UK inflation falls to lowest rate since 2002 thanks to plumetting oil prices December 16, 2014 UK inflation fell to its lowest rate since 2002 in November after petrol costs were cut due to plummeting oil prices. The rate of consumer price growth fell to one per cent last month, the lowest rate for 12 years and down from a 1.3 per cent rate in October. Any hopes investors [...]
Grocery deflation continues to tumble as Aldi and Lidl ramp up supermarket price war December 16, 2014 The supermarket sector has nudged back into growth after the surprise decline recorded last month. Figures out today from Kantar Worldpanel show that for the 12 weeks to December 7, the grocery market grew 0.1 per cent. The data company said this was down to “shoppers putting slightly more in their baskets compared with [...]
Audioboom agrees Audible content deal December 15, 2014 UK AUDIO content platform Audioboom yesterday said it had struck a content deal to provide audiobook samples from Amazon subsidiary Audible. The Aim-listed Audioboom’s new apps have an algorithm that learns a user’s likes and tailors content delivery accordingly, allowing for the showcasing of Audible content as part of the automated feed of audio. Audioboom [...]
Carpetright wins over investors as sales rebound December 15, 2014 SHARES in Carpetright soared yesterday after the high street retailer said it expected full-year profit to be at the top end of forecasts thanks to a pick-up in sales both at home and overseas. The retailer, which kits out homes with carpets, rugs and flooring, said group revenues rose 2.6 per cent to £227.9m in [...]
Online expansion helps H&M beat analysts’ forecasts in November December 15, 2014 SWEDISH retail giant H&M beat analyst forecasts yesterday, after reporting a 10 per cent rise in sales in November. The group, with 3,511 stores worldwide, said overall net sales from 1 September to 30 November – its fourth quarter – totalled 42.6bn Swedish kronar (£3.58bn), excluding sales tax. That compares with 36.5bn kronar a reported [...]
Best of the Brokers for 16 December 2014 December 15, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com SPORTS DIRECT Numis reiterated its “buy” rating following “robust” first-half results, with sports retail sales’ growth of 1.5 per cent during the second quarter. The broker noted that Sports Direct’s portfolio was set to grow to include between 30 to 40 new stores [...]
Carpetright shares soar 12 per cent as sales rise December 15, 2014 Improving economic sentiment lifted sales at Carpet right and its shares have soared by more than 12 per cent today. The figures Carpetright — the retailer which kits out homes with carpets, rugs and flooring — said group revenues rose 2.6 per cent to £227.9m for the six months to the end of October, up [...]
Weather bomb takes its toll on retail in the run up to Christmas December 14, 2014 Snow and rain across the north of Britain last week, the so-called weather bomb, took its toll on retail footfall as the number of shoppers heading to stores fell by 2.2 per cent. Retail parks shrugged off most of the drop with footfall rising 1.6 per cent during the week ending 13 December, but the [...]
Jobless figures and MPC report at centre stage – London Week Ahead December 14, 2014 BY THE looks of this week’s economic calendar, traders thinking of taking off early for their Christmas holidays may be forced to rethink their travel plans. In the UK the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) last meeting will also be scrutinised. However, the report which has the greatest potential to move markets is [...]
China’s industrial output slows as factories close to combat carbon emissions December 12, 2014 Manufacturing output in China slipped to a year-on-year rate of 7.2 per cent in November, failing to match the 7.7 per cent achieved in October and falling below the target of 7.5 per cent for the month. The figures, released by the National Bureau of Statistics, reflect the impacts of a widespread closure of [...]