Primark props up AB Foods as sugar slumps January 16, 2014 ASSOCIATED British Foods said yesterday sales at its Primark discount fashion chain were strong over Christmas after being dampened by unseasonably warm autumn weather, helping offset a weaker-than-expected performance at its sugar unit. AB Foods said group revenue was flat for the 16 weeks to 4 January, compared with nine per cent growth for the [...]
Owner of Currys and PC World enjoys record Boxing Day sales January 16, 2014 DIXONS Retail emerged as one of the winners in the battle for consumers’ attention this Christmas as booming tablet sales and demand for kitchenware and large televisions helped drive sales. The owner of Currys and PC World said like-for-like sales in the UK & Ireland jumped five per cent in the period from 1 November [...]
N Brown cheers revenue rise January 16, 2014 Home-shopping group N Brown, which targets older and larger shoppers, said yesterday it would step up investment in international expansion after enjoying strong Christmas trading boosted by online sales. The group posted like-for-like revenue during the six-week festive period up 7.2 per cent, with online sales accounting for over half of overall revenue, helped by [...]
Thorntons to meet expectations January 16, 2014 Chocolate maker Thorntons said yesterday its outlook for the financial year was in line with market expectations, after it reported a 6.3 per cent rise in sales to £93.1m for the 14 weeks to 11 January. The firm said a good Christmas performance had helped boost sales of its own-brand chocolates through supermarkets, with sales [...]
The rise of the London Village January 16, 2014 IT SEEMS these days everyone wants their slice of village life, even if they live and work in the heart of the city. The Big Smoke has always been made up of distinct neighbourhoods with their own character and lifestyle, but the idea of the London Village has really taken hold in the public imagination [...]
These festive victors have found a way of winning online and in store January 16, 2014 Argos, Primark, Halfords, Homebase, Dixons and Ocado: the raft companies who saw sales leap over the Christmas period, and present a stark contrast to the big names (M&S, Tesco and Morrisons) that reported gloomy – and sometimes grim – results last week. It's become something of a cliche to keep emphasising the need for transition [...]
Here’s how Argos made a fierce comeback at the end of last year January 16, 2014 Argos has become the latest digital winner at Christmas, as more companies label their online offering the strand that brought them festive sales success. Internet and mobile technology sales buoyed the high street shop's Christmas performance, despite a "challenging consumer environment", owner Home Retail Group said this morning. In a separate statement, the parent company confirmed [...]
Primark’s “excellent” Christmas bolsters AB Foods January 16, 2014 Primark has come in, as expected, as a winner over Christmas – proof that cheaper products can keep value in bricks and mortar. The budget high street store saw "excellent Christmas trading" as consumers continued to flock to its stores. Sales jumped 14 per cent at actual rates (12 per cent at constant rates) [...]
Fears rise over crash in key shipping index January 15, 2014 WORRIES over the strength of the global economic recovery have been sparked this week by a near 40 per cent collapse in a key benchmark. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) records the cost of shipping raw materials around the world, and is used by some analysts as an indicator of economic health in the near [...]
Game on: Retailer eyes a float as Grand Theft Auto helps its revival January 15, 2014 GAME’s radical turnaround since collapsing into administration in 2012 was underscored yesterday after the retailer revealed that sales had almost doubled over Christmas, paving the way for a potential float. Total sales rocketed 83 per cent in the six weeks to 4 January, helped by the popularity of Grand Theft Auto V. The firm is [...]