to make political donations. More than one in ten voted against the proposal at the Redditch-headquartered group’s annual general meeting, according to a document filed with the London Stock Exchange. The 11.91 per cent in the against column comes after 4.01 [...]
Retailers fret over human rights abuses in supply chains September 9, 2024 Concern among retail leaders comes amid controversy over Shein’s planned blockbuster listing on the London Stock Exchange.
Asos rejected £215m Topshop offer from Shein in favour of lower bid September 8, 2024 Online clothing retailer Asos had declined a much higher bid for Topshop and Topman from fast fashion giant Shein in favour of its new joint venture with Heartland.
Bargain hunting shoppers hit jeans brand Levi Strauss as it targets the ‘young and cool’ September 6, 2024 Levi Strauss has said bargain hunting shoppers are impacting its UK sales as it bids to target “young and cool” consumers. The Northampton-headquartered UK arm of the jeans brand added that it is starting to expand its retail partnerships in the country as “department stores continue to struggle and lose footprint”. The division made the [...]
Profit slashed in half at Swiss watch brand Swatch September 6, 2024 Profit at Swiss watch brand Swatch was cut by more than half during its latest financial year despite its sales increasing further past the £200m mark. The London-headquartered division has reported a pre-tax profit of £11.1m for 2023, down from the £23.6m it posted for 2022. According to newly-filed accounts with Companies House, Swatch has [...]
Gear4music hits all the right notes to drive sales growth September 6, 2024 The online musical instrument retailer Gear4music, which saw its share price skyrocket last month after it swung back into profit, said it was on track to generate revenue of more than £150m in 2025. The London-listed company, which is headquartered in York, said at its annual general meeting today it would announce it was trading [...]
John Lewis brings back ‘never knowingly undersold’ pledge in major U-turn September 5, 2024 Department store chain John Lewis is to bring back its famous ‘never knowingly undersold’ price pledge in a major U-turn. The national retailer has made the move after ditching the commitment over concerns it what less relevant to shoppers two years ago. The price promise, which was first introduced in 1925, will come back into [...]
M&S hail fresh start as turnaround bears fruit but still ‘potential for growth’ September 5, 2024 Marks and Spencer‘s bosses have hailed the start of a new era for the multi-market firm as the turnaround plan it began in 2022 shows signs of having created long-term, sustainable growth potential. M&S clothing and home managing director Richard Price said that perception of the brand has improved in recent years, but there are [...]