January discounts give retailers a boost but high street caution remains February 5, 2019 Retail sales rose last month thanks to a boost from January discounting, but retailers remain cautious as uncertainty on the high street continues. Total sales were up 2.2 per cent in January compared to the month before, an improvement from the 1.4 per cent increase seen in the same period last year and the highest [...]
Amazon presents a mixed bag to investors after record holiday sales January 31, 2019 E-commerce behemoth Amazon predicted lower-than-expected revenue for the current quarter tonight, despite reporting record sales for its busiest period of the year. Revenue for the three months to 31 December rose 19.7 per cent year-on-year to hit $72.4bn (£55.1bn), boosted by events such as Black Friday and Christmas and topping consensus estimates of $71.9bn as polled [...]
Apple sales come to the fore as big tech firms brace for crunch results January 29, 2019 Silicon Valley will be preparing for market instability this week as several members of the so-called Faang grouping gear up to report quarterly results for the recent festive period. Three members of the big tech club – which includes Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google – will publish figures amid rising speculation that their time [...]
Investors get green light to inspect SFO documents in legal action against Tesco January 29, 2019 A group of investors pursuing legal action against Tesco over its 2014 accounting scandal have been given the green light to inspect documents compiled by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Last Friday a High Court judge ruled that the documents, now in Tesco’s possession, would be of “considerable litigious advantage” to the claimants. Judge Hildyard [...]
Dixons Carphone enjoys gaming boost but signals more trouble in mobile market January 22, 2019 Dixons Carphone retained its full-year profit guidance this morning as a surge in gaming and super-size TV sales over the crucial Christmas trading period helped counter a persistent slump in demand for postpaid mobile phones. Buoyed by foreign demand from markets such as Sweden, Denmark and Greece, the FTSE 250 kept its profit guidance of roughly [...]
Mountain Warehouse on track for bumper year of profits as Christmas and Black Friday sales climb January 21, 2019 Outdoor clothing retailer Mountain Warehouse said this morning that it was on course for record full-year profits after reporting a bumper Black Friday and Christmas trading performance. The firm defied the swathe of poor trading results among its retail peers today after saying that sales jumped nearly 12 per cent to £84.7m in the 13 weeks to [...]
Patisserie Valerie keeps shareholders in the dark on future as last ditch talks with banks continue January 21, 2019 Patisserie Valerie’s holding company has failed to shed further light on the future of the troubled bakery chain after announcing this morning talks were still ongoing with its creditors to save the company. The firm was expected to provide an update this morning, after speculation the last week of talks with its banks could spell [...]
Retail sales fall as ‘suffocating’ Brexit uncertainty envelopes UK high streets January 18, 2019 Retailers suffered a weak end to 2018 as Brexit uncertainty saw shoppers spending less in the face of Brexit uncertainty, the latest data shows today. Sales fell 0.9 per cent month on month in December as shoppers kept their purses closed, the Office for National Statistics data revealed. Read more: All the high street giants [...]
Game Digital shares boosted by positive Christmas trading in Spain while UK sales fall January 17, 2019 Video game retailer Game Digital’s shares shot up this morning as it announced a two per cent sales boost over the Christmas period, despite a drop in the UK market. The company said despite a “challenging retail climate” causing group sales to dip 0.5 per cent over the festive weeks from Black Friday to 5 [...]
Primark sales sweeten the pill as retailer outperforms Christmas gloom January 17, 2019 Primark today reported a rise in revenues over the festive period as store expansion outweighed a fall in like-for-like sales. The fashion retailer saw UK sales rise one per cent on last year in the 16 weeks to 5 January, defying a downturn in the wider retail market. Read more: Retail sector suffers worst Christmas in [...]