Owner of Hunter wellies and Boxfresh trainers sees profits jump 46 per cent July 5, 2011 THE retailer behind Hunter wellies and Boxfresh trainers saw pre-tax profit jump 46 per cent to £96.6m last year, its accounts showed yesterday. Pentland Group, which also owns 57 per cent of sports retailer JD Sports, added 1,026 new staff last year, boosting its global workforce by 8.5 per cent to 13,141, and said it [...]
Matalan posts slump in growth after refinancing July 5, 2011 FASHION retailer Matalan saw profits slump 11 per cent in the year to February while revenues fell 0.7 per cent, its accounts showed yesterday. Privately-owned Matalan said gross profit fell to £186.3m from £209.8m over the past year despite it slashing its costs by 20 per cent to £65.8m, its full accounts filed at Companies [...]
Home shopping retailer N Brown shows resilience in tough market as sales soar July 5, 2011 N BROWN, the British home shopping clothing group that targets older and larger consumers, posted a rise in first-half sales, underlining the resilient nature of the business in tough times. The Manchester-based company said yesterday total revenue increased 5.1 per cent in the 18 weeks to 2 July and was up 1.6 per cent on [...]
Food supplier CSM hit by rising raw materials costs July 5, 2011 CSM NV, the world’s largest bakery products supplier, said a higher than expected surge in raw material costs would lead to lower first-half earnings, even as it stepped up price hikes to compensate. Food companies have been trying to pass on rising costs for commodities such as grains, sugar and edible oils, as well as [...]
Carrefour rules out hostile offer July 5, 2011 French retailer Carrefour said yesterday it wasn’t planning a hostile bid for the Brazilian assets of Casino as its smaller rival gained the upper hand in a battle over a key emerging market. Carrefour, which drew criticism from a shareholder rights group for not keeping investors informed over its plans, is fighting Casino for a [...]
Norwegian SWF invests in Paris July 5, 2011 Norway’s $584bn sovereign wealth fund has agreed to buy prime Paris property worth about $1bn in its second major European real estate investment in less than a year, it said yesterday. The sovereign wealth fund, which invests oil and gas revenues for future Norwegians, said it would pay €702.5m to purchase 50 per cent of [...]
Bright Foods denies Treasury bid July 5, 2011 China’s Bright Food Group said yesterday it was not in discussions to buy any Australian wine assets, denying a media report that it was in internal talks on bidding for Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates. “Currently, we have no Australian wine acquisitions in the works,” said Pan Jianjun, general manager of the firm’s public relations department. [...]
Selling price and sales dip at Persimmon July 5, 2011 BRITISH housebuilder Persimmon yesterday said its sales had slipped in the first six months of the year but expressed optimism about the prospects for the housing market. The company said it sold 4,439 homes in the first half of 2011 compared to 4,659 a year earlier, a drop of five per cent. Revenues also dipped [...]
Optimism of housebuilders is misguided July 5, 2011 PERSIMMON tried to sound an upbeat note yesterday, insisting it expected the housing market to pick up over the rest of the year. We don’t share the housebuilder’s optimism. House prices have been moving sideways for the past six months and mortgage lending remains tight. Would-be first-time buyers, unable to find the 20 per cent [...]
Sales rise 7.6pc at Marshalls July 5, 2011 Sales at British buildings materials company Marshalls have risen 7.6 per cent since last year due to recent popular demand from the public sector and commercial end markets. Profits for the last six months ending June reached £183m, compared to the £170m it made last year. Marshalls shares have gained 35 per cent over the [...]
