B&M: City broker ‘not concerned’ about retailer despite turmoil October 20, 2025 City broker Panmure Liberum has reassured investors about a serious slide in B&M’s share price, arguing that it’s based on a ‘one-time error’ and doesn’t suggest underlying trouble. B&M surprised markets this morning when it released a trading statement showing a significant accounting error and the related departure of its chief financial officer. The FTSE [...]
Oxford Street pedestrianisation boosts sales, survey finds October 6, 2025 The pedestrianisation of Oxford Street led to higher sales at the majority of stores on the busy high street, a new survey has found, with business chiefs praising efforts to make traffic-free days more frequent. Oxford Street was closed to traffic for eight hours on Sunday 21st September in a pilot test for further plans [...]
Warm weather bolsters retail sales ahead of all-important golden quarter September 19, 2025 Retail sales were bolstered by good weather and rising real incomes this summer, but the struggling sector is looking ahead to the festive season for a bigger boost. Sales fell by 0.1 per cent in the three months to August 2025 when compared with the three months to May 2025, according to the Office for [...]
Dunelm shares plummet despite ‘successful year’ September 9, 2025 Dunelm’s share price dropped more 10 per cent to 1,114p on Tuesday after profit growth slowed, despite reporting a rise in sales and market share gains. City broker Peel Hunt said the company’s “operational grip shone through”, with numbers as expected. “Outgoing CEO Nick Wilkinson hands over a business in great shape, demonstrating increased relevance [...]
Dr Martens firmly in recovery mode, says City broker August 18, 2025 Dr Martens is ‘making headway’ on its ambitious turnaround plan, with an ever-more positive outlook for the boot company, according to a City broker. “The debate is not whether [Dr Martens] can recover, but rather how long it will take… the process has already started,” Peel Hunt analysts said. The company, which was founded in [...]
‘Alarming’ drop in UK consumer confidence over last year August 16, 2025 Consumer confidence in the future UK economy has plummeted over the last year, figures suggest. Confidence has tumbled by 31 points over the last year, from an average of minus nine between May and July 2024 to an average of minus 40 between May and July this year, Which?’s Consumer Insight Tracker shows. On average [...]
London ‘staring down the barrel’ of £2bn hit from higher business rates August 14, 2025 London is set to take a massive blow from changes to business rates when the tax increases next April. Business rates could rise by an estimated 26 per cent across the capital, from £9bn to £11bn, according to the Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA). “Businesses in the West End and across London are staring [...]
What’s next for River Island as it enters ‘last chance saloon’? August 6, 2025 River Island will face its last chance to restructure its flagging finances this Thursday at the High Court, with the retailer set to fall into administration as early as September if the plan is not allowed. This follows months of uncertainty over the company’s future as customers increasingly turn away from middle-market, bricks-and-mortar stores. “River [...]
Longest-ever Prime Day to see Brits spend nearly £2bn on Amazon July 8, 2025 A four-day-long Prime event is set to see Brits spend £1.9bn as consumers increasingly look to deals and discounts for their shopping. Retailers are hoping the discount bonanza will be a boon after a tough first half of the year, and a chance to get ahead of what is expected to be a tough second [...]
AO World: Record earnings after Music Magpie acquisition June 18, 2025 AO World has reported better-than-expected revenue growth after its acquisition of Music Magpie and an expansion in its membership scheme helped boost the figures. The electrical retailers told markets this morning that life-for-like adjusted profit before tax grew 32 per cent to £45m in the year ended March 31, above the top end of its [...]