Next: FTSE 100 retailer hikes profit guidance but warns on costs January 7, 2025 Retail industry bellwether Next has upgraded its profit outlook for the year after sales and growth exceeded expectations during the Golden Quarter. The FTSE 100 company hiked its expected profit by five per cent as sales jumped six per cent in the nine weeks to 28 December, nearly double its previous guidance of 3.5 per cent. [...]
Retail gloom as festive season fails to save 2024 trading January 7, 2025 High street stores showed anaemic growth in the 2024 festive season, despite hopes that Christmas trading would inject some cheer into the sector. Sales grew just 0.3 per cent overall in the ‘golden quarter’, which includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Online sales continued to beat in-store, [...]
Yeo Valley doubles profit after natural yoghurt demand surges January 6, 2025 Profit at Yeo Valley has almost doubled after sales at the dairy giant jumped by £40m during its latest financial year. The Somerset-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax profit of £8.1m for the year to 26 May, 2024, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The latest figure comes after Yeo Valley returned to the [...]
Sell Asos and buy Currys says City broker January 6, 2025 Analysts have backed Currys as their most preferred consumer stock of the year whilst warning investors away from struggling online marketplace Asos. Panmure Liberum analysts set a target price for Currys at 155p versus its current price of 94.25p. The tech retailer had a strong run last year, with its stock up more than 90 [...]
H Samuel and Ernest Jones owner cuts loss despite £40m sales hit January 6, 2025 The company behind high street jewellers H Samuel and Ernest Jones significantly cut its loss despite sales falling by almost £40m during its latest financial year. The Birmingham-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £483,000 for the year to 3 February, 2024, down from the £8.9m loss it posted in its prior 12 months. [...]
Tesco and Sainsbury’s to shed light on Christmas sales performance January 5, 2025 The UK’s biggest supermarket groups will shed light next week on how they fared over the key Christmas period amid pressure on shoppers’ budgets. Tesco and Sainsbury’s will both provide third-quarter updates for investors and analysts, where they will reveal their sales for the weeks running up to Christmas. Both grocers are expected to reveal [...]
New car market in UK up 2.6 per cent in 2024, figures reveal January 4, 2025 The UK’s new car market recorded its second successive year of growth with a 2.6 per cent rise in registrations in 2024, new figures show. Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said around 1,953,000 new cars were registered last year, compared with 1,903,000 in 2023. Growth was delivered entirely by purchases [...]
Cinch sales drop below £1bn after ‘rapidly falling’ used car prices January 3, 2025 Sales are car retailer Cinch dipped below £1bn after the company was hit by “rapidly falling” used vehicle prices. For the 12 months to 31 March, 2024, the Hampshire-based firm posted a revenue of £932.5m, down from the £1.01bn it achieved in the prior year. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House also show that its pre-tax [...]
Mortgage approvals fall faster than expected in wake of Budget January 3, 2025 65,700 mortgages were approved in November, down from 68,300 in October and comfortably below economists' expectations.
Crown Paints: Losses double as more jobs lost amid DIY downturn January 3, 2025 Crown Paints saw its pre-tax loss more than double as it shed further jobs despite sales rising, it has been revealed. In delayed accounts, the Lancashire-headquartered firm has reported a pre-tax loss of £16.1m for 2023. The figure comes after Crown Paints made a pre-tax loss of £8m in the prior 12 months. However, the [...]