Dr Martens: Asia drives recovery for FTSE boot-maker as Europe falters January 27, 2025 Dr Martens reported a recovery in revenue driven by e-commerce sales in Asia and a turnaround in America. Overall group revenue rose by three per cent to £267m in constant currency, an adjustment of figures to align the number of reporting days in the current and prior reporting periods, in the third quarter of the [...]
City broker slashes price target for Primark-owner Associated British Foods January 24, 2025 Analysts at Panmure Liberum downgraded their rating for Primark-owner Associated British Foods from ‘Buy’ to ‘Hold’ after Primark underperformed over the festive quarter. Panmure downgraded its target price for ABF to 1900p from 2800p. Its share price currently sits at 1,892.50p after falling five per cent in the last five days. Associated British Foods reduced [...]
Weak UK sales pull Primark down despite international growth January 23, 2025 Lower sales in the UK and Ireland pulled Primark’s performance down in the last quarter of 2024 despite double-digit growth in countries like Spain, Portugal and the US. Primark’s parent company ABF Foods told markets this morning that sales in the UK and Ireland, which account for approximately 45 per cent of its market, declined [...]
Mr Kipling mince pies deliver biggest-ever quarter for Premier Foods January 21, 2025 Mr Kipling remains the star seller for owner Premier Foods in both the UK and Australia, with mince pies and Brownie Bites more than doubling sales over Christmas. Premier Foods subsequently said it expected profit to be at the upper end of expectations – £180.1m to £186.4m – this year. Its share price rose by [...]
Retail’s Christmas results don’t match up to the gloom in the market January 17, 2025 If you were to judge the health of the retail market solely from the last two weeks of festive trading results, you would think the market is in rude health. But that would be a significant departure from the actual sentiment in the market, which has taken on a sense of almost unrelenting gloom in [...]
Deliveroo: Push into retail and groceries drives growth January 16, 2025 Deliveroo has said its retail and grocery partnerships drove growth in the last quarter of the year despite a still-tough trading environment. Its share price rose nearly five per cent in early trades. The delivery company launched its on-demand grocery service in March 2020, and has since partnered with a range of brands, with companies [...]
Dunelm sales tick up but shares drop January 16, 2025 Homewares retailer Dunelm has reported solid trading results which were ahead of the wider retail market for the golden quarter. Investors weren’t convinced, however, and its share price dropped nearly four per cent in early trades. Sales at the Leicester-headquartered business grew 1.6 per cent to £490m in the 13 weeks to December 28 in [...]
Kurt Geiger: Record holiday trading as US expansion pays off January 15, 2025 Growth at Kurt Geiger outpaced expectations last year driven by American demand for the luxury footwear and accessories brand. Despite general gloom in the retail sector, December 2024 was the most profitable month in the brand’s history, with its 17 per cent growth credited to a 54 per cent rise in handbag sales and its [...]
Asos to close US distribution centre with customers served from Barnsley instead January 15, 2025 Online fashion retailer Asos will close its distribution centre in Georgia, USA, in another effort to boost profitability and streamline operations. From late this year, US customers will be served from Asos’ automated UK fulfilment centre in Barnsley, and through a “smaller, more flexible local US site”, the company said. The Atlanta warehouse will be [...]
Fortnum & Mason to ‘limit price rises’ as it battles surging costs January 14, 2025 Iconic London store Fortnum & Mason has vowed to limit increasing prices in the wake of tax rises by the Labour government. The retailer, which can trace its roots back to 1707, has said the outlook for its operating costs in 2025 “remains challenging”. The company pointed to inflation, labour costs, tax increases, raw materials, [...]