Ted Baker revenue rise is fuelled by womenswear October 7, 2010 FASHION chain Ted Baker yesterday reported a 25 per cent leap in half-year profits but issued a cautious outlook for the full-year due to the “uncertain economic environment”. For the 28 weeks to 28 August, pre-tax profits rose to £7.5m while group revenues came in at £88.1m, up from £76.6m the year before. Womenswear sales [...]
MULBERRY BAGS FASHIONISTAS October 7, 2010 Sales at fashion retailer Mulberry have soared by 79 per cent in the past 10 weeks, as its bags have flown off the shelves. Classic handbag styles sported by celebrities including TV presenter Alexa Chung – have helped fuel the rise
Asahi sales lift boosts Shepherd Neame’s profits October 7, 2010 DEMAND for trendy Asahi lager has helped to drive profit up by a quarter at Shepherd Neame. The company makes and sells Asahi Superdry under licence for the Japanese brewer and it has been selling well in cities, particularly London. Asahi volumes were up five per cent overall with draught sales rising more than a [...]
M&S profits up but warns over future October 7, 2010 MARKS & SPENCER said yesterday that its sales were rising but that “it is far from clear” what impact forthcoming government cuts would have on its customers. Like-for-like sales in the UK, which strip out the impact of sales from new stores, rose by 5.3 per cent in the three months to the beginning of [...]
Saturated sat nav market hits sales October 7, 2010 EVERY driver seems to own a sat nav these days. Sitting in night-time traffic is like being at a festival with everyone holding their lighters in the air, each car emitting an unearthly glow from the dashboard. Their popularity accounts for the scorching growth rate of sat nav makers in recent years, but their ubiquity [...]
Halfords pins hopes on promotions as sales are dented in tough market October 7, 2010 HALFORDS yesterday promised to launch new promotions after reporting a sharper drop in like-for-like sales over the past quarter. The group said fewer sat nav sales and a disappointing performance in cycles contributed to a 6.3 per cent fall like-for-like sales at its shops in the quarter to 1 October. There was a 4.5 per [...]
Rank sees a lift from gamblers October 7, 2010 BRITISH gaming firm Rank Group forecast its full-year performance would be around the top of analysts’ estimates after all its businesses improved during the third quarter. Analysts are expecting full-year pre-tax profit to range from £48m to £53m compared with £49m for 2009, Rank, owner of the Mecca bingo hall and Grosvenor casino chains, said [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: ARE THE GOOD TIMES BACK FOR M&S? October 7, 2010 FREDDIE GEORGE | SEYMOUR PIERCE We are reiterating our ‘buy’ recommendation on the stock. First, the trading update does indeed indicate that general merchandise now has real momentum … while M&S’s food sales have been recovering, benefiting from the introduction of a branded range. RICHARD HUNTER | HARGREAVES LANSDOWN Management have again been careful to [...]
M&S success fails to stop a drop in the FTSE 100 index October 7, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed lower yesterday, as weaker metals prices hurt mining stocks, while Marks & Spencer rose as investors warmed to a trading update from the retailer. The FTSE 100 closed 19.26 points, or 0.3 per cent, lower at 5,662.13, after rising 0.8 per cent on Wednesday to a five-month closing high. Mining [...]
Investors hold off ahead of Fed report October 7, 2010 WEAK commodities and a firmer dollar pressured US stocks yesterday as investors shunned big bets before a jobs report that could determine the next move from the Fed. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 19.07 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 10,948.58. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index eased 1.91 points, or 0.16 per cent, [...]