Retail sales lay limp in September as Indian summer rocks sector October 10, 2023 UK total retail sales continued to limp along in September with growth up just 2.7 per cent against a figure of 2.2 per cent for September last year as an Indian summer and cost of living pressures walloped the sector. Non-food sales declined 1.2 per cent on a total basis over the three months to [...]
City firms love to play an economic blame game over investor confidence October 10, 2023 Companies are far too quick to blame the economic environment when a share price dips but they should look at the many things they can do to attract investors, Oliver Hughes writes
John Lewis faces fresh defiance from Ealing residents over build-to-rent tower October 9, 2023 The John Lewis Partnership is facing further resistance from Ealing residents over the retailer‘s attempt to erect a build-to-rent tower of 428 homes over a Waitrose supermarket in the west London borough. A campaign group, Stop the Towers, has made fresh calls to the council urging it to listen to residents’ concerns and reject the [...]
Croda: FTSE chemicals giant’s share price drops after outlook slashed October 9, 2023 British speciality chemicals group Croda International cut its 2023 profit outlook on Monday, due to destocking and weak demand, particularly in its beauty care business in North America. The FTSE 100 company said it now expects 2023 group adjusted profit before tax of £300m to £320m pounds. It had forecast 370 million-400 million pounds previously. Following its profit outlook [...]
Waitrose eyes deal with Amazon to sell groceries online in latest sales push October 9, 2023 Waitrose groceries could be sold on Amazon as part of a new deal being discussed by the upmarket grocer and delivery giant. The pair are reportedly considering the tie-up after the John Lewis-owned supermarket cut ties with Ocado nearly three years ago, according to reports published in The Telegraph. Amazon has recently struck up a [...]
Petrol forecourt owners bag £60m bonus as pump prices jack up profits October 9, 2023 Senior executives at Motor Fuel Group, the UK's largest independent forecourt operator, have raked in a bumper pay packet this year on the back of record profits.
Citigroup to sell China consumer wealth business to HSBC October 9, 2023 Citigroup said on Monday it had agreed to sell its China consumer wealth portfolio, including clients, assets under management (AUM) and deposits, to Asia-focused HSBC Holdings Plc. The deal covers total deposits and investment AUMs of about $3.6 billion, and is expected to close in the first half of 2024. Financial details of the transaction [...]
Michael Murray insists he is running Frasers, not Mike Ashley October 8, 2023 The boss of Frasers Group Michael Murray has insisted he is the one making decisions at the retail firm, not his father-in-law Mike Ashley.
Retail woes continue as sunny September slows fashion sales October 6, 2023 September proved to be another tricky month for retailers, with growth up just 0.2 per cent on last year, hit by hot weather and the cost of living crunch. According to latest figures from the accountancy firm BDO, clothing retailers saw sales fall 3.4 per cent during the month, compared with a 6.7 per cent [...]
Pendragon shares tumble after Hedin drops takeover bid October 4, 2023 Pendragon shares slumped over six per cent this afternoon after a joint takeover bid for the company was taken off the table. Hedin Mobility Group and Penske Automotive Group confirmed on Wednesday afternoon they do not intend to make an offer, ending their part in a three-way bidding war for one of the UK’s largest [...]