What slowdown? New Look is bucking the high street’s trend, as profits leap June 7, 2016 Here's one retailer making hay while the sun shines: New Look, beloved of budget fashionistas, has reported a jump in profits – despite slowing confidence on the high street. The figures In a statement this morning, the UK's second-largest women's clothing retailer said revenues rose 5.4 per cent to £1.49bn in the year to the end of March, while pre-tax profits [...]
As social media platforms get better at monetising, what should marketers expect? June 6, 2016 Monetising is a top priority for the world’s leading social platforms like Twitter and Periscope, and recent figures suggest they’re getting better at it. According to the Internet Advertising Bureau, the UK’s social media ad spend rose 51 per cent last year to £574m, so what developments should marketers expect from these firms over the coming [...]
Could a focus on customer experience have saved BHS? June 3, 2016 Retailers have learnt harsh lessons about failing to stay relevant; the collapse of BHS is just the latest casualty. Like Woolworths and GAME before it, when BHS went into administration, the most common reaction was shock. However, the downfall of BHS cannot be considered a surprise. The company failed to keep up with the internet revolution and being outmanoeuvred [...]
Should you invest in crowdfunding? June 1, 2016 From craft beer to knitting and films, crowdfunding allows you to invest in the things which matter to you. It’s grown massively in the last five years and revolutionised the possibilities for start-up businesses. Rather than rely on friends for their generosity, or wait months for a bank to say no to a loan, entrepreneurs have [...]
What Next for the UK’s struggling high street? May 5, 2016 Retailers are having a tough old time of it. After last week’s casualties (BHS and Austin Reed) it seems likely that others could follow, and yesterday’s update from one of the high street’s more reliable traders underscored just how jittery the market has become. As a rule, Next tends to downplay its confidence about any [...]
Next widens and lowers full year guidance amid weaker demand for clothing and a slowdown in spending May 4, 2016 Next has widened and lowered its full year guidance on profits amid greater uncertainty in the retail sector, following its previous warning that the year ahead could be the worst since 2008. Presumably investors appreciated the heads up: Next's share price was up 2.5 per cent in early trading and as the day wore on [...]
The death of Aim: Can equity crowdfunding eclipse the LSE’s junior market? April 28, 2016 The alternative finance market enjoyed near triple-digit growth last year, with the value of its loans, investments and donations hitting £3.2bn. Within this, the main sub-sectors of peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding significantly increased awareness of the concept of lending directly to individuals – excluding those entities like the banks which have for too long dominated markets [...]
Primark parent Associated British Food’s share price rises as profits climb but currency woes take their toll April 19, 2016 Profits were up across the board at Associated British Foods for the first half of the year – but currency woes have hurt top line growth. The figures Group revenue for the Weston-owned business stood at £6.12bn over the 24 weeks to 27 February, down two per cent on an actual basis or up two [...]
UK bricks and mortar retailers lack relevant e-commerce experience at board level, claims report April 12, 2016 British retailers lack relevant e-commerce experience on the boards, a new study by a leading global executive search firm has found, putting them at risk of falling further behind by their online-only rivals. According to DHR International, only five per cent of executive directors at the leading UK-listed bricks and mortar retail companies have an online background, placing the high street at a [...]
Asos’s share price surges as etailer reveals double-digit profit and sales growth as retailer consolidates return to strength April 12, 2016 Asos' share price surged more than 5.1 per cent this morning, after reporting six month double-digit sales and profit growth. The figures The etailer grew group revenue 21 per cent to £667.3m in the six months to 29 February, with UK retail sales up 25 per cent while international sales grew 18 per cent. Gross profit was up 22 per [...]