Spring starts well for mid-sized retailers as transactions jump April 7, 2014 MID-SIZED retailers recorded a strong sales performance last month, with a 3.2 per cent bump from February making it the best March for four years, according to accountancy firm BDO. The firm’s national head of retail, Don Williams, said that figures for retail traffic seemed to have detached from sales. “Footfall is no longer as [...]
Clothing sales at M&S set to come up short April 7, 2014 MARKS & SPENCER chief executive Marc Bolland is expected to come under renewed pressure this week when the retailer posts yet another fall in underlying sales for its key clothing arm. The high street retailer is expected to report a decline of around one per cent in like-for-like general merchandise sales – which included clothing [...]
The man putting new power into Battersea Station April 7, 2014 Rob Tincknell talks to Kasmira Jefford about British buyers and a new breed of nesters ROB TINCKNELL is leading the way up a flight of steps to the roof of Battersea Power Station’s marketing suite. “We have got to be really quiet,” he whispers, as he opens the door onto the terrace and points to [...]
London Report: M&S in focus as clothing sales forecast to fall April 7, 2014 HIGH street bellwether Marks & Spencer will be in the spotlight this week as the giant retailer updates the City for the three months to the end of March. Analysts predict that the company’s clothing sales will fall for the 11th quarter in a row, inviting questions about what the firm can do to revamp [...]
Tesco finance chief Laurie McIlwee poised to step down April 3, 2014 TESCO’S long-serving finance chief Laurie McIlwee is expected to step down as soon as next week, amid mounting pressure on Britain’s biggest supermarket chain to stem falling sales in UK and in Europe. Concerns over McIlwee’s position at the company emerged in October after Tesco unveiled a 70 per cent slump in European trading profits, [...]
Modest growth but no upsurge for euro firms April 3, 2014 THE EUROZONE’S firms recorded another modest expansion in March but missed out on a more rapid return to growth, according to a major survey of companies. The Markit purchasing managers’ index (PMI) pointed to further reasonable growth last month, with a score of 53.1. Any score over the neutral level of 50 suggests that businesses [...]
McBride shares washed out by profit warning April 3, 2014 SHARES in McBride plunged nine per cent yesterday after the maker of own-brand household and personal care products announced another fall in quarterly sales and issued a profit warning. The soap and laundry detergent company said revenues fell four per cent in the third quarter of the year and that given the ongoing tough retail [...]
Mild winter and new store openings drive Dunelm’s sales higher April 3, 2014 HOMEWARES retailer Dunelm yesterday reported a 9.9 per cent rise in third-quarter sales, as improved weather conditions, new store openings and investment in its online business helped boost trading. The Leicester-based group, which sells everything from bedding to curtains, kitchenware and lighting at mostly out-of-town locations, said sales jumped to £195.4m in the 13 weeks [...]
What you need to know before the US open April 3, 2014 US futures suggest a mixed open for markets, which will have the latest jobs report to digest, with numbers from Markit indicating the health of the services sector later on. Stocks were left little changed today by the announcement by the ECB that it has, as expected, opted to keep rates on hold, despite falling inflation [...]
Booker boosts sales as customer satisfaction reaches record levels April 3, 2014 UK food wholesaler Booker Group has seen a rise in like-for-like sales of 1.9 per cent for the 12 weeks to 28 March. The group's total sales climbed 16 per cent. The company highlighted the fact that it achieved its best ever customer satisfaction scores. However, non tobacco sales at Makro fell by eight per [...]