Shoppers warned to be wary of social media scams this Black Friday November 24, 2024 Fraud is set to reach an all-time high this Black Friday, with online social media scams the most likely place for fraud to occur, according to new data. UK shoppers are expected to spend £9.14bn over the four-day Black Friday weekend – a 4.5 per cent increase on last year, according to Globaldata. But fraud [...]
Asda brings back industry veteran Leighton as chair November 23, 2024 Asda brought back retail industry veteran Allan Leighton as its executive chair on Saturday, replacing Stuart Rose at Britain’s third largest supermarket. Rose will remain on the board to ensure an orderly transition before stepping down, the company, majority owned by private equity firm TDR Capital, said in a statement. In addition to holding the [...]
Budget uncertainty has gone but odds have been stacked against business November 22, 2024 If Rachel Reeves thought certainty would cure the UK economy’s growth problem, she was wrong. She’s just pitted consumers against retailers. This data-heavy week has reflected that uncertainty over the Budget has not been cured by policy which heaps pressure on business. We’ve had inflation rising, debt compounded, inheritance tax receipts soaring, farmers protesting, the [...]
How Tiktok is driving Brits to spend local instead of luxury this golden quarter November 22, 2024 Black Friday is known for being the one of the few days of the year when budget-conscious shoppers can flock to their favourite online retailer or high street shop and not feel (too) guilty with the price of their purchases. High-priced, big-name brands have traditionally taken the lead in terms of ringing in the festive [...]
Retail sales fall on Budget uncertainty before run-up to Christmas November 22, 2024 Retail sales fell by almost one per cent last month as cash-strapped Brits held back big ticket purchases amid a cloud of Budget uncertainty. The Office for National Statistics said this morning they dropped by 0.7 per cent in October, following a 0.1 per cent rise the previous month, which had been revised down from [...]
JD Sports: Shares slump as profit at FTSE 100 giant to be at lower end of expectations November 21, 2024 JD Sports has revealed its full-year profit will now be towards the lower end of its expectations after softening consumer demand hit its sales. The Greater Manchester-headquartered FTSE 100 giant had previously set a target for its pre-ta profit of between £995m and £1.035bn but it has now confirmed the total will be towards the [...]
Mark Kleinman: Handbags (and more) at dawn for activist Ashley November 21, 2024 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week he tackles Mike Ashley’s newfound penchant for activist investing, Homebase’s turnaround and and Burberry’s flip-flopping Handbags (and more) at dawn for activist Ashley Paul Singer, Bill Ackman…and Mike Ashley? On the list [...]
Superdry issues warning as struggling fashion label cuts jobs after quitting London November 20, 2024 Superdry has warned its sales will continue to fall significantly during its current financial year after quitting the London Stock Exchange in an attempt to stay afloat. The Cheltenham-headquartered fashion brand delisted earlier this year as part of a radical restructuring plan to keep the company trading. At the time, the company said that cutting [...]
Lidl boss warns retailers are ‘reeling’ after Budget tax raid November 20, 2024 The boss of budget supermarket Lidl has warned retailers are “reeling” following Labour’s tax raid in the Autumn Budget. The German supermarket’s UK boss Ryan McDonnell said the discount brand was staring down the barrel of “tens of millions of pounds” in extra costs. This comes after the Chancellor unveiled a £25.7bn tax-raising package, with [...]
The Range owner confident of sales success but Homebase rescuer struggles to return to profit November 19, 2024 The owner of The Range has forecasted a continued rise in its sales as it carries on taking advantage of “high profile retail casualties” after rescuing Wilko and Homebase. CDS (Superstores International) hit the headlines again recently when it snapped up part of strike DIY chain Homebase out of administration. The move came after the [...]