Trump the brash succeeds Obama the failure, but the inauguration itself is a thing of beauty January 20, 2017 Don't drag your feet on the way out, Mr President. Even in these uncertain times, the fear of what comes next can’t sugar-coat the agony of what came before. No doubt we’ve all been charmed by President Obama these past few months. Our awareness of who is to follow, combined with the more easy-going nature of [...]
Shareholder group hits outs at Sports Direct’s “disappointing” failure to conduct an independent governance review January 16, 2017 Sports Direct is under fire for its failure to find an independent organisation to conduct a review of its corporate governance. The retailer has been pressed by shareholders to shake-up its corporate governance after a string of profit warnings and a parliamentary inquiry that concluded its Shirebrook warehouse was run like a "Victorian workhouse". Read [...]
These are the key trends in retail in 2017 – and who will benefit from them January 16, 2017 The Christmas reporting season isn't over yet – the market is awaiting updates from Dixons Carphone and WH Smith – but the figures that have been reported so far have indicated some of the key retail trends investors should watch out for this year. Read more: Brexit vote boosts Hugo Boss The outlook for the UK consumer [...]
Mike Ashley’s patience runs out: Sports Direct appoints law firm despite previous investor sentiment January 14, 2017 Sports Direct has controversially appointed RPC to take control of its eagerly anticipated corporate governance review after two failed attempts at appointing alternative candidates. In an announcement to the stockmarket after it closed yesterday evening, Mike Ashley's firm said it had appointed the law firm, despite previous concerns from key investors over RPC's impartiality. Read more: [...]
Barcelona director fired for suggesting Lionel Messi wouldn’t be as good without teammates January 13, 2017 A Barcelona director has been sacked by the club after claiming Lionel Messi relied on his teammates to get to the top of the game. Pere Gratacos is a key figure in the club's famed La Masia academy but has been fired from his role as director of training and education after questioning their star player's ability. Messi's contract [...]
Anything Aston Martin can do… Lexus unveils its first sport yacht January 12, 2017 It was only a few months back Aston Martin dipped its toe in the water of day cruisers, with its first ever boat. And now Lexus has unveiled its concept for its very first sport yacht. The luxury division of Toyota said it delved into how it might expand into "new areas of lifestyle and [...]
Winners and losers from retail’s “Super Thursday” January 12, 2017 So many retailers decided to update the market on trading today that Shore Capital analysts published a note to complain about it. But as the morning has progressed, clear winners and losers have emerged from the data deluge. Here are our picks: Winners JD Sports put its gymwear rival Sports Direct to shame today as it scored [...]
JD Sports smashes expectations January 12, 2017 JD Sports shares jumped over seven per cent after the sportswear retailer smashing market expectations on full year numbers. The self-proclaimed "King of Trainers" said profit before tax and exceptional items will be be up to 15 per cent more than the £200m anticipated by analysts. After revealing 10 per cent sales growth at the half [...]
Former Bank of England deputy governor chosen as new BBC chair January 10, 2017 Sir David Clementi, the former deputy governor of the Bank of England, has been named as the government’s preferred candidate for the BBC chairmanship. He is set to head up the new BBC board, which is replacing the BBC Trust under the terms of the government’s new royal charter for the corporation. Clementi will appear [...]
Sports Direct may sell famous brands in bid to become more upmarket January 8, 2017 Sports Direct is looking into selling several of its brands as part of its bid to become the “Selfridges of Sports”. Founder Mike Ashley’s mission to turn the company’s standing around and to make Sports Direct more upmarket has reportedly progressed to ditching brands no longer deemed relevant to the UK market. According to sources, [...]