N Brown upbeat despite hit from snowy weather January 12, 2011 MAIL order clothing firm N Brown saw like-for-like sales lifted by just 1.2 per cent over Christmas as the poor weather took its toll. Total group revenue increased by 4.6 per cent in the 19 weeks to 8 January and Brown says trading was encouraging from late October to mid-December “but the extreme weather conditions [...]
Greggs in boost from mince pies January 12, 2011 GREGGS, the high street bakery, sold eight million mince pies over the Christmas period – up 16 per cent on the previous year. The group, which has almost 1,500 shops, said shoppers who were kept indoors by the snow hit the high streets to do last-minute shopping. For the five weeks to 8 January total [...]
Restaurant Group lifts profit target as it targets new openings to fuel growth January 12, 2011 RESTAURANT Group has forecast full-year profit just ahead of market estimates as better-than-expected trading at its new sites offset the impact of heavy snowfall in the UK. The company, which owns the Garfunkel’s and Frankie & Benny’s chains, said revenue for the 53 weeks to 2 January was seven per cent ahead of 2009, while [...]
Good news boosts FTSE to 2008 levels January 12, 2011 BANKS and miners dominated the FTSE today, leading the index to another 31-month high as good news from Portugal’s bond sale boosted financial stocks, and miners tracked metals prices higher. Four FTSE 250 companies also posted double-digit gains as news that Gartmore agreed a £335.3m takeover deal by rival Henderson sent their shares higher. The [...]
Portugal bond auction dominates markets January 12, 2011 European markets were today putting Portugal under the microscope as the ailing euro zone member launched its first debt auction of the year. The country – desperately trying to avoid a bailout from the European Union and IMF – is tapping bond investors for around €1.24bn. All eyes are on the auction which is key [...]
BAA takes £24m hit from big freeze January 12, 2011 BAA expects to take a hit of around £24Mm from last month’s big freeze, which paralysed many of its airports and dented passenger numbers in the week before Christmas. Passenger traffic at BAA airports fell 10.9 per cent in December year-on-year after last month’s heavy snowfall wreaked havoc, especially at its biggest airport, London’s Heathrow, [...]
SuperGroup sales soar 90pc over Xmas January 12, 2011 SuperGroup, the company behind the Superdry fashion brand, forecast year profit at the upper end of expectations after posting a 90 per cent jump in sales over the key Christmas period. SuperGroup, whose clothes are a favourite of celebrities such as David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio and Zac Efron, said it made sales of £65.1m in [...]
Sainsbury’s sales beat Christmas forecasts January 12, 2011 Strong sales of premium groceries and non-food ranges like clothing helped J Sainsbury to report a rise in Christmas sales which analysts expect will be the best among the top four grocers. Britain’s third-biggest supermarket group, which trails market leader Tesco and Wal-Mart’s Asda in terms of annual sales, said on Wednesday sales at stores [...]
M&S sales rise but year ahead set to be harsh January 11, 2011 MARKS & SPENCER saw sales rise in the key Christmas period but the retailer warned that 2011 would be tough, with austerity measures and the spectre of inflation rises to take their toll. Same-store sales rose 2.8 per cent in the UK in the 13 weeks to 1 January despite the impact of the snow. [...]
Dunelm hit by tough Xmas January 11, 2011 HOMEWARE retailer Dunelm said it was cautious about the second half of the year due to the impact of tax rises and higher cotton prices, following a tough Christmas. Dunelm, which sells products like curtains, bedding, blinds, rugs and lighting, announced yesterday that like-for-like sales fell 1.2 per cent in the 26 weeks to 1 [...]