FTSE 100 plagued by string of downbeat results November 9, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 today was weighed down by investors ditching retail and leisure firms after several large players in the sector revealed they have been hit by the UK economic slowdown. The capital’s premier index edged 0.14 per cent lower to 7,296.25 points, while the domestically-focused mid-capo FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with [...]
Marks & Spencer profit dented as Ocado joint venture books £0.7m loss November 9, 2022 Marks & Spencer’s half-year profit slid on Wednesday after it said its joint venture with online grocer Ocado had suffered a £700,000 loss. In half-year results to 1 October, M&S said its group profit before tax was £205.5m, versus a £269.4m sum the previous year. Bosses pointed to a lack of business rates relief compared [...]
Homeware retailers ‘draw short straw’ in economic crunch as Made.com nears collapse October 31, 2022 Homeware retailers are facing a turbulent 2023 as mounting operational costs and hesitant consumer sentiment piles the pressure on the sector. It comes as Made.com was still teetering on the brink of collapse on Monday after customers have pulled back from spending on pricier items like furniture. Last week, the ailing sofa seller said it [...]
M&S to speed up plans to close 1 in 4 larger clothing stores October 12, 2022 Marks & Spencer will accelerate its plans to slash the number of its larger stores that sell clothing and homeware products. In an update to investors on Wednesday, the supermarket revealed it would shutter more than one in four of its so-called full-line stores within three years rather than five. Plans also include the opening [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile? October 7, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Atrato Alternatives asset management and advisory group Atrato has poached its latest director from abrdn to help oversee the supermarket investment fund management team. Ollie Mottram, who most recently held the position of transactions maager at abrdn, [...]
Marks and Spencer announces bumper £15m pay package for its 40,000 frontline staff September 21, 2022 Marks and Spencer has announced a bumper £15m pay package to support its 40,000 frontline staff during the cost of living crisis. The British high-street giant is also introducing an autumn pay review for the first time, while extending its benefits scheme for workers. More than 40,000 workers will get a boost to their hourly [...]
Queen Elizabeth II: A front-row view to almost a century of history September 8, 2022 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away after a lifetime that has seen everything from World War II to the Covid-19 pandemic. City A.M. look back at the extraordinary events she lived through as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. 1952: Elizabeth becomes Queen following the death of her father, George VI, [...]
Former M&S CFO Helen Weir named new chair of National Express September 8, 2022 Former M&S CFO Helen Weir has been named the new Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair Designate of National Express.
Sunday Sitdown: ‘There is a demand to return to the office’, says boss of City favourite T.M. Lewin August 21, 2022 British menswear brand T.M. Lewin – for decades a favourite among City workers – is back. Two months after the heritage brand struck a last-minute rescue deal with shirtmaker Limited, the company has managed a re-launch after the pandemic nearly killed off the Square mile favourite. Established over 120 years ago, T.M. Lewin is steeped in [...]
Campaign to save iconic M&S Oxford Street building gets backing from authors and architects August 15, 2022 Efforts to save the iconic Marks & Spencer building on Oxford Street were reignited this week, with a number of high profile authors and architects getting behind a crowdfunding scheme to stop the demolition. Author of Notes from a Small Island Bill Bryson and award-winning architect Steve Hopkins slammed plans for the site’s demolition, backing [...]