Debenhams share price rises as chief executive Michael Sharp reveals plan to step down “some time in 2016” October 22, 2015 Debenhams' share price opened up this morning as chief executive Michael Sharp confirmed he plans to leave the struggling department store business “sometime in 2016”. Sharp, who has been at the helm since September 2011, will stay on during Christmas and into the new year to help the board find his successor. “This process will evaluate internal [...]
Mothercare turnaround plan on track despite currency headwinds October 22, 2015 Mothercare's turnaround is on track after a solid second quarter performance, despite challenges from foreign currency headwinds. The childcare retailer, which is part-way through a significant overhaul implemented last year by chief executive Mark Newton-Jones, has grown UK like-for-likes 6.5 per cent, while total UK sales rose 1.8 per cent. Online sales under the former [...]
Argos owner Home Retail Group hits back at claims it could be the next Comet October 21, 2015 Home Retail Group’s boss hit back at claims that Argos was at risk of becoming the next Comet, the collapsed electronics chain, after a profit warning sent shares crashing yesterday. The FTSE 250 retailer, which also owns Homebase, said investment in its new same day delivery service, weak sales of electrical goods, and uncertainty around [...]
Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood can’t grumble if he’s fired just nine games into the Premier League season October 21, 2015 Precarious. That’s the only word to describe Tim Sherwood’s position as Aston Villa, just nine games into the Premier League season, after a sequence of seven defeats in their last eight top-flight fixtures. Villa were always taking a gamble when they appointed Sherwood, eight months ago now. He had a good prior spell at [...]
The nightmare before Christmas: Aldi and Lidl hammer Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco October 21, 2015 Britain's biggest supermarkets are facing a crunch Christmas as the pressure from German discounters Aldi and Lidl is ramped up, with experts warning of a bloody battle for this year’s festive season. The German duo have both seen growth rates return to over 17 per cent in the past three months, according to data from [...]
The nightmare before Christmas October 20, 2015 Aldi and Lidl hammer British supermarkets BRITAIN’S biggest supermarkets are facing a crunch Christmas as the pressure from German discounters Aldi and Lidl is ramped up, with experts warning of a bloody battle for this year’s festive season. The German duo have both seen growth rates return to over 17 per cent in the past [...]
Retailers should “play Black Friday down”, warns John Lewis boss October 19, 2015 The boss of John Lewis – one of the UK's most vocal supporters of Black Friday – has urged other retailers to “play it down” in future years after the sales bonanza led to havoc on the high street. Although the business reported record sales for the week in which Black Friday (November 28) [...]
UK grocery sector shows green shoots of recovery as distress levels fall October 19, 2015 Britain’s supermarket sector is showing signs of recovery, according to new research from Begbies Traynor that reveals the number of companies struggling to stay afloat declined for the first time in over two years. The business recovery specialist’s latest Red Flag Alert research, which monitors the health of UK companies, shows levels of “significant” financial [...]
Public finance numbers could be back on track – London Report October 18, 2015 THE LATEST public finance figures, due out on Wednesday, are expected to have seen renewed year-on-year improvement in September after a particularly disappointing August. An improved September performance would help get the public finances back on track to reach George Osborne’s targets after taking a hit the previous month. Economists expect public sector net borrowing [...]
John Lewis reveals how we shop, live and look in 2015: Spiralising and the Nutribullet took over while we ditched thongs, bookcases and formal dining October 16, 2015 When looking back at 2015, how will the year be remembered? Plenty of scandals, both corporate and political, have kept us busy in the news department, but what about when we hit the shops? Middle England's favourite department store John Lewis has released its annual state of the nation report, revealing the five items that [...]