Online retailer Asos confident on full-year target despite sales dipping below growth forecast March 19, 2019 Asos was bullish on hitting its downgraded full-year targets today as it revealed double digit sales growth for the three months to the end of February. Read more: Asos bosses snap up cheap shares after day of horror The online retailer saw revenue rise 13 per cent year on year over the quarter, it revealed in [...]
Andover fire burns revenue at Ocado March 19, 2019 Ocado’s Andover factory fire will hurt first quarter sales, the retailer warned today, adding that it will continue to impact sales in the months to come. The three-day blaze destroyed one of Ocado’s flagship robotic distribution centres and sent shares down 12 per cent in early February. Today the firm revealed revenue grew 11.2 per [...]
Moss Bros shares jump with Joules boss Colin Porter to take on role as chairman March 18, 2019 Men’s tailoring giant Moss Bros is set to draft in the chief executive of fashion group Joules as its new chairman, with the group looking to regain City confidence after last year’s lull in summer sales dented investor sentiment. Shares in the formal menswear specialist, which has over 120 shops in the UK, climbed five [...]
Sofa giant DFS doubles profit but warns of ‘challenging’ market in 2019 March 14, 2019 Sofa giant DFS more than doubled profits at the end of last year but warned of a softer start to 2019 and a “challenging” market in the year ahead. The furniture retailer reported pre-tax profits of £14.1m in the 22 weeks to the end of December, compared with £6.2m the previous year as online sales [...]
Morrisons hikes dividend on confident outlook despite £86m blow to profits March 13, 2019 Morrisons has welcomed last year's jump in like-for-like sales with a special dividend, it revealed today, though profits were hit by £86m in costs as the supermarket closed a pension scheme and paid off loans. Read more: Morrisons and Tesco flag concerns over Sainsbury's-Asda merger The figures Profit before tax fell 15.8 per cent year on year [...]
Mothercare sells Early Learning Centre to The Entertainer March 12, 2019 Mothercare has sold the Early Learning Centre to the owner of The Entertainer for up to £13.5m. The struggling retailer sold the brand to Teal Group as it does not have the “necessary capital, resources or scale” to continue to invest in Early Learning Centre own-brand toys. Read more: Mothercare sticks to guidance despite falling [...]
Sales fall again at fashion retailer French Connection as it signals modest return to profit March 12, 2019 Like-for-like sales fell again at French Connection over 2018 despite posting a modest return to profit in what it called a “tough” retail trading environment. Read more: French Connection shares rocket as it looks for a buyer The figures While the struggling retailer saw a return to underlying profit of £0.1m for the year to the end [...]
Luxury retailer Farfetch to merge Chinese business with JD.com March 11, 2019 Luxury fashion retailer Farfetch will merge its China sales platform with ecommerce giant JD.com before the end of the year as it looks to cash in on growing demand for luxury goods in the country. The merger, first announced last month, comes after the London-based firm bought Toplife, JD.com’s luxury fashion venture. Read more: Chinese [...]
Britvic installs Tesco finance guru as new chief financial officer March 11, 2019 Soft drinks giant Britvic has brought in the financial boss of a firm which is part of Tesco as its chief financial officer, in a move which pushed shares up one per cent on Monday morning. The company, which acts as Pepsico’s producer in the UK, has appointed Joanne Wilson, who will leave her role as [...]
February retail footfall hits five-year low March 11, 2019 Retail footfall dropped by two per cent last month, making 2019 the weakest February for footfall in five years, according to research published this morning. February saw the 15 consecutive month of footfall decline, and suffered a deeper plunge than the previous year when footfall was down 0.2 per cent, British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard [...]