Is today a turning point for Marks & Spencer’s share price? November 5, 2014 Marks & Spencer's share price has soared 8.3 per cent this morning, suggesting that investors were pleasantly surprised by its better-than-expected results. Although it marked its 13th quarter of declines, the 3.4 per cent drop in clothing was lower than consensus. Analysts this morning are suggesting this could be, if not the beginning of [...]
Marks & Spencer share price leaps, despite 13th consecutive fall in clothing sales November 5, 2014 Shares in Marks & Spencer opened more than eight per cent higher this morning, after it posted expectation-beating half-year results – even though group profits before tax fell 0.4 per cent on the same period last year. In the the 26 weeks to 27 September, like-for-likes in clothing and general merchandise fell 2.2 per cent [...]
Marks & Spencer’s half year results – here’s what to look out for November 4, 2014 Marks & Spencer is due to report its first half results tomorrow morning, and the consensus is that it will be another gloomy one for the venerable British retailer. Analysts are saying the 770-store retailer will have racked up a 3.7 per cent decline in general merchandising like-for-likes during its second quarter. If [...]
Marks and Spencer likely to join Next and Tesco in slump as like-for-like sales decline November 3, 2014 The slump in British retail is set to hit Marks and Spencer hard this week, after poor financial results from rival Next and supermarket Tesco. Weak sales figures will pile increasing pressure on chief executive Marc Bolland – like-for-like sales have already fallen for the past 13 quarters, despite the growing economic recovery. The consensus [...]
Manufacturing figures point to slower growth – London Report November 2, 2014 MANUFACTURING figures due out today are likely to show a loss of momentum in the UK economy’s growth. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ survey for October is forecast to sit at 51.5, the same as for September and weaker than the rates of 52.2 in August and 54.7 in July. A reading of 50 shows no [...]
Sarries brush off Quins and target trophy sweep November 2, 2014 SARACENS assistant coach Joe Shaw insists his side plan an assault on all fronts this term after starting their LV=Cup campaign with a 25-20 success over Harlequins at Allianz Park yesterday. With both clubs selecting strong line-ups, the hosts took full advantage of a sluggish Quins start to lead 15-3 at the break before the [...]
Warm weather leaves Next feeling the heat October 29, 2014 HIGH street retailers saw shares hit yesterday after Next warned its profits would slip lower due to the “unseasonably warm” October weather that impacted its winter clothing sales. Next said third quarter sales were up 5.4 per cent, almost half the 10 per cent expected, knocking shares as much as three per cent during early [...]
Intertek leads the way as FTSE buoyed by data – London Report October 29, 2014 BRITAIN’S top equity index yesterday rose to its highest level in nearly three weeks on the expectation that the US Federal Reserve would signal that it was in no rush to raise interest rates. However, late last night – after the London close – investors elsewhere in the world were betting that a US rate [...]
Next share price drops on back of profit warning as warm weather hits sales October 29, 2014 High street retailer Next has warned that profits will be lower than expected for the full year as a result of warm weather, pushing its share price down this morning. Sales for the third quarter were up 5.4 per cent, almost half the 10 per cent originally expected, saying weather this autumn had been "unseasonably [...]
Tesco’s falling share price eats away at Dave Lewis and Alan Stewart’s bonuses October 27, 2014 Here's another reason for Dave Lewis to be concerned about Tesco's tumbling share price – it's already cost him around a quarter of the bonus accrued at his previous employer Unilever. Tesco bought out awards that both Lewis and new chief financial officer Alan Stewart forfeited from leaving their previous employment, which in the [...]