Marks and Spencer upgraded by Moody’s on ‘prospects for further growth’ November 17, 2023 Earlier in November, Marks announced hefty profits during the half year, as the firm’s reshaping programme continued to show signs of paying off.
Retail sales fall to lowest level in two years as inflation bites November 17, 2023 Retail sales volumes have fallen for the second month in a row — slumping to their lowest level since 2021— as consumers continued to feel the impact of inflation, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed. Sales volumes fell 0.3 per cent month-on-month in October and 2.7 per cent year-on-year. However, consumers are spending more. [...]
HMV: Date flagship Oxford Street store reopening confirmed after ‘dramatic turnaround’ November 16, 2023 HMV, the British music and video store that has gone kaput twice, will reopen doors to its flagship store on Oxford Street next week.
Liontrust swings to interim loss as outflows top £3bn November 16, 2023 Liontrust reported a pretax loss of £10.1m in the six months ended September 30. Assets under management dipped 12 per cent to £27.7bn.
Burberry shares plunge as it blames tourist tax for luxury slowdown November 16, 2023 Burberry hit out at the government's decision to scrap the tourist tax and revealed a six per cent loss year-on-year in profit.
Black Friday sales due to drop by a quarter as cash-strapped Brits hold off for Christmas November 16, 2023 Overall, the proportion who do not intend to buy at all has increased from 39 per cent last year to 56 per cent.
Asda slashes debt as value range sales surge November 15, 2023 Asda has reduced its debt pile from £4.2bn to £3.9bn, according to its third quarter results, thanks to “strong cash generation” at the UK supermarket. The ‘Big Four’ grocer, said that during the term like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, increased by 2.8 per cent to £5.4bn compared to the same period last year. Food like-for-like sales [...]
St James’s Place shares bounce as bosses mount defence of paypackets November 15, 2023 Shares in St James’s Place have bounced today after the firm mounted a defence of its bosses’ paypackets following a small revolt at its annual meeting in May.
Iceland blames Russian war for whopping £95.7m energy bill November 14, 2023 Iceland, the frozen food supermarket, has blamed a “global surge” in wholesale prices following the war between Russian and Ukraine for its hefty £95.7m energy bill in the year to March. The value grocery chain, which specialises in frozen processed food, said that forking out for the “wholly unprecedented” charge led to a £35m loss [...]
Insolvencies jump 18 per cent in October as high rates squeeze firms November 14, 2023 The number of firms going bust in England and Wales has jumped yet again as the higher-for-longer interest rate environment continues to put pressure on businesses and consumers.