Reckitt Benckiser: Dettol, Durex and Gaviscon drive growth but America lags April 23, 2025 Consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser has reported an uptick in profit driven by its core brands and emerging markets despite a slowdown in North America. Group revenue at the company rose by 1.1 per cent in the first quarter of the year. This growth was driven by emerging markets China and India, where like-for-like revenue [...]
Rentokil: Slow US growth continues to hold pest control giant back April 17, 2025 Pest control giant Rentokil has reported an uptick in revenue despite continued slow growth in North America. Organic revenue grew 3.3 per cent to $1.63bn (£1.23bn) in the three months to March 31, driven by growth in Europe and Asia. The Crawley-based company, which is listed in London and operates across 80 different countries, said revenue growth [...]
B&M: Poor UK sales weigh on earnings for bargain retailer April 15, 2025 Discount retailer B&M expects full-year earnings to fall year on year as poor UK sales weigh on overall company performance. However, the company told markets this morning that it expects to report earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) above the midpoint of its £605m-£625m guidance range. The firm lowered its expected full-year EBITDA [...]
Halfords: Sales jump but retailer warns tariffs could hit supply chain April 15, 2025 Motoring and cycling specialist Halfords has reported an uptick in sales but warned US President Donald Trump’s tariffs could push up costs across its supply chain. The retailer and services provider told markets this morning that sales grew 2.3 per cent in the year to March 28. Its share price rose more than 13 per [...]
FTSE 100: JD Sports back in fashion after share buyback and tariff U-turn April 10, 2025 JD Sports’ share price shot up more than 10 per cent this morning after the company announced a share buyback programme and US President Donald Trump announced a pause on tariffs. The FTSE-100 firm was set to be one of the UK retailers most exposed to the tariffs, as its suppliers source the majority of [...]
Tesco: Supermarket giant’s profit beats City expectations but ‘trolley wars’ hit outlook April 10, 2025 Supermarket giant Tesco has beaten profit expectations as it continues to speed ahead in the competitive UK grocery market, but it warned that high competition will affect profit next year. Tesco shares slumped more than seven per cent in early deals. The UK’s biggest supermarket told markets this morning that group adjusted operating profit rose [...]
Assura rejects £1.5bn offer as ‘not sufficient’ amid new ‘fair’ KKR bid April 9, 2025 Real estate investment trust Assura has rejected a £1.5bn offer from fellow GP landlord Primary Health Properties (PHP) as too low, and received a fresh bid from KKR. After the development was confirmed, Assura’s share price rose nearly six per cent in early trades. The rejection of the PHP offer follow the refusal last month of [...]
Saga: Cruise demand drives double-digit profit increase April 9, 2025 Saga, the financial services and travel provider for over-50s, has reported profit ahead of market expectations, driven by demand for cruises. The company told markets this morning that underlying profit before tax for the year ended January 31 was £47.8m, up 25 per cent year on year. Revenue for the year was £588.3m, up four [...]
Ramsdens: Pawnbroker raises guidance profit on high gold price April 8, 2025 Pawnbroker Ramsdens has raised its profit guidance for the year, boosted by the high gold price and income from jewellery. It now expects profit before tax for the 2025 financial year, which ends on October 1, to be at least £13m. This is up from £11.4m last year and £1m ahead of previous expectations. The [...]
Tesco to reveal stronger sales amid price war fears April 6, 2025 Tesco shareholders will be hoping for reassurance over continued sales growth and robust profits next week amid the prospect of an intensifying grocery price war. Earlier this year, shares in the UK’s largest supermarket group struck their highest level for over a decade as it continued to strengthen its position in the grocery sector. In [...]