Hotel Chocolat tastes success after sales surge over Christmas season January 23, 2019 Hotel Chocolat enjoyed a boom in sales over the festive season, as buyers flocked to the luxury sweet maker in spite of a swathe of challenges facing much of Britain’s retail industry. Total sales for the 13 weeks to the end of December jumped by 15 per cent compared with the same period last year, [...]
Households could lose hundreds of pounds by failing to switch as their energy plans run out this month January 23, 2019 Hundreds of thousands of customers could have up to £302 added to their energy bills each year if they don’t switch from plans which are set to end in January. Switching service Uswitch warned that it has identified around 200,000 households on 20 different energy plans which are set to conclude this month. Read more: Households [...]
Surge in travel sales gives WH Smith Christmas treat despite high street slump January 23, 2019 WH Smith posted a rise in sales over the crucial Christmas trading season, after the retailer benefited from a rise in travel sales as it continues to move its focus from high streets to airports and train stations. The figures Total sales were up six per cent in the 20 weeks to 19 January. In [...]
Gatwick drone chaos costs Easyjet £15m but shares rise as profits stay the course January 22, 2019 Drone disruption at Gatwick cost Easyjet £15m, the airline revealed today, as it said that 82,000 passengers were affected by the incident, but shares rose as profits stayed the course. Easyjet was forced to spend £10m in customer welfare costs and lost £5m in revenue, it confirmed in a trading update this morning, as it [...]
Pets at Home share price jumps after posting Christmas sales bounce January 22, 2019 Pets at Home’s share price has jumped more than 11 per cent this afternoon after the firm looked to reassure investors that its restructuring was on track, although it warned of potential stockpiling ahead of Britain’s departure from the EU. The figures In a trading update for the 12 week period from 12 October [...]
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 [...]
The power of free markets can liberate Britain’s high streets January 22, 2019 Change is sweeping across retail, affecting the way we all shop, spend, and interact in our town centres. Most analysts agree that there is currently too much retail space, often in the wrong locations, and that, while our high streets of the future will remain commercial centres, they will look radically different to what we [...]
House of Fraser suffers 60 per cent sales drop in run-up to Christmas January 21, 2019 House of Fraser has reportedly suffered a dive in sales over the crucial Christmas trading season, in a fresh sign of the woes facing the beleaguered department store chain. Year-on-year sales plunged 60 per cent in the 12 weeks to 18 December, according to Kantar Worldpanel figures reported in The Sunday Telegraph. It is the [...]
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 [...]
Former Superdry boss could call shareholder meeting to force return January 20, 2019 Former Superdry boss Julian Dunkerton has said he will call an extraordinary general meeting of the company’s shareholders in the next four weeks in a bid to return to the company. Dunkerton, who co-founded the business, has been campaigning to return to the company, after a string of profit warnings and a calamitous drop in [...]