Snowy spell hits profits at clubbing firm Luminar January 14, 2010 NIGHTCLUB operator Luminar warned yesterday pre-tax profit for the year will be below expectations, blaming youth unemployment and the cold snap for compounding the effects of the recession on its business. Luminar said like-for-like sales in December were 13.8 per cent below last year, marginally worse than the 13.4 per cent fall it recorded in [...]
HMV sales dragged down by Waterstone’s January 14, 2010 MUSIC and book retailer HMV posted a fall in like-for-like sales over Christmas – dragged down by the poor performance of Waterstone’s. Sales in the five weeks to January were down 1.2 per cent overall even though the group’s CD and DVD chain in the UK and Ireland saw a lift of 2.2 per cent [...]
M&B investors should tell Lewis to get serious January 13, 2010 THE row between Mitchells and Butlers’ largest shareholder Joe Lewis and the pub group’s management shows no sign of abating, making the firm’s stock hard to value. If Lewis wants to make a bid for the company, he’d probably have to offer around 340p, making the shares – which closed at 275.5p yesterday – look [...]
Matalan price gets a boost January 13, 2010 FASHION and homewares retailer Matalan has boosted its £1.5bn auction by revealing further strong growth over the Christmas period. The group revealed that like-for-like sales rose 13.7 per cent in the five weeks to 2 January. The upbeat trading statement came despite tough comparatives with positive trading figures seen a year earlier. Five private equity [...]
Mince pie bonanza over the festive season helps Greggs to increase sales January 13, 2010 PHENOMENAL demand for festive savoury bakes stoked a Christmas sales rise at baker Greggs although snow and sub-zero temperatures dented trade at the start of 2010. The firm, which sold more than a million mince pies each week over the festive period, yesterday said sales at stores open for more than a year increased 1.1 [...]
Matalan auction boosted by Xmas sales January 12, 2010 FASHION and homewares retailer Matalan has boosted its £1.5bn auction by revealing further strong growth over the Christmas period. The group revealed that like-for-like sales rose 13.7 per cent in the five weeks to 2 January. The upbeat trading statement came despite tough comparatives with positive trading figures seen a year earlier. Five private equity [...]
Greggs in slim sales rise after mince pie bonanza January 12, 2010 BAKERY chain Greggs sold more than a million mince pies a week over the festive period helping to give it an overall sales lift. Comparative sales during the four weeks to December 26 grew 1.1 per cent with a “very strong performance” in the Christmas week with a 4.4 per cent improvement. But the company [...]
HEINZ TESTS OUT ITS NEW CAFE IN THE CITY January 12, 2010 FOR those City workers already missing their comfort foods after the Christmas break, food group Heinz has come up with the ideal solution. Just three minutes walk from Liverpool Street station, Heinz is trialling a cafe this week whose power lunch is the well-known staple of baked beans on toast. This is the first restaurant [...]
Tesco tills ring for Christmas with 4.9 per cent sales hike January 12, 2010 TESCO has had its best Christmas in three years after slashing prices and offering double Clubcard points to get customers through the door. Britain’s biggest supermarket chain said yesterday that like-for-like sales at its UK stores jumped by 4.9 per cent during December and early January. Tesco reported a 35 per cent surge in sales [...]
Barbie back in fashion at 50 January 12, 2010 FASHIONISTA Barbie has wowed a new generation of doll lovers, helping Mattel find a return to strong sales for the 50-year-old iconic toy. Mattel, the world’s leading toymaker, said yesterday it sold “more than hundreds of thousands” of the doll over the Christmas season after her fashion makeover. The sales surge follows a reported decline [...]