After US launch Primark heads for Italy; opening first stores in Milan next year July 10, 2015 Primark is so inspired by its "Primarni" nickname, it's entering the Italian market ahead of schedule, it said today. The fashion brand will open the first of up to three Italian stores in Milan next summer, according to owner Associated British Foods. Shares in the group rose, following a trading update reporting a “modest decline” [...]
FTSE lifted by a housebuilders and AB Foods – London Report July 9, 2015 BRITAIN’S top equity index moved further away from this week’s six-month lows yesterday, lifted by well-received results from Associated British Foods and Barratt Developments. AB Foods, the owner of Primark, gained 5.1 per cent to 3,082p to be the top riser on the blue-chip FTSE 100 after it posted robust results, maintaining guidance and with [...]
Best of the Brokers for 09 July 2015 July 8, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ASSOCIATED BRITISH FOODS Panmure Gordon reiterated its “sell” rating on the food group, noting that while there is a positive investment case to be made based upon sustained roll out of Primark, the current valuation already implies double digit growth for the next [...]
Marks & Spencer slips back into decline after just one quarter of growth July 7, 2015 Marks and Spencer's general merchandise arm has slipped back into decline following just one quarter of growth. The figures: M&S' story is pretty much the same as it has been for many months. Total sales in general merchandise were up 0.2 per cent but like-for-likes were down 0.4 per cent, reversing a solitary [...]
Dixons Carphone boss Sebastian James steals Retail Week Power List crown from Next’s Simon Wolfson June 26, 2015 Dixons Carphone chief executive Sebastian James has been crowned the most powerful person in British retailing, knocking Next's Simon Wolfson off the top spot. James has stolen the number one position in Retail Week's annual Power List, published today, for his work successfully merging the two retailers, creating a £10bn business that swooped into [...]
Best of the Brokers for 24 June 2015 June 23, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ASSOCIATED BRITISH FOODS RBC Capital Markets has downgraded the Primark owner from “outperform” to “sector perform” with a target price of 3,200p. The broker said that while Primark relatively rare international roll-out story, the company is lacking earnings momentum and its sees more [...]
B&M eyes more stores as sales jump by a third May 28, 2015 Bargain retail chain B&M has hiked its store expansion targets after reporting a near 30 per cent jump in revenue in its first year as a public company. The company, which sells everything from toys to electrical goods and furniture, yesterday said sales jumped 29.5 per cent to £1.6bn in the year to 28 March, [...]
Matalan chief Jason Hargreaves makes retailer a family affair May 14, 2015 Jason Hargreaves made a trip to Oxford Street earlier this year with his four-year-old daughter in tow. The managing director of Matalan, the out-of-town value fashion and homeware chain founded by his father, John Hargreaves, 30 years ago, came to view its first ever central London store at the east end of on Oxford [...]
Sunday Times Rich List 2015: London has more billionaires than any other city in the world April 26, 2015 There are more billionaires in London than any other city in the world, with 80 of them calling the capital home, cementing its status as a playground for the super-rich. London is home to 80 of the UK's 117 billionaires, who hold a combined wealth of £325bn, accounting for 59 per cent of the entire rich [...]
Best of the Brokers for 23 April 2015 April 22, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ASSOCIATED BRITISH FOODS Shore Capital reiterated its “hold” rating on the food processing group, which owns Primark. The broker predicts that downward pressure on Primark’s margins will continue, but added: “Primark’s progress has never been, and should never be expected to be a [...]