Boots sales surpass pre-Covid levels as city centres spring back to life October 13, 2022 Boots’ retail sales have exceeded pre-Covid levels for the fourth quarter, thanks to rebounding footfall in city centres. Retail sales were up 15.2 per cent on a like-for-like basis, with stores near transport hubs seeing a particular resurgence. Warm weather and a return of travel abroad also buoyed sales, with store transactions up more than [...]
M&S to speed up plans to close 1 in 4 larger clothing stores October 12, 2022 Marks & Spencer will accelerate its plans to slash the number of its larger stores that sell clothing and homeware products. In an update to investors on Wednesday, the supermarket revealed it would shutter more than one in four of its so-called full-line stores within three years rather than five. Plans also include the opening [...]
Columbia Threadneedle suspends UK property fund over cash fears October 12, 2022 Fund manager Columbia Threadneedle said it had suspended trading in its £453m UK property fund last night after a run from investors caused a cash crisis.
Frasers Group nabs stake in JD Williams and Simply Be owner October 12, 2022 Frasers Group has snagged a 4.5 per cent stake in online retailer and JD Williams owner N Brown, as the retailer continues to put its stamp on the UK high street. The Sports Direct owner is now the sixth-largest shareholder of the Jacamo and Simply Be owner. “We are always pleased to welcome new shareholders [...]
The analyst: Why now’s the time to invest in advertising, not run from it October 12, 2022 Ian Whittaker is a City analyst, and the current City A.M. Analyst of the Year. Shaky seems to be the best word for the start of results season on Wall Street – at least, compared to the generally positive message we received at the last quarterly go-around. Companies such as Carnival and FedEx – seen [...]
Elliott holds talks with Hargreaves over backing Matalan bid October 11, 2022 John Hargreaves' bid to wrest back control of Matalan could be given a valuable boost from the owner of Westminster.
Sales soar for Dior owner LVMH as Chinese retail bounces back October 11, 2022 Dior owner LVMH smashed third quarter forecasts this evening, with business in China finally picking up thanks to Covid restrictions being eased. The luxury goods giant, which owns brands like Bulgari and Tiffany & Co, said sales climbed 19 per cent from the previous year to €19.8bn. The fashion and leather goods division were a [...]
Sofa seller ScS: Shoppers may splurge on home makeovers instead of moving amid high mortgage rates October 11, 2022 Sofa seller ScS has suggested that some consumers may invest in home makeovers instead of opting to move house amid historically high mortgage rates. The furniture firm posted record sales growth on Tuesday morning but warned of “subdued” trading in recent weeks against a backdrop of household bills increasing. Revenue rose 8.6 per cent from [...]
Exclusive: The pandemic sped up the pace of change in retail, says Manhattan’s CEO October 11, 2022 Ever since Covid became a household name and the pandemic creeped into businesses’ operations, global supply chains have been under more pressure than ever. It is one of the reasons urgent supply chain commerce transformation has been at the top of the agenda of retail giants, industry leaders, product experts and agents of change. One [...]
Shoppers face £643 increase to yearly grocery bill October 11, 2022 Shoppers are facing an additional £643 jump in their annual grocery bill as grocery price inflation breaks another record. According to freshly published data from Kantar, grocery inflation sits at 13.9 per cent, the highest level since the data firm started tracking prices in the 2008 financial crisis. The average household’s annual grocery bill is [...]