Get your skates on this Xmas November 22, 2011 Dedicated runners say part of the reason they slog through the pain barrier, come rain or snow, is to recapture the feeling of being young: to feel the wind rushing through their hair and the ground rolling under their feet. I think running is too much like hard work but after ice skating for the [...]
Asos lifts off overseas but UK is tougher November 3, 2011 ASOS yesterday reported a rise in profits fuelled by booming international markets, though UK growth slowed. The company, which sells designer labels at discounted prices online, said revenue for the six months to the end of September was £217m, up more than 50 per cent on the same period last year. Underlying profits – which [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: CAN ASOS CONTINUE TO GROW SALES DESPITE A SLOW UK? November 3, 2011 MATTHEW MCEACHRAN | SINGER CAPITAL MARKETS Asos is a top five most visited fashion website in the world. Coupled with further development of the offer, higher margin guidance, and strengthening demand in certain international markets, it is no wonder that confidence is high about delivery of full year market expecations. Buy. WAYNE BROWN | COLLINS [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD October 30, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● Barclays announces today. It traces its origins back to 1690, when John Freame and Thomas Gould traded as goldsmith bankers in Lombard Street. Eagle eyes await results. ● Imperial Tobacco announces tomorrow. Its brands include Davidoff, West, Gauloises Blondes, Montecristo and Drum. It was created in 1901 through the amalgamation of thirteen [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS October 20, 2011 ASOS Goldman Sachs rates the online retailer as a “buy” with a target price of 3,350p, and lowers its estimates following the company’s first half trading update. The broker now sees retail sales growth of 55 per cent for fiscal year 2012 and 47 per cent for 2013, revised down from 63 per cent and [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS October 17, 2011 SYNGENTA Nomura rates the agricultural chemical maker as a “buy” and increases its target price from SwFr380 to SwFr385 after a better than expected set of third-quarter sales. The broker sees solid growth for 2012, plus a pricing improvement and productivity gains, which should more than offset adverse currency and raw material effects. Nomura increases [...]
ASOS sees UK sales slowing October 14, 2011 Online fashion and beauty retailer ASOS announced strong growth in the first two quarters of the year, but UK sales are slowing. Year on year sales for the second quarter are up by 53 per cent, and for the first half by 60 per cent. However UK sales rose by only one per cent in [...]
A week full of stock results: what to watch October 10, 2011 TO say we live in interesting economic times would be an understatement. Confidence is low and money is tight. And retail stocks often show investor nerves more prominently than other markets. But it isn’t all bad news: volatility in the market can serve to make the life of the spread better more exciting. So with [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD October 9, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● Burberry will make its second quarter trading statement on Wednesday. China has been driving demand for luxury European goods, but there have been signs that this demand is beginning to abate, which will not bode well for the UK brand. ● Hargreaves Lansdown will release an interim management statement on Thursday. Many [...]
ENTREPRENEUR | OF THE YEAR September 21, 2011 DANIEL EK SPOTIFY The stand-out in an impressive field was Daniel Ek, the co-founder of online music business Spotify, which is redefining a business model. The company has been valued at $1bn and launched in the US in July. SHORTLIST Simon Calver, LoveFilm Nick Robertson, Asos Iain Dodsworth, Tweetdeck Michael Acton Smith, Mind Candy