Ralph Lauren shares plunge as luxury fashion group slashes forecasts, blaming mild weather February 4, 2016 Ralph Lauren shares have plummeted by nearly 18 per cent after the US fashion brand reported a worse-than-expected decline in third quarter sales, blaming the mild winter weather and fewer tourists visiting its stores. The luxury goods group, whose brands include Polo Ralph Lauren and Club Monaco, said net revenues fell by four per cent, or one [...]
Tesco, Sainsbury’s and M&S are among most praised companies by NGOs but VW and Royal Dutch Shell make “naughty” list of most criticised January 18, 2016 Tesco, Sainsbury's and M&S are certainly not having the best of times on the high street these days, but there's one place their winning at least. The three are among several of the biggest global companies to make a "nice" list of companies which pressure groups and campaigners across the world, from the likes of Which? to Greenpeace, have [...]
FTSE 100 index falters as the price of oil slides January 14, 2016 The FTSE 100 index opened down this morning as the price of oil continued to linger around $30 a barrel. The UK's blue-chip index opened 1.68 per cent down at 5,860 points. "For the first time this year the FTSE 100 managed to post two positive days in a row yesterday, buoyed by a rebound in [...]
Currency headwinds dampen growth at Primark parent Associated British Foods – but sugar is starting to look sweeter January 14, 2016 Primark parent Associated British Foods has been further buffeted by currency headwinds, with the business expecting it to knock off £25m from full year profit. The figures The group grew revenue three per cent in the 16 weeks to 2 January – but this turned into a two per cent decline when factoring in actual exchange [...]
Deceptive demographics: Attitude matters more to marketers January 11, 2016 Here's a shocker for you. There are actually 19 year-old guys who watch Dance Moms, and 73 year-old women who watch Breaking Bad and Avengers,” Netflix’s Todd Yellin told the SxSW conference in Texas last year. Marketers have long recognised the limitations of segmenting consumers demographically. Finding out a customer’s age and gender data, Yellin argued, [...]
ITV and miners gain but FTSE finishes down – London Report December 22, 2015 LOSSES from Associated British Foods and Smith & Nephew during yesterday’s trading dragged the FTSE 100 index down, as ITV, Glencore, and Antofagasta surged. The UK’s top blue-chip index closed 0.29 per cent down at 6,034 points. ITV led the pack after it emerged Comcast’s NBCUniversal was reportedly bidding to takeover the home of Downton [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 index closes down despite gains by Glencore, Antofagasta, ITV December 21, 2015 The FTSE 100 index closed down today, as losses from Associated British Foods (ABF) and Smith and Nephew were not compensated by gains at ITV, Glencore and Antofagasta. The UK's top blue-chip index closed 0.29 per cent down at 6,034 points ITV led the pack after it emerged Comcast's NBCUniversal was reportedly bidding to takeover [...]
FTSE 100 index opens up as miners and ITV make gains while Associated British Foods, Rolls-Royce and Smith and Nephew fall December 21, 2015 The FTSE 100 index opened up this morning, as losses from Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) and Rolls-Royce were compensated for by gains at miners, BG Group and ITV. The UK's top blue-chip index was 0.64 per cent up at 6,052 points in early morning trading. BG Group was 0.97 per cent higher at 916.85p per share [...]
Oil price drags on the FTSE 100 as airlines takeoff – London Report December 8, 2015 OPEC’S failure on Friday to agree to curb oil production weighed yesterday on the FTSE 100 index. The cartel failed to reach agreement despite a global supply glut and the strength of the dollar, which is leading to the collapse of global oil prices, with the resulting uncertainty hitting stock markets. The FTSE 100 closed [...]
FTSE 100 index opens higher on Associated British Foods, EasyJet and pharmaceuticals December 7, 2015 The FTSE 100 index opened up this morning, boosted by gains from EasyJet and Berkeley Group. The index was 0.53 per cent up at 6,271 points when the market opened. Primark owner Associated British Foods was 1.31 per cent higher at 3,530.5p per share, while Berkeley Group was 1.22 per cent up at 3,643p per share. Read more: RBS [...]