On the rack January 9, 2013 MARKS & Spencer was hit by a worse-than-expected drop in general merchandise sales over the Christmas quarter, the retailer was forced to reveal last night after figures were leaked after trading hours. Britain’s biggest clothing retailer said like-for-like sales at UK stores open for more than a year fell 1.8 per cent in the 13 [...]
M&S’s board still backs Marc Bolland but its patience will not last forever January 9, 2013 THIS was no ordinary trading statement. If Marc Bolland, the Marks & Spencer chief executive, had sold an item from his womenswear ranges last autumn every time the retailer’s advertising slogan had been parroted back at him, he’d have wiped the floor with the rest of the high street. Last night’s hastily-released quarterly trading update [...]
Sir Philip sells £500m stake in Topshop brand December 6, 2012 SIR PHILIP Green has sold a 25 per cent stake in his family’s Topshop empire to a US private equity firm in a deal that values the successful high street chain at £2bn. Arcadia, the retail tycoon’s holding company, confirmed yesterday it has sold off a £500m stake in its prized Topshop and Top Man [...]
Topshop seals US future with J Crew owner December 4, 2012 RETAIL magnate Sir Philip Green is close to selling a stake in his family’s fast-growing Topshop fashion empire to a US private equity firm. Sir Philip is in advanced talks to sell up to 25 per cent of his family’s interest in high street labels Topman and Topshop, in a deal which values the two [...]
Christmas countdown for rival high street retailers December 4, 2012 AS we move into the final countdown to Christmas, our high street department stores are pulling out all the stops. Looking back over 2012, the race between Marks & Spencer and John Lewis has never been tighter. YouGov’s BrandIndex highlights how the two brands began the year with six points separating their Index scores – [...]
Pension deficits cost investors November 28, 2012 MARKS and Spencer has done an impressive job of cleaning up its pension deficit, knocking off £1bn over the last three years. It has now agreed a ten-year plan to deal with the remaining £290m. That saw a bump in the share price, which some attribute to the greater attractiveness of Marks and Spencer as [...]
M&S cuts pension funding costs after narrowing deficit by 80pc November 28, 2012 SHARES in Marks and Spencer were given a boost yesterday after the retailer announced yesterday it had agreed on a cheaper funding plan after slashing its pension deficit by nearly 80 per cent since 2009. The group said the latest actuarial valuation of its UK defined benefit pension scheme, which takes place every three years, [...]
M&S boss fights back after half year improves November 6, 2012 MARKS & SPENCER chief executive Marc Bolland yesterday asked for “a little patience” before seeing a turnaround in its troubled womenswear division and defended his strategy as the group revealed a 10 per cent fall in half year profits to £289.5m. The Dutchman, who is 18 months into a five-year plan to revive the group’s [...]
FTSE 100 lifted by strong results from Marks & Spencer and G4S November 6, 2012 BRITAIN’S blue-chip stock index rose yesterday, buoyed by some encouraging earnings reports in light trade ahead of what is expected to be a close US presidential election result. The FTSE 100 was up 45.84 points, or 0.8 per cent, at 5,884.90 by the close, remaining within the tight 200-point range it has held since September. [...]
After its profits once again disappoint, can Marks & Spencer return to its former glory? November 6, 2012 YES Rafael Gilston Marks & Spencer sits squarely in the mid-market. Because of this, it’s under constant attack from more specialist brands like Next (for families), John Lewis (for labels), Zara (for the career woman) and even New Look (for teenagers and young adults). The historical legacy of the Marks & Spencer brand is that, by [...]