Informa delays £400m of events due to coronavirus March 10, 2020 Informa has delayed events representing £400m in revenue until later this year as part of a strategy to cope with the outbreak of coronavirus. The figures The company said this morning that it is not providing market guidance for 2020 due to the unknown impact of coronavirus on the business. However it said it expects [...]
French Connection in the red after ‘worse than expected’ trading March 10, 2020 French Connection reported a loss last year after trading in the second half was “considerably worse than expected”. The figures The high street retailer this morning said it fell to a loss of £2.9m last year compared to profit of £800,000 in the comparative period. Group revenue fell 11.4 per cent to £119.9m due to [...]
Coronavirus: DFS warns of footfall drop as profit slumps March 10, 2020 Sofa retailer DFS warned that coronavirus has caused a slump in footfall at its showrooms as it reported a dive in profit at the end of last year. The figures Gross sales fell 5.8 per cent to £629.7m, and revenue fell 5.7 per cent to £488m in the 26 weeks ended 29 December. Profit before [...]
M&G launches redundancy scheme to slash staff costs March 10, 2020 Asset management firm M&G today announced it has launched a redundancy scheme to reduce staff costs by 10 per cent this year. The figures M&G reported a drop in adjusted operating profit before tax from £1.62bn in 2018 to £1.15bn last year. IFRS profit after tax increased from £811m to £1.06bn. Assets under management and [...]
Bad weather and coronavirus fears hurt high street sales March 10, 2020 Bad weather and coronavirus fears kept UK shoppers away from the high street last month, while streaming services and takeaway firms benefited from Brits staying at home. Consumer spending was up 2.2 per cent year-on-year last month, driven by digital subscriptions and takeaways as Brits stayed home to avoid storms and coronavirus risks. More than [...]
Amazon to sell check-out free store tech to other retailers March 9, 2020 Amazon has launched a new business to sell its check-out free store technology to other retailers. The tech giant launched a website this morning inviting customers to inquire about the service. Amazon, which uses similar technology in its own chain of convenience stores, said it has already signed several deals. The ‘Just Walk Out’ technology [...]
Coronavirus: Supermarkets call for competition laws to be waived March 9, 2020 The bosses of the UK’s biggest supermarkets are expected to warn the government that the outbreak of coronavirus could require competition law to be paused to allow them to collaborate. During a phone call with environment secretary George Eustice at least one of the big four grocers will reportedly call for the suspension of the [...]
Coronavirus: UK case total hits 280 as Wales counts two new infections March 9, 2020 A further two patients in Wales have tested positive for coronavirus it was confirmed this morning, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 280. The new diagnoses brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to six, Public Health Wales said. The Prime Minister will hold an emergency Cobra meeting [...]
Reiss reports record results after product investment March 9, 2020 British fashion brand Reiss bucked the retail trend to report record-breaking results this morning. Earnings before interest, tax depreciation and amortisation soared 51.6 per cent to £29.3m in the 52 weeks to 1 February. The retailer said improved product quality has translated into more full-price sales, boosting profit. Full-year like-for-like sales jumped, driven by a [...]
Training provider Mind Gym warns on coronavirus hit to profit March 9, 2020 Workplace training provider Mind Gym this morning warned that revenue and profit will miss expectations following the coronavirus outbreak. Revenue growth is expected to be 10 to 15 per cent in the year to 31 March, below previous expectations, due to a spike in cancellations and a reduction in new bookings. Profit before tax is [...]
