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 [...]
WH Smith’s decline: A cautionary tale of bad branding March 31, 2025 As WH Smith disappears from the high street, Will Bosanko looks at why the brand failed, and asks whether there is a future for TG Jones.
WPP wins Heineken marketing deal amid AI push March 31, 2025 Beer giant Heineken has selected WPP as its global marketing and commerce partner, as it looks to leverage AI to enhance its retail and customer experiences. Under the new agreement, the ad giant will use its AI-powered operating system, WPP Open. Together, both companies will collaborate to optimise in-store activations, retail strategies and various e-commerce [...]
What’s next for Primark after shock CEO resignation? March 31, 2025 The surprise resignation of Primark’s boss, Paul Marchant, due to poor social conduct has caused shockwaves across the retail industry. Marchant’s departure was promoted by an investigation by Primark’s owner ABF into the CEO’s behaviour towards a female individual, which Marchant called an ‘error of judgement’. Chief executive of ABF, George Weston, said he was [...]