Dixons bucks trend of Black Friday fallout January 21, 2015 DIXONS Carphone signalled yesterday it has increased its full-year profit forecasts after Black Friday and Boxing Day sales smashed expectations. Chief executive Sebastian James said the adoption of Black Friday, the US-sales bonanza on 28 November, meant the festive trading season now resembled a “two-humped Bactrian camel”. He joked that it has become so big [...]
Analyst Views: How did Dixons Carphone do well over Black Friday and Christmas? January 21, 2015 ALISTAIR DAVIES | INVESTEC Careful planning and tactical promotions have enabled Dixons Carphone to deliver a strong Christmas trading performance, with the business taking profitable market share through Black Friday….We continue to see scope for upgrades at Dixons Carphone through market outperformance and synergy benefits. DAVID JEARY | CANACCORD GENUITY The strength of trading performance [...]
Dixons Carphone ups profit forecast after Black Friday and Christmas trading success January 21, 2015 Dixons Carphone has raised its profit forecast after a “roller coaster” Christmas proved a success for the retailer. Full-year pre-tax profits are expected to come in at between £355m and £375m, ahead of expectations, after a seven per cent rise in like-for-like sales over the festive period, including eight per cent growth in the UK. [...]
Consumers win with rise in jobs and earnings – London week ahead January 18, 2015 UNEMPLOYMENT is falling while earnings are rising, figures out this week are expected to show, sending good news for consumers. Data due out on Wednesday is likely to show the labour market continuing to strengthen. Howard Archer, of IHS Global Insight, said: “We expect claimant count to have fallen by 25,000 in December to stand [...]
HMV beats Amazon and reclaims top spot as Britain’s biggest retailer of physical music January 16, 2015 HMV is making a comeback on the high street, reclaiming the top spot as the UK's biggest seller of physical music, with vinyl sales soaring to their highest in over 20 years. Total sales climbed to £365.7m in the year to December, up from £311.2m from the same period the previous year. Like-for-like CD sales [...]
Mothercare CEO Mark Newton-Jones on not going into sale pre-Christmas January 15, 2015 The Christmas trading season was something of quick-draw for retailers, after firing off a raft of promotions to boost sales that culminated in Black Friday – the UK’s biggest ever shopping day. Yet those that do not get caught in the crossfire of promotional activity can have the upper hand, according to Mothercare CEO Mark [...]
Black Friday consumer finance demand boosts Arbuthnot Bank January 15, 2015 CONFIDENT consumers boosted growth at Arbuthnot Banking Group in the fourth quarter, spurring extra lending in its Secure Trust Bank (STB). STB’s loan book grew “materially” to more than £600m, with retail and automotive finance leading the expansion. Black Friday – the day of mass retail discounts before Christmas – saw a 1,300 per cent increase in [...]
Argos owner warns of Black Friday blues January 15, 2015 THE CHIEF executive of Home Retail Group warned yesterday against the risk of chasing sales over Black Friday week at the expense of profit after the Argos owner reported weaker-than-expected results for the festive period. John Walden said it had decided to take a much more cautious approach to discounting in the run-up to Christmas [...]
Shop Direct delivers Very merry Christmas as online orders boom January 14, 2015 LITTLEWOODS owner Shop Direct yesterday said sales surged over the Christmas period as Black Friday became its busiest shopping day. The online and catalogue retailer, owned by billionaire brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, said sales across its biggest website Very.co.uk were up 134 per cent year-on-year on the US-style shopping day. Chief executive [...]
SuperGroup share price soars on strong Christmas figures January 14, 2015 SuperGroup's share price soared 7.5 per cent this morning, after the company revealed strong results for the 11-week Christmas trading period. The business, which owns the SuperDry brand, had a pretty impressive period up to January 10, with total retail sales up 17.8 per cent, while like-for-likes rose 12.4 per cent. Ecommerce was [...]