H&M dresses up warm as strong winter collection boosts its sales January 15, 2015 Hennes & Mauritz, the world’s second-biggest fashion retailer, yesterday reported higher-than-expected sales growth in December, helped by strong collections and colder weather after an unusually mild autumn in Europe. For Sweden-based H&M, it was the ninth consecutive month that the company, which is also benefiting from a recovering North American economy, achieved sales clearly or [...]
Why Marks & Spencer’s investors haven’t all revolted on Marc Bolland (yet) in two charts January 15, 2015 Marks & Spencer's chief executive Marc Bolland has come in for a pounding yet again, after the retailer revealed another set of dismal results last week. Like-for-likes in general merchandise, which includes clothing, fell 5.8 per cent for the 13 weeks to December 27, the 14th consecutive quarter M&S has recorded declines in this division. [...]
M&S share price tumbles as Christmas delivery woes send sale figures plunging January 8, 2015 Delivery problems over the Christmas period have been blamed for poor quarterly results at Marks and Spencers, which sent shares tumbling by more than 3.5 per cent yesterday. The firm reported that sales of general merchandise, which included clothing and homewares, fell 5.4 per cent in the three months to 27 December, while international sales [...]
Marks & Spencer share price falls as retailer records 14th consecutive quarter of clothing woes January 8, 2015 Marks & Spencer's share price fell more than 2.2 per cent in early trading, after the struggling retailer revealed below-expectations results. Online delivery delays and "unseasonal conditions" proved to be a nightmare before Christmas for Marks & Spencer, as general merchandise sales slumped for the 14th consecutive quarter. Like-for-like sales in general merchandise – which [...]
Peppa Pig maker Entertainment One splashes cash on US deal as finance boss Giles Willits talks expansion plans January 6, 2015 Giles Willits is sitting in the boardroom of Entertainment One’s offices in west London with a family of Peppa Pig cuddly toys gazing up at him. The British TV phenomenon – Peppa Pig, that is – is one of the production group’s most successful exports. But today pigs are forgotten and the group’s jolly finance [...]
M&S share price suffers after downgrade ahead of third quarter results January 5, 2015 Marks & Spencer shares fell over three per cent in mid-afternoon trading after a downgrade by investment bank Societe Generale and as it prepares to report third quarter sales figures later this week. The British retailer started the new year on the back foot after analysts at Societe Generale took the stock rating from "buy" to [...]
Content isn’t just for Christmas: Reflections on 2014’s seasonal ads December 21, 2014 One of the wonders of Christmas is the gift of giving, and brand marketers have been wrapping up content in abundance this Christmas. For the major retailers, it’s no longer simply about occupying the most television airtime over the festive period. Content now starts with YouTube and Facebook, becomes amplified through Twitter and is spun [...]
Competition watchdog probes Pork Farms for having too big a slice of the pie December 18, 2014 The competition watchdog has threatened to launch an investigation into Pork Farms’ acquisition of rival Kerry Foods over fears that the new company will have its fingers in too many pies. Pork Farms, which makes scotch eggs, pies and sausage rolls for the major supermarkets including Marks & Spencer bought Kerry Foods’ chilled savoury [...]
Tesco in further turmoil after profits tumble December 9, 2014 Investors fled for cover yesterday as Tesco warned on profits for the fourth time in five months, raising fears in the City that the ailing supermarket could become a takeover target. Analysts at investment bank Espirito Santo compared Tesco’s demise to that of Sears in 2004, when the US retailer – once the [...]
Shoppers face longer delivery times from M&S December 8, 2014 MARKS & Spencer’s online customers are set to be disappointed this Christmas shopping season, as they face longer waiting times for online deliveries. Standard deliveries will now take up to two weeks, according to the retailer’s website, as opposed to the normal five-day waiting period. The delay follows the shopping bonanza Black Friday, on 28 [...]