Sports Direct axes dividend as profits fall July 16, 2009 SPORTS direct, the retail chain controlled by Mike Ashley, yesterday said it was scrapping its final dividend to slash debt after its profits collapsed. The sportswear retailer reported a 91 per cent nose-dive in pre-tax profits to £10.7m from £118.9m the year before. It was forced to write off £53.1m of shares held in rival [...]
Hot weather to prove thirsty work and give pubs a boost July 12, 2009 The City has good reason to focus on the pub this week, with numbers from JD Wetherspoon, Enterprise Inns and Mitchells & Butlers all likely to be high on the agenda. The recent hot weather should have provided some welcome business for the hard-hit pubcos. But investors will also look for firms to further defend [...]
JD Sports trading well but warns on margins June 8, 2009 Sportswear retailer JD Sports yesterday said it was bucking the high street gloom after sales growth improved in its latest trading period. The group said its underlying sales increased 1.7 per cent over the 17 weeks to 30 May, with growth in its sports fascias of 1.2 per cent and growth in its fashion fascias [...]
THE LONDON REPORT June 7, 2009 CORPORATE data due out this week could help to steer the market, particularly with regards to retailer and consumer stocks, while investors in Independent News & Media will be hoping for an update on the future of the ailing publisher at its annual meeting on Wednesday. Today’s 17-week trading statement from JD Sports Fashion is [...]
FTSE 100 stalls as traders nerves fail on banking sector May 28, 2009 RENEWED jitters over the health of the financial sector hit banks and offset gains by heavyweight oils yesterday, sending the FTSE 100 0.7 per cent, or 28.69 points, lower at 4,387.54. Banks were the worst performing large caps, with Barclays, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland down 0.8 per cent [...]
JD crosses channel for Chausport May 20, 2009 Retailer JD Sports Fashion said yesterday it had bought the sports footwear retailer Chausport for €8m (£6m) in cash to enter the French market. JD said it has also acquired €2m of debt as part of the purchase of the 78-store group. “The JD board expects that the Chausport acquisition will be earnings enhancing in [...]
JD Group snaps up Allsports November 1, 2005 Sports retailer John David Group yesterday swooped on stricken rival Allsports in an £18m store and stock deal. Private equity and trade interest in Britain’s fourth-largest sports retailer had fallen away. Retail entrepreneur Mike Ashley is thought to have walked away last week but Ashley has been building a stake in John David Group, suggesting [...]
JJB Sports declares a new price war October 13, 2005 Sportswear retailer JJB Sports said yesterday it was not afraid to start a price war by adopting a “more aggressive pricing policy”. Like smaller rival JD Sports the retailer has been a victim of the slowdown in consumer spending with like-for-like sales falling 8.8 per cent in the 26 weeks to 31 July. Operating profit [...]