Warm weather to cool Christmas sales at Marks & Spencer January 4, 2016 The mildest December on record combined with intense competition on the high street is expected to spell a gloomy end of the year for retailers, with Next and Marks & Spencer the first to unveil this week how they fared over the crucial Christmas period. The wet and mild weather, security fears in the aftermath of the [...]
Who’s facing the axe in 2016? Bookmaker offers odds on CEO sackings January 3, 2016 Let's face it; everyone dreads the first day back at work. To keep stress levels especially high at the top, bookies Ladbrokes have been drawing up odds on which CEOs will be clearing their desks by the end of the year. Only two chiefs can afford to relax, according to the firm; Easyjet’s Carolyn McCall and Taylor [...]
Little festive cheer for investors as FTSE 100 finishes flat December 24, 2015 It seems Santa didn't have much in his sack for equities investors this year, after the FTSE finished the day's session flat at 6,254.64 points, just 0.22 per cent higher. It was a disappointing outcome, after the bluechip index showed signs of a late Santa rally yesterday, closing 2.6 per cent higher as mining stocks rebounded. But trading during this morning's [...]
Panic Saturday is here: 12.6m Britons hit the shops for busiest day of Christmas shopping as sales start early at M&S, Sports Direct, H&M, Argos and Sainsbury’s December 19, 2015 Brace yourselves, Panic Saturday is here. If you still haven’t bought your Christmas presents, be prepared for crowds. A stampede of last minute Christmas shoppers are bearing down on UK retailers today, making it the busiest day of this year’s Christmas shopping. 12.6 million Britons are forecast to hit the shops, spending over £1.1bn on [...]
As Apple’s iPhone 6S lands will mobile payments change the way we live? December 11, 2015 Today’s smartphones can do incredible things. Need a ride around London? Just tap the Uber app. Fresh flowers or food from a local restaurant delivered straight to your door? Try Bloom & Wild or Deliveroo. These apps are fantastic, but there's a new smartphone feature set to fundamentally revolutionise the high street and how [...]
Marks and Spencer loses appeal against former landlord BNP Paribas December 2, 2015 You know that times are tough for retailers when they are prepared to fight for every penny they could put back in the piggy-bank. Marks and Spencer (M&S) has today lost a long-running battle against its former landlord BNP Paribas after the Supreme Court dismissed its appeal to claw back £1.1m of rent it claims it overpaid. In July 2011, [...]
Marks & Spencer looks to solve legal wrangle with former landlord BNP Paribas December 1, 2015 It’s not just individuals that quibble with their landlords. Marks & Spencer (M&S) is tomorrow hoping to settle a long-running dispute with former landlord BNP Paribas over rent it claims to have overpaid on its old Paddington offices. In July 2011, the high street retailer exercised a break in its leases and served notice on four floors of [...]
St Modwen on track to hit profit targets thanks to New Covent Garden Market boost and regional revival December 1, 2015 St Modwen said it is on track hit full-year profit forecasts, spurred on the by ongoing recovery in the regions, strong investor demand, and a massive valuation gain from its New Covent Garden market scheme. The FTSE 250 company, which is redeveloping Britain’s biggest flower and vegetable market, said occupational demand for its offices in the [...]
Stocking up on Christmas booze? Marks & Spencer is the best supermarket for wine – while Morrisons comes second December 1, 2015 Marks & Spencer has retained its crown as the best supermarket wine retailer for the second year running – but if you're stocking up on Christmas booze, you could do a lot worse than head to Morrisons, which came second in the medal table at this year's International Wine Challenge (IWC). M&S came first in [...]
Cake maker Finsbury posts sweet performance after munching on new bakeries November 25, 2015 Celebration cake maker Finsbury Food Group reported a huge jump in revenue during its first four months of the financial year thanks to recent acquisitions of rival bakeries. The company, which supplies major baked goods as well as Peppa Pig and Disney Princess celebration cakes to retailers including Morrisons and Marks & Spencer, said sales revenue [...]