John Lewis planning to lure hundreds of engineers as it plots big retail push online May 3, 2022 Retail giant the John Lewis Partnership is zooming in further on its online operations as it is planning to recruit for more than 150 roles in engineering and delivery driving. John Lewis, which also owns Waitrose supermarket, said its recruitment drive will help grow its online stores, which together have more than 55m visits a [...]
Card Factory posts revenue growth thanks to store recovery and occasion boom May 3, 2022 Card Factory posted 28 per cent revenue growth this morning to £364.4m thanks to the steady recovery of stores following the easing of lockdown restrictions, alongside an online performance significantly ahead of pre-pandemic levels.
Bringing retail investors into the fold creates equality of opportunity from our wealth May 3, 2022 In the 1980s, one of the UK’s most high-profile flotations was the privatisation of the state-owned British Gas. The government’s “Tell Sid” 1986 advertising campaign attracted many of its 500,000-strong army of private investors. During the countdown to the British Gas shares sale, the government courted subscriptions from retail investors in every way imaginable – [...]
Amazon posts first quarterly loss since 2015 as higher costs and lower sales hit bottom line April 29, 2022 Shares in Amazon have plummeted after the e-commerce giant posted its first quarterly loss in seven years, as the firm faced a litany of challenges that led to higher costs and lower sales. The Seattle headquartered firm posted its first quarterly loss since 2015, as staff shortages and inflationary pressures increased its costs and the [...]
Raw material inflation translates to continued price hikes for Travis Perkins April 29, 2022 Travis Perkins has continued to pass off the growing costs of raw materials through price hikes, as it recovers from sustained supply chain hang-ups. “Pricing accounted for approximately two-thirds of the growth with manufacturer increases continuing to be passed through in an orderly manner,” the retailer said in its latest trading update today. “The group’s [...]
How TikTok saved the bookstar: Will the UK stay in love with reading after lockdown? April 29, 2022 A decade ago, the narrative of bookselling was of the surging popularity of digital book sales, with physical editions left on the shelf. Figures from the Publishers’ Association in 2012 saw digital book sales shoot up 54 per cent while physical book sales dipped five per cent. Fast forward to 2021 and UK publishing sales [...]
Sainsbury’s warns of lower profit as grocer anticipates inflationary pressures April 28, 2022 Sainsbury’s has warned of a lower profit for the coming year as the grocer faces uncertainties including high inflation and cost of living pressures on shoppers. Sainsbury’s posted underlying profit before tax of £730m for the 2021/2022 financial year, a 104 per cent boost on the year prior, but warned of challenges down the line. [...]
Brits slash spending in another sign of looming economic woe April 27, 2022 The worsening cost of living shock is prompting Brits to cut back on unnecessary purchases in a further sign the UK economy is headed for a period of worse than expected growth, reveals fresh figures published today. Households are shunning luxury items in response to their living standards suffering a heavy blow from the highest [...]
Ted Baker: Fashion retailer receives ‘a number’ of bids from suitors as sale hots up April 27, 2022 Ted Baker confirmed it has been the recipient of a number of bids from suitors hoping to snap up the high street fashion retailer. The clothes seller entered into a formal sales process earlier this month, after being wooed several times by US private equity firm Sycamore. It had previously revealed it had been approached [...]
Households face extra £271 on annual food bill as grocery inflation highest since 2011 April 26, 2022 Households are facing an additional £271 to their grocery bill, with price inflation now standing at the highest level in over a decade. According to fresh data from Kantar, grocery price inflation has reached 5.9 per cent, the highest level since December 2011. Brits are facing a slew of price increases this spring, as businesses [...]