Shakespeare: Primark at the heart of the reopening fun April 28, 2021 The easing of lockdown restrictions on April 12 allowed non-essential retail stores to reopen nationwide – and data from YouGov BrandIndex UK suggests that Primark has been a particular beneficiary. The budget fashion chain recently returned £121m to the Treasury, following record sales in the week after the lockdown restrictions were relaxed. In the days [...]
Economy shows green shoots of recovery as dividends fall at slowest rate in a year April 26, 2021 UK dividends fell at their slowest rate in the first quarter in an encouraging sign the economy is starting to recover from the worst of the pandemic. Payouts fell 26.7 per cent to £12.7bn in the first quarter year-on-year, according to Link Group’s latest Dividend Monitor. Since the nearly 50 per cent drop in payments [...]
Fears of new variants drives FTSE down two per cent April 20, 2021 London’s main market plunged two per cent today, wiping out last week’s gains amid a bad day for big tobacco. The index joined in a global stock market rout on Tuesday, ending the day at 6,859.87, down 140.21 points. The drop pushed the FTSE 100 back through the symbolic 7,000 point mark it smashed last [...]
Mulberry ramps up sustainability pledges as retailers scramble to boost environmental reputations April 20, 2021 Mulberry has become the latest retailer to ramp up its sustainability measures as the spotlight on environmental and social issues has intensified in the wake of fast fashion scandals. The designer accessories brand today announced it will buy back, resell or repurpose any Mulberry bag when it becomes unusable. It has also pledged to achieve [...]
Primark owner restores dividend as high street stores reopen April 20, 2021 The owner of Primark today said it would restore its dividend and pay back furlough money as it issued an upbeat outlook following the reopening of retail stores. Associated British Foods (ABF) halted its payout last year due to the outbreak of Covid-19, which sparked an almost £1.5bn hit to its first-half Primark sales. The [...]
Tesco slapped with £7.56m fine for selling out-of-date food April 20, 2021 Tesco was slapped with a £7.56m fine for selling out of date food at three of its stores by a Birmingham judge on Monday. The judge at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court also ordered the supermarket giant to pay a victim surcharge of £170, alongside the prosecution costs of £95,500, Birmingham City Council said. The penalty was handed [...]
Jupiter records outflows of £776m as demand for European equities falls April 20, 2021 Jupiter Fund Management recorded first quarter net outflows of £776m as clients turned their back on UK and European equities. The wealth manager said mutual funds saw total net outflows of £848m due to continued lower demand for European-focused equities. It was partially offset by positive net inflows from fixed income. Shares in Jupiter fell [...]
Young people hit disproportionately by Covid jobs crisis April 20, 2021 Those aged under 35 disproportionately lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, as sectors like hospitality and retail were hit particularly hard by the crisis. In the year to March, nearly 635,000 under-35s saw payroll job losses in the UK, making up 80 per cent of the total payroll jobs lost during [...]
Retail and food magnate behind Selfridges and Primark dies aged 80 April 13, 2021 W. Galen Weston, the retail and food businessman behind Selfridges Group, Fortnum & Mason and Primark, has died aged 80. Weston passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness, his family announced today. “My father’s greatest gift was inspiring those around him to achieve more than they thought possible,” said his son Galen G. Weston, [...]
Number of shoppers in central London booms as Covid restrictions are eased April 12, 2021 Footfall rocketed this morning as England eased coronavirus restrictions and non-essential retail was allowed to open for business for the first time in months. In the first few hours of trading this morning footfall in shopping centres jumped nearly 340 per cent when compared with last week, according to the latest data from Springboard. Footfall [...]