Cath Kidston to review UK store locations in bid for higher footfall September 19, 2018 Fashion retailer Cath Kidston is reviewing the locations of its UK stores as it looks to move to destinations that attract higher footfall. The brand, which has 65 stores across the UK including pop-ups and concessions, is reviewing individual branches as leases come up for renewal at which point it will consider whether to relocate the store to a [...]
Alive and kicking: JD Sports thrives in struggling high street environment September 11, 2018 JD Sports sprinted ahead of its high street rivals as it boosted both profit and revenue margins in its interim results today. The figures The shoe and sportswear retailer posted a 35 per cent year-on-year hike in revenue to £1.85bn for the six months to the end of August while profits before tax stepped up [...]
Value of inward UK M&A deals falls by £15.8bn September 4, 2018 The value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of UK companies by foreign businesses fell by £15.8bn between April and June this year. The drop, from £22.3bn to £6.5bn, reflected the absence of high-value transactions that were seen in previous periods, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Read more: Petrol station merger could drive up fuel prices, [...]
Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe review: A classic that’s been upgraded for contemporary tastes | City A.M. July 30, 2018 The Jaguar XK150 is basking, roof-down in front of a Mayfair mews house, all voluptuous curves and glinting chrome. It’s a perfect London postcard – but not, it seems, for the well-spoken chap who walks into JD Classics’ Mount Street showroom. “My fantasy car is an E-Type,” he tells me, “preferably in red.” Launched in [...]
Last Week in the City: August rate rise now less likely July 20, 2018 Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market-moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (16 to 20 July 2018). The chances of an interest rate rise at the Bank of England’s August meeting appeared to recede this week after inflation data was more subdued than expected and retail sales data [...]
Why Mike Ashley’s retail gambles are a mistake | City A.M. July 20, 2018 When the fishes swim one way, I swim the other,” said Sports Direct supremo Mike Ashley last year describing his investment strategy. Despite this billionaire bombast, some of his investments are sinking and weighing down Sports Direct at the same time. The sportswear chain reported a sharp drop in annual profits yesterday, partly because of [...]
Last Week in the City: England has an 8.5% chance of winning the World Cup May 18, 2018 Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market-moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (14 to 18 May 2018). UBS has used its City analysts’ predictive firepower to try and work out the winner of the upcoming World Cup in Russia – and England came surprisingly high in its league [...]
FTSE firms including Persimmon, BP and JD Wetherspoon warned of investor revolts over gender diversity April 17, 2018 A number of FTSE 350 companies could face investor revolts over low female representation within leadership roles, the investment managers’ trade body said today. It warned that investors were “becoming restless” over the lack of progress being made. The Investment Association, which represents investment managers collectively owning one third of the FTSE, and the government-backed [...]
Beware the real Beast from the East: Chinese tech giants March 5, 2018 The last week has seen the UK battered by the worst snow we’ve seen in years, thanks to freezing temperatures coming from the east. But cold weather and heavy snow is not the only thing that is making the move from east to west. Chinese tech giants Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and JD.com have started to [...]
The AIMperor’s new clothes: Sosandar and Footasylum notch up share price rises after IPOs November 2, 2017 Two clothing retailers entered London’s junior market today, with shares in both jumping during their first day of trading. Footasylum, the sportswear retailer which is the branchild of JD Sports co-founders John Wardle and David Makin, debuted on the market with a price of 164p per share. They hit a high of 207p and closed [...]