Leicester City and JD Sports probed by watchdog over merchandise September 30, 2021 The Premier League’s Leicester City and retailer JD Sports are being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over suspected anti-competitive behaviour relating to merchandise. The watchdog said in its case that it has “reasonable grounds to suspect one or more breaches of competition law” and that the CMA “has not yet reached a [...]
H&M reinstates divided payments as profits triple on back of global recovery September 30, 2021 Swedish retail giant H&M nearly tripled its profit during the past quarter on the back of a “strong recovery” in sales as restrictions eased across the globe. H&M told shareholders this morning that it had reinstated its dividend for the first time in 18 months as a result. It reported a pre-tax profit of £520m [...]
Better-than-expected recovery for Guinness maker Diageo despite supply chain woes September 30, 2021 Guinness maker Diageo reported this morning strong recent trading with a better-than-expected recovery in Europe despite mounting supply chain woes. Shares in the FTSE 100 listed group are up by nearly 3 per cent. The group, which also makes Gordon’s gin and Smirnoff vodka, said it was seeing a solid start to its new financial [...]
Lloyds Bank picks Wicks to fuel capital’s recovery September 30, 2021 Interview with Lloyds Bank’s new regional director for London SME and mid-corporate. As the capital starts to emerge from the disruption caused by Covid-19, what kind of financial shape are its businesses in? “We’ve seen countless examples of firms showing incredible resilience and innovating in order to survive,” says Becci Wicks, in conversation with City [...]
Boohoo shares slump as profit dwindles from pandemic highs September 30, 2021 Boohoo’s shares sank as much as 15 per cent today, after the fast fashion retailer reported profits were down on last year’s pandemic highs, as increased operational costs slightly offset business gains. The e-commerce giant announced this morning that revenue surged 20 per cent in the six months ending 31 August, with sales jumping to £975.9m [...]
Quiz losses deepen after pandemic store closures September 29, 2021 Fashion retailer Quiz has posted deepening losses after the pandemic deterred consumers from buying occasion wear and forced shops to shut for months. Group revenue dropped 66 per cent for the year ended 31 March 2021 , which the retailer said was down to the impact of the pandemic on trading conditions. The retailer posted [...]
Brexit-backing Next boss calls for speedy government intervention in staff crisis September 29, 2021 Next, headed by Brexit-backing boss Lord Wolfson, has called on the government to relax immigration rules to ensure its operations run smoothly this Christmas. “It’s a question of availability, we need a system that’s geared up to give more visas,” Wolfson told CityAM. Wolfson hit back at critics who said the country had got what [...]
£222m takeover of Hawthorn pubs by Admiral Taverns faces competition probe September 28, 2021 The UK competition regulator said this afternoon it is leaning towards launching a probe into Admiral Taverns’ £222m takeover of the Hawthorn pub business. Admiral sealed a deal to buy the pub estate, which covers 674 venues across the UK, from the retail property investor NewRiver, in July. The move will strengthen Admiral’s position as [...]
Card Factory sees strong performance in H1 2021, but still turns a loss September 28, 2021 Card Factory has seen revenue surge during the first six months of the year, but the greeting cards retailer still ended up in the red. EBITDA surged by 202.6 per cent, reaching £23.6m in the first half of the year, while revenue jumped by 16.3 per cent year on year to stand at a healthy [...]
Boohoo: Long journey to win back investors after worker neglect September 27, 2021 Online fashion retailer Boohoo faces an uphill battle in overcoming its reputation after poor treatment of garment workers. The fast fashion giant has made moves to improve problems in its supply chain in recent months and to make itself more transparent to consumers – but it may not be enough. Analysts said the measures looked [...]