Sharpening inflation concerns weigh on FTSE 100 retailers August 23, 2022 Sharpening concerns over high inflation triggering a slowdown in consumer spending weighed on London markets today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dropped 0.61 per cent to 7,488.11 points, while the mid-cap domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, fell 0.99 per cent to 19,306.89 points. Retailers [...]
Shoppers spend more at convenience stores this summer while volume sales at large grocers dip August 23, 2022 Convenience stores have seen sales buoyed this summer, as shoppers coughed up £3.6bn on groceries in them over the past month. Over the four weeks to 13 August, convenience stores made up some 28.9 per cent of sales, according to fresh data published by NielsenIQ on Tuesday. Total till grocery sales saw a growth of [...]
Even as we teeter on the edge of a recession, we will create new opportunities August 23, 2022 NECESSITY, as the old saying goes, is the mother of invention. That’s why periods of economic or social upheaval often coincide with exceptional innovation – the rapid development of the Covid-19 vaccine, based on breakthrough mRNA technology, being a perfect example. Today, the global economy is in precarious shape. Europe, in particular, faces likely recession [...]
Matalan founder Hargreaves guns for outright ownership of retailer August 21, 2022 Fashion retailer Matalan is facing a battle between its lenders and its founder over its ownership as a deadline for refinancing looms. According to a report in Sky News, the retailer’s chairman John Hargreaves has proposed pumping tens of millions of pounds into the clothing firm. Hargreaves is reportedly hoping to retain outright control of [...]
Sunday Sitdown: ‘There is a demand to return to the office’, says boss of City favourite T.M. Lewin August 21, 2022 British menswear brand T.M. Lewin – for decades a favourite among City workers – is back. Two months after the heritage brand struck a last-minute rescue deal with shirtmaker Limited, the company has managed a re-launch after the pandemic nearly killed off the Square mile favourite. Established over 120 years ago, T.M. Lewin is steeped in [...]
Bosses at Joules brace for ‘significant loss’ in pre-tax profit this year August 19, 2022 Bosses at retailer Joules are bracing for a “significant loss” in profit in the first half of this year, as inflation and the recent heatwave hit sales. While the company expects its finances to improve in the second half of the year, the board announced today, Joules is expected to report a pre-tax loss for [...]
UK retail sales recover with the lure of summer promotion deals despite inflation August 19, 2022 Retail sales have recovered since June, as penny pinching Brits seek to navigate worsening inflation, according to official figures today. Around three quarters of adults have said they are very or somewhat worried about the rising costs of living in the past two weeks, according to a separate poll by the ONS. Sales, carried by [...]
Downing tools: Investors pile into bets against B&Q owner as DIY boom slows August 18, 2022 The troubled owner of retailer B&Q has become the most shorted stock on the London Stock Exchange this week as two top investors revealed hefty bets against the firm.
AO World swings to £37m loss as costs skyrocket August 18, 2022 Online electrical retailer AO World revealed it had swung to a £37m loss in the year to March as costs skyrocketed and pandemic-induced boom in sales dropped off.
Made.com confirms emergency measures to bolster balance sheet August 18, 2022 Furniture firm Made.com confirmed it is mulling a capital raise to shore up its balance sheet today as it grapples with a plummeting share price and soaring costs.