Marks & Spencer overhauls its autumn campaign in its latest attempt to boost womenswear range August 18, 2013 MARKS & Spencer has scored a host of British names ranging from Oscar winning actresses to authors and Olympic athletes for its crucial autumn womenswear collection, which could determine Marc Bolland’s future at the chain. The chief executive of M&S has been under increasing pressure this year to stem eight straight quarters of declining sales [...]
Asos appoints M&S veteran Ian Dyson August 7, 2013 ASOS has replaced one Marks & Spencer veteran with another after hiring the high street chain’s former finance director Ian Dyson as a senior independent director. Dyson will join Asos’ board in October, the online fashion group said yesterday, just weeks after revealing that M&S’s ex-clothing boss Kate Bostock had left the firm. The 51-year-old [...]
London Report: FTSE edges up despite drop in Barclays stock July 29, 2013 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 edged higher yesterday, with healthcare and media sectors bolstered by transatlantic merger activity, helping outweigh a steep sell off in Barclays. Drugmaker Shire – long viewed as a takeover target – added 2.4 per cent after US generic rival Perrigo agreed to buy Ireland’s Elan for $8.6bn (£5.6bn). A proposed merger between [...]
Marks & Spencer enjoys French renaissance as Paris sales leap July 21, 2013 MARKS & SPENCER saw sales across the Channel jump fourfold last year after rekindling its love affair with France, more than 12 years after its retreat from Europe. Sales jumped 330 per cent to €28m (£24m) in the year to 30 March from £6.5m the previous year, accounts filed last week on Companies House show. [...]
Kate Bostock to quit Asos after seven months July 16, 2013 KATE Bostock, the former head of clothing at Marks and Spencer, has quit her new employer Asos after just seven months at the online retailer. In a surprise statement yesterday, Bostock, who was executive director for product and trading, said she had concluded that “Asos isn’t the right place for me”. Nick Robertson, the founder [...]
Reflections on Tulchan’s demise at Marks & Spencer February 14, 2013 FOUR weeks ago I asked Andrew Grant of Tulchan a simple question. Had his firm been fired from the retailer Marks & Spencer as its external financial public relations adviser, following the leaking of its annual results which forced their rushed and premature publication? Grant, rightly known for being courteous, well-informed and straightforward, responded that [...]
Supermarket Ocado edges towards profit February 7, 2013 ONLINE grocer Ocado yesterday narrowed year-end losses from £2.4m to just £600,000 as it edged ever closer towards profitability, easing the concerns of long-suffering investors. Shares in the company, which has not made a profit since it began trading thirteen years ago, yesterday closed up 11 per cent at 115.9p. This is still well below [...]
What the other papers say this morning February 6, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Buyout firms seek £10bn EE bid Buyout firms have accelerated talks with lenders to secure funding for possible £10bn bids for EE, the UK’s largest mobile phone operator, in what would be the biggest private equity-backed acquisition in Europe since the financial crisis. The efforts have picked up in intensity in the past [...]
Sir Stuart Rose takes the hot seat at Ocado January 22, 2013 SIR STUART Rose, the former boss of Marks & Spencer, is to become chairman of Ocado, in a major coup for the online retailer. The company said Sir Stuart is to replace Sir Michael Grade after its annual general meeting in May. Grade, best known for his roles at ITV and Channel Four, will be [...]
Primark helps boost AB Foods’ revenues January 17, 2013 PRIMARK, the budget clothing retailer, has outsmarted its rivals on the high street after reporting a 25 per cent increase in sales yesterday. Its parent company Associated British Foods (ABF) said the launch of 14 new stores in Spain, the UK, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands helped to lift sales in the 16 weeks to [...]