Black Friday 2015 UK: Will this be the last deals day of chaos? How smart tech will turn the sales event into a great shopping experience November 17, 2015 Last year shoppers in the UK spent £810m on Black Friday. Predictions are that the UK will see the first ever £1bn shopping day this year, when it lands on 27 November. The build-up is hugely hyped, alongside secrecy on the parts of many retailers about their killer offers. But what about the chaos that [...]
Black Friday 2015 versus 2014: One chart showing why this year’s shopping event is set to be the biggest yet November 15, 2015 Millions of shoppers made the most of Black Friday's bonanza offers last year, but some retailers were left wondering if the deal day was really all it's cracked up to be. Asda has already "called time" on a single massive sales day in favour of spreading out savings for customers, as have high street fashion chains [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: After Asda pulled out of the big deals day, will it fade to grey? November 11, 2015 Asda’s decision to opt-out of the US-imported shopping holiday begs one question: Could this be Britain’s last Black Friday? With high-street retailers like Primark and Oasis also deciding to pull out of the Black Friday race, this is a huge sign that perhaps this one-day shopping bonanza could be abandoned by the majority of the [...]
Best of the Brokers for 5 November 2015 November 5, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ASSOCIATED BRITISH FOODS Shore Capital kept its “hold” rating on the group, but downgraded its retail earnings estimate for 2016. “Ordinarily, with such a full valuation being applied to activities and our expectations of the company delivering a flat to small decline [...]
Marks & Spencer dividend can’t hide fashion disaster as Next and Primark steal market share November 5, 2015 It's that time of year again. The nights are drawing in, the heating’s turned up, minor celebrities are switching on high street Christmas lights… and Marks & Spencer has revealed another disappointing half-year performance. Admittedly, shares rose yesterday – up 2.8 per cent – but this was more due to a modest improvement to margins and a [...]
FTSE 100 opens flat despite Standard Chartered’s share price plummeting after announcing 15,000 job cuts November 3, 2015 The FTSE 100 opened flat this morning, after finishing yesterday's session in the same manner. The UK's top blue chip index rose 0.13 per cent to 6,370 points on opening, but fell back to 0.04 per cent down at 6,359 points after five minutes. Standard Chartered's shares were down just over six per cent as the market [...]
Profits and revenue fall at Primark’s parent company Associated British Foods – but will still pay a dividend November 3, 2015 Primark parent company Associated British Foods (ABF) has said it will still pay a dividend, despite falls in both profit and revenue for the year to 12 September. The figures Adjusted operating profit was down six per cent in real terms, or four per cent on a constant currency basis, to £1.09bn, while group revenue [...]
Reiss to ramp up expansion overseas after doubling full-year profits October 19, 2015 Family-owned fashion retailer Reiss has said it plans to ramp up expansion overseas next year by adding 40 new stores, after it revealed record sales and profits. The upmarket high street brand, a favourite with royals and celebrities including the Duchess of Cambridge and Olivia Palermo, said strong growth through its website and existing stores help drive a [...]
Responsible investing: Do bonds that make the world a better place fit into your portfolio? October 1, 2015 When the return on traditional bonds is so low, why not invest in ones that make society better? The UK was once home to a thriving social bond market, where investors of all stripes clubbed together to fund socially beneficial projects. The 1960s was the heyday of loaning money to local authorities, and in [...]
Best of the Brokers for 17 September 2015 September 17, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ASOS Berenberg reiterated its “buy” rating on the online retailer, and reduced its target price from 4,700p to 4,100p. The broker said that while currency headwinds are a near-term concern, a strong pound is factored into management guidance, and “the increasing utilisation of [...]