Aldi announces pay rise and recruitment drive January 21, 2020 Aldi has announced it will increase the hourly rate paid to in-store staff members and hire more than 3,800 employees this year as it pushes ahead with its UK expansion plans. The budget supermarket said all employees will earn a minimum hourly rate of £9.40, a 30p per hour increase from the previous minimum wage [...]
Joules store closures hurt half-year profit after full-year warning January 21, 2020 Joules revealed a dramatic plunge in profit to just £1.7m today as it took a £6.7m hit to close stores and relocate its head office in the six months to the end of November. The figures Joules booked an 82 per cent drop in profit before tax from £9.3m this time last year to just [...]
The Harry & Meghan saga shows why your business needs a succession plan January 21, 2020 The drama taking place in the Royal House of Windsor is not only gripping material for a future episode of The Crown, but also a wake-up call to all businesses to have a plan for when important personnel step down or leadership responsibilities change. From the mom-and-pop store to publicly-listed giants, succession planning needs to [...]
Fevertree shares sink 20 per cent as it warns on profit January 20, 2020 Fevertree’s shares plunged today as it warned that “subdued” Christmas trading in the UK would knock 2019 profit lower than last year’s total. The tonic maker now expects revenue growth of 9.7 per cent to £260.5m, compared to 2018’s 40 per cent growth rate. That will see sales miss expectations for 2019, leading Fevertree to [...]
Intu shares fall as it enters talks to raise more money January 20, 2020 Intu today confirmed it will seek to raise equity as it works to patch up its shaky balance sheet after a dreadful 2019 for retailers. The commercial real estate giant today insisted it was making “good progress” on improving its balance sheet, hailing a “busy” Christmas and saying footfall was 0.3 per cent up last [...]
What happened to the pound, euro and US dollar in 2019? January 20, 2020 It has been a year of ups and downs for sterling, largely dominated by political and geopolitical factors. Investors’ concern over the outcome of Brexit largely overshadowed other factors. Despite celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2019, it wasn’t a banner year for the euro. Over the last 20 years, the euro has strengthened by 27 [...]
Department store chain Beales falls into administration January 20, 2020 Department store chain Beales has entered administration this morning, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk. The retailer had been in crisis talks with potential buyers in a bid to stave off a collapse, however the company was unable to secure a deal. Professional services firm KPMG has been appointed as administrator, and the firm’s [...]
UK house prices: Post-election surge breaks records January 20, 2020 The decisive result of the General Election sparked a record-breaking surge in UK house prices in December and January, in the latest sign that the UK housing market has been revitalised by a “Boris bounce” There was a 2.3 per cent monthly surge in the average price of property coming to the market between 8 [...]
Third of retailers issue profit warnings in ‘bruising’ year for UK high street January 19, 2020 A third of retailers issued a profit warning last year following a “bruising” year for the UK high street. For the second year in a row, a third or more of the FTSE retailer sector warned on lower profits over the course of 2019. The number of profit warnings fell from 36 in 2018 to [...]
Gold is the new gold: Why the safe haven investment could shine in 2020 January 18, 2020 The start of 2020 has certainly been a rude awakening for traders returning to work after the Christmas break. Oil prices spiked after the US assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani ignited tensions in the Middle East. Equities were shaken, and investors flocked to safe haven assets in a bid to shelter from the storm. [...]