All City & finance articles – Page 493
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OpinionNo cause to downgrade retail
More than half-way through 2010, many store chiefs’ comments remain wary to the point of downbeat. While the gloomy noises will hardly spark a sector upgrade, the prospects for a further downgrade don’t look any greater.
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NewsBurberry on strong upward trajectory
Luxury specialist Burberry reported a 24% hike in revenue to £291m for the three months to June 30, following a strong performance across retail and wholesale.
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OpinionRetail M&A fears have become reality
Evidence suggests that the level of M&A activity in the sector has already slowed and we believe that it (and private equity investment, in particular) is likely to be more muted in the remainder of the year as what was previously feared has now become reality.
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NewsRetail’s stock rises as June sales tick along
Retailers achieved “decent sales growth” in June, the BRC reported, and store stocks rose over the week although they lagged the All-Share index.
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NewsCity pressure mounts on Ocado ahead of float
Pressure is mounting on Ocado to lower the valuation of its initial public offering (IPO) as investors and analysts continue to baulk at the ambitious price tag placed on the online grocer.
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OpinionTough times lie ahead but retail looks resilient
An early exit from the World Cup and weather that was more suited to the beach than the shopping mall didn’t augur well for a bumper June in the shops. Yet this week’s BRC sales figures, backed up by anecdotal evidence from leading retailers, suggest a steady recovery is continuing.
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News
Hotel Chocolat raises £3.7m via chocolate bonds
Hotel Chocolat chief Angus Thirlwell said he is “pleased with the strong response” to its chocolate bonds, which raised £3.7m.
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NewsAll resolutions passed at Burberry AGM
Burberry shareholders voted in favour of all resolutions proposed at the luxury retailer and brand’s annual general meeting today, including directors’ remuneration.
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NewsSuperGroup posts £22.5m in pre-tax profit
SuperGroup, the young fashion business which owns brands Superdry and chain Cult, has posted £22.5m in profit before tax in its first set of annual results since it joined the stock exchange.
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Opinion
M&S AGM highlights
Today’s M&S AGM was the usual entertaining - and quintessentially English - affair.
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NewsShareholders pass all resolutions at Marks & Spencer AGM
All resolutions, including the controversial remuneration report, have been passed by the shareholders in the room at another high spirited M&S AGM.
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NewsTopps Tiles Q3 sales improve
Topps Tiles like-for-like sales decline has softened to -1.2% in the 13 weeks to July 3.
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NewsDunelm grows revenue but remains cautious on outlook
Dunelm like-for-likes grew 8% in the year to July 3 and the retailer expects full year operating profit to come in “a little ahead” of market expectations.
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NewsRetailers prepare for AGM pay rebellions
Leading retailers are preparing for a showdown with shareholders this week as director pay becomes the focus of investor anger.
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NewsOcado critic Philip Dorgan loses job
The analyst who was one of the most outspoken critics of Ocado’s IPO plans has lost his job.
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NewsShares sale by Sainsbury’s chief dampens bid speculation
Speculation that Qataris investors are mulling a bid for supermarket group Sainsbury’s has been undermined by a share sale by chief executive Justin King.
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NewsTopps Tiles is ‘good recovery story’
A Topps Tiles analysts’ trip last week helped convince the City that the retailer is a “good recovery story”.
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OpinionFocus on margins will be key to higher profits
It should be a statement of the obvious that selling more stuff but not making any more money out of it is no strategy for retailing. Yet in the relentless vanity-driven obsession with market share and like-for-like growth, the basics of making money sometimes get forgotten.
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OpinionDon’t be pilloried over pay
How striking that it is typically top-flight retailers that become embroiled in AGM fisticuffs.
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NewsDebenhams disappoints but maintains support
Debenhams issued a “disappointing” interim management statement last week, according to analysts, after like-for-likes weakened over the third quarter.