The UK’s 50 biggest companies that still have all-male boards March 26, 2014 UK companies are closing in on a government target to see women in 25 per cent of FTSE 100 board positions. That's according to the 2014 Cranfield Female FTSE board report, which shows that just 48 more women are needed on the boards of Britain's top companies for the target to be met. Just two [...]
Prezzo, Wagamama and GBK bring mobile payments to the high street March 21, 2014 RESTAURANT group Prezzo is introducing mobile payments to its 200 UK stores in a move that allows customers to pay directly from their smartphones without bringing a debit or credit card with them. The new payment technology, rolled out in partnership with PayPal, lets customer split a bill between friends and pay for their meal at [...]
Ashley swoops on Debenhams January 13, 2014 MIKE ASHLEY’S Sports Direct is set to meet with the board of Debenhams after the sportswear giant made a surprise swoop on the struggling retailer and snapped up a 4.6 per cent stake. Neither of the companies commented on when the meeting was likely to take place, but both sides said they were open to [...]
Bottom Line: Sports Direct designs on retailer will pay off January 13, 2014 AMID yesterday’s M&A frenzy, which saw billions of dollars changing hands across the world, Mike Ashley’s move for a £46m stake in Debenhams looks like small fry. But as the inimitable Geordie has proved in the past, he’s not a man to be underestimated. Though not an immediately obvious fit, there are certain parts of [...]
JD Sports enters the New Year with steady sales growth January 10, 2014 JD Sports has reported like-for-like sales for the group's core Fascia stores are now marginally ahead of the 5.8 per cent rise seen in the for the forty two weeks to 23 November. The group believes the most recent six weeks trading has given the company hope for further progress over the course of 2014. [...]
Debenhams remains unloved as hedge funds pile on the pressure January 9, 2014 HEDGE fund bets against Debenhams have increased four- fold since the start of the year led by a short position from Marshall Wace, amid an overall decline in shorting of high street retailers, fresh figures show. About 4.5 per cent of the company’s stock is now out on loan versus 1.5 per cent just a [...]
Best of the Brokers for 7 January 2014 January 6, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com JD SPORTS FASHION N+1 Singer has chosen the sports retailer as one of its 2014 top picks, giving the company a buy rating and a target of 1,700p. The broker thinks the firm could expand in Europe, and has faith the new management [...]
London Report: Retailers set to reveal scale of 2013 hangover January 5, 2014 RETAIL figures due this week will reveal whether Britain’s major brands are going into the New Year with a Christmas hangover. Marks & Spencer and Tesco are both set to report on Thursday, and J Sainsbury on Wednesday, with figures likely to show retailers faced a dismal festive season. Debenhams has already set the tone, [...]
Float fever to shake up FTSE indices in reshuffle December 9, 2013 THE ROYAL Mail could break into the FTSE 100 tomorrow, one of several newly listed companies which are candidates to join the FTSE in its quarterly reshuffle. The postal group is set to knock Vedanta Resources out of the blue chip index after its bumper share price rise since its float made it one of [...]
Best of the Brokers for 02 December 2013 December 1, 2013 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com DAILY MAIL & GENERAL TRUST UBS keeps its “neutral” rating but hikes its target from 780p to 920p following the media group’s full-year results. The broker thinks the strength of the firm’s Zoopla website will continue to drive the share price, even if [...]