FTSE 100 opens lower as trade war worries weigh November 29, 2019 The FTSE 100 opened lower this morning as escalating trade tensions between the US and China took their toll. London’s blue-chip index was down 0.5 per cent in early trading, as stuttering trade talks were compounded by a lack of economic data or earnings. Read more: EU and UK feel the pain as global pain [...]
Ocado to build sixth warehouse as online grocer accelerates growth November 28, 2019 Online supermarket Ocado has announced it will build a sixth warehouse in the UK as it ramps up its growth plans. The new warehouse in Bristol will be the company’s first “mini” customer fulfilment centre, with the capacity for more than 30,000 orders per week compared to the 85,000 orders per week expected at the [...]
IPOs – no sure thing? November 26, 2019 IPOs always attract plenty of attention, particularly when they are of highly-recognised companies. But are they a wise destination for investor cash? IPOs offer plenty of glamour, a change from the usual stocks in an index, and there have been plenty of new entrants to the UK stock market over the past ten years. Some [...]
Publishers look to new revenue sources amid squeeze on digital advertising November 20, 2019 Online publishers are shifting their focus to new sources of revenue as income from digital advertising continues to decline. Digital publishing revenue slipped 3.7 per cent to £113.1m in the second quarter, according to figures released by the Association for Online Publishing (AOP) and Deloitte. Read more: Digital ad group Ozone signs up Stylist as [...]
Lidl sales soar as big four supermarkets struggle November 12, 2019 Budget supermarket Lidl enjoyed soaring sales this autumn, as the big four grocers struggled to keep up with the German discount stores in the lead up to the crucial Christmas trading period. Lidl was the fastest growing bricks and mortar supermarket in the 12 weeks to 3 November with a sales increase of 8.8 per [...]
DEBATE: Will the M&S venture with Ocado turn around its fortunes? November 7, 2019 Will Marks & Spencer’s joint venture with Ocado turn around the struggling retailer’s fortunes? YES, says Adam Vettese, investment analyst at multi-asset investment platform eToro When you think of Marks & Spencer, you think of food. And not just any food, but top-quality food. In fact, food is so important to M&S that it now [...]
Marks & Spencer profit knocked lower by poor clothing sales November 6, 2019 Weak clothing and home sales knocked profit 17 per cent lower at Marks & Spencer in its latest half-year, it revealed today. But the high street chain’s share price led the FTSE risers, climbing up 5.3 per cent to 192.05p, as investors felt it could have been a lot worse as boss Steve Rowe said [...]
Asos profit falls by two-thirds as expansion costs push up debt October 16, 2019 Profit at Asos fell by 68 per cent in the year to August as the UK fashion giant took a hit from a major overhaul of its business model and costly international expansion. The online retailer blamed the drop on a costly operational expansion into Europe and the US which was fraught with problems including [...]
Dunelm shares slump despite revenue growth October 10, 2019 Shares in Dunelm dropped more than eight per cent this morning despite reporting growth in the first quarter, following a string of positive trading updates this year. Total like for like revenue grew 6.4 per cent to £255.6m, with a 34.7 per cent increase in online sales. In-store revenue was up 2.9 per cent to [...]
Magazine publisher TI Media narrows loss as digital shift helps cut costs October 6, 2019 The publishing group behind Country Life and Horse & Hound has slashed its loss for the full year, as cost-cutting moves helped offset a decline in revenue. TI Media posted a pre-tax loss of £3.2m in the year to 31 December 2018, compared to £13.7m in the previous 12 months. Read more: Marie Claire ends [...]