Clintons back in profit after closing stores and cutting over 300 jobs April 7, 2025 Clintons has surged back into the black after closing more stores and cutting over 300 jobs. The gift card giant has posted a pre-tax profit of £8m for the year to 29 June, 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The total comes after Clintons made a pre-tax loss of £5.3m in the [...]
WH Smith’s decline: A cautionary tale of bad branding March 31, 2025 As WH Smith disappears from the high street, Will Bosanko looks at why the brand failed, and asks whether there is a future for TG Jones.
Retail sales plummet as trade fears and taxes weigh on confidence March 25, 2025 Retail sales dropped in March and are expected to fall further as low confidence worsens a decade-long decline in retail. Sales volumes in the UK dropped “markedly” in the year to March, according to the CBI’s latest trading survey. It was the sharpest drop since last July and marks the sixth consecutive months of decline, [...]
Boots to be taken over by US private equity firm in $10bn deal March 7, 2025 Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the owner of Boots, has agreed to a $10bn (£7.8bn) takeover by a US private equity firm. Sycamore Partners is expected to complete the takeover by the end of the year. The US-listed WBA said of the deal: “[Sycamore’s] experience in retail and consumer services would ensure WBA was better positioned [...]
HMV: Sales on song as billionaire owner helps turn around high street icon March 6, 2025 Sales at HMV have more than doubled in the last three years as its recovery under the ownership of Canadian billionaire Doug Putman continues at pace. The high street staple has reported a turnover of £189.5m for the 12 months to 30 May, 2024, up from the £177.9m it achieved in the prior year. The [...]
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 [...]
Quiz plots turnaround strategy after fashion chain swings to loss August 29, 2024 High street retailer Quiz has announced a turnaround strategy after swinging to a loss in its final year earnings, blaming cost-of-living pressures and cool consumer demand. The Glasgow-headquartered company booked a loss before tax of £6.7m, including a £1.5m non-recurring impairment charge, falling from a profit of £2.3m in 2023. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation [...]
Sainsbury’s: Business rates ‘nothing more than an unfair tax on shops’ August 12, 2024 Sainsbury’s has urged the government to cut business rates and warned that failure to act could lead to over 17,000 shop closures over the next decade. It has called for a rate cut of 20 per cent in a bid to revitalise the high street and protect jobs. Not only would this project jobs, the [...]
Retail footfall down for twelfth consecutive month – but spending surge on the horizon August 2, 2024 Figures for retail footfall in the UK fell for a twelfth consecutive month as shoppers opted to spend on holidays and leisure rather than consumer goods.