McCain: Chips favourite doubles profit to £100m in three years April 7, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of potatoes giant McCain Foods surged to almost £100m during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The North Yorkshire-headquartered UK arm of the Canadian giant has reported a pre-tax profit of £98.7m for the 12 months to 30 June, 2024. The figure, revealed in new accounts filed with [...]
UK retailers respond to Trump tariffs: ‘The timing couldn’t be worse’ April 4, 2025 Retail bodies and tax advisers have warned that Trump’s tariffs come at a dire time for UK retail, saying price rises are “inevitable”. US President Donald Trump announced a 10 per cent tariff on goods from the UK on 2 April, and a range of higher tariffs on many of the countries retailers manufacture goods [...]
Luxury brands Watches of Switzerland and Burberry suffer on Trump tariffs April 3, 2025 The share prices of high-end retailers Watches of Switzerland and Burberry both slid today in the wake of Trump’s tariff announcement. Watches of Switzerland saw its share price drop more than 15 per cent, while Burberry’s share price fell by nearly seven per cent. “There are heavy losses for the luxury sector,” Kathleen Brooks, research [...]
UK grocery sales slow in March but there are ‘reasons to be optimistic’ April 3, 2025 Total sales at UK supermarket tills slowed in March, but analysts pinned this to a later-than-usual rather than a structural slowdown. Sales growth at tills slowed to 2.7 per cent in the four weeks to April 2, down from a four per cent rise in February, according to NIQ. In-store visits grew 6.8 per cent [...]
Currys upgrades outlook as sales outperform April 3, 2025 High sales growth at Currys has led the electrical retailer to increase its expected profit for the full year. Its share price rose more than 10 per cent in early trades. The company told markets this morning that adjusted profit before tax is now expected to be around £160m, versus previous guidance of £145m to [...]
City broker downgrades St James’s Place despite robust inflows April 2, 2025 RBC has downgraded St James’s Place’s target stock price, while Quilter and Rathbones both received upgrades. RBC analyst Ben Bathurst downgraded his price target on Britain’s largest wealth manager from 1,100p to 1,050p today. St James’s Place’s stock price underperformed today on the news, falling more than two per cent compared to a decline of less [...]
Theo Paphitis: Losses slashed in half at Ryman despite falling sales April 2, 2025 The group behind Ryman, the stationery retailer owned by former Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis, has slashed its loss almost in half despite falling sales. The Cheshire-headquartered group has reported a pre-tax loss of £1.49m for the year to 30 March, 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The figure comes after Ryman Group posted [...]
Trespass: Profit plummets as sales remain static at outdoor clothing brand April 1, 2025 Profit at the company behind outdoor clothing giant Trespass plummeted as sales remained static during its latest financial year. Jacobs & Turner has reported a pre-tax profit of £1.2m for the year to 30 June, 2024, down from the £9.6m it achieved in the prior 12 months. New accounts for the business, which have been [...]
Higher chocolate prices push up grocery prices in March April 1, 2025 According to the latest data from market research company Kantar, higher prices for premium products pushed grocery prices up in March despite discounts on everyday items. Grocery price inflation rose slightly to 3.5 per cent over the four weeks to March 23 compared with a year ago. “With prices continuing to rise, supermarkets are mindful [...]
Harvey Nichols: Losses near £100m at luxury department store chain as sales fall April 1, 2025 Harvey Nichols has now lost almost £100m since it last made a pre-tax profit, it has been revealed, after being hit by the cost-of-living crisis and high inflation during its latest financial year. Delayed accounts for the iconic retailer, which was founded in 1831, have revealed its pre-tax loss went from £21.2m to £35.3m in [...]