Latest finance news – Page 456
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News
Polish businessman Mariusz Switalski to compete for control of Mercator
Polish businessman Mariusz Switalski, co-founder of the Eurocash, Biedronka and Zabka retail chains, as well as Czerwona Torebka, aims to acquire grocer Mercator.A fund associated with Switalski has started negotiations with Mercator and signed a confidentiality agreement.There has been no official comment from Switalski or his team.However, sources say he ...
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Multichannel retailer Otto Group reveals preliminary figures
Multichannel retailer Otto Group has revealed preliminary figures for the year to February 28.Consolidated revenues rose 1.7% to E11.8bn (£9.94bn).The group’s multichannel retail earnings rose 0.4% to E10.07bn (£8.48bn). Ecommerce revenues increased 7% to E5.7bn (£4.8bn), representing 57% of total retail turnover.In Germany, online sales were E3.7bn (£3.12bn).Chairman of the ...
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NewsFashion retailers anxious over cotton price hikes
Fashion retailers are anxiously watching the price of cotton following a 16% surge in the first three months of 2013.
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NewsThorntons to beat profit expectations after 'satisfactory' Easter
Chocolatier Thorntons expects pre-exceptional pre-tax profits to be ahead of expectations after a “satisfactory” Easter trading period.
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French retailer Auchan gets green light for Real hypermarkets acquisition
French retailer Auchan has been given the green light for its acquisition of Metro Group’s Real hypermarkets in Ukraine, along with its property division.Metro Group only has two Real stores in Ukraine, one in Kiev and the other in Odessa.
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Central Retail Corporation buys Copenhagen department store
Thailand-based multi-format operator Central Retail Corporation has entered Denmark by acquiring Illum, a famous Copenhagen department store.The company plans to invest THB2bn (£45m) to renovate the store over the next four years. Central Retail chief executive Tos Chirathivat said the renovation would help Illum boost its income from THB5bn (£112.6m) ...
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NewsClinton Cards owner American Greetings taken private by founding family
Clinton Cards parent company American Greetings has been taken private by its founding and controlling family in a deal estimated at $878m.
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NewsRetailers’ costs squeezed as business rates increase comes into force
As the new business rates increase came into force yesterday, retailers will be hit with an additional £175m business rates bill this year.
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NewsInquiry into the retail sector to look at business rates impact
Tackling the business rates burden is likely to be a major part of the recently-launched inquiry into the UK retail sector.
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NewsLaura Ashley full-year profits jump as like-for-likes rise 2%
Laura Ashley has recorded a 9.2% leap in full-year profits to £20.1m while like-for-like sales grew 2% in the year to January 26.
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Sales rise at off-price retailer Ross Stores
Off-price retailer Ross Stores’ sales in the fourth quarter ended February 2 rose 15% to $2.76bn (£1.81bn) and like-for-likes advanced 5%. Net earnings rocketed 23% to $236.6m (£155.7m).For the full year, sales increased 13% to $9.72bn (£6.39bn) with like-for-likes climbing 6%, while net earnings soared 20% to $786.8m (£517.8m). Michael ...
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Stong performance for homewares retailer Williams-Sonoma
Homewares retailer Williams-Sonoma’s net revenues increased 8.7% to $4.04bn (£2.66bn) in the year ended February 3. Performance was driven by a 14.5% increase in direct-to-customer revenues and like-for-like growth of 6.1%.Net earnings rose 8.4% to $256.7m (£168.9m).
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Metro Group reports decline in net profit
Metro Group reported a sharp decline in net profit by 86.3% to E101m (£86.1m) for the full year ended December 31.EBIT (before special items) suffered a double-digit decline across all formats with the exception of Galeria Kaufhof and real estate.Metro Group’s net sales rose 1.2% to E66.7bn (£56.8bn), supported by ...
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NewsB&Q owner Kingfisher posts full-year profits plunge
Kingfisher full-year group pre-tax profits plunged 11% to £715m in its year to January 31 as wet weather hindered sales in the UK.
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Group sales increase for DIY retailer Hornbach
DIY retailer Hornbach’s group sales increased 0.8% to E3.23bn (£2.75bn) in the year ended February 28.The Hornbach-Baumarkt fascia achieved growth of 0.6% to E3bn (£2.5bn) year on year. Consolidated like-for-like sales dropped 1.4% from the previous year’s level of 2.8%.
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Convenience store operator Couche-Tard reveals revenue increase
Convenience store operator Couche-Tard revealed net earnings rocketed 64.2% to $142.5m (£93.8m) in the third quarter ended February 3. Revenue increased to $11.6bn (£7.6bn) from $6.6bn (£4.3bn). Like-for-likes were up 1.7%in Canada and 0.8% in the US.President and chief executive Alain Bouchard said: “Our recent acquisitions continue to contribute significantly ...
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NewsBlockbuster acquired by restructuring firm Gordon Brothers
Restructuring firm Gordon Brothers Europe has bought DVD rental retailer Blockbuster out of administration, taking 264 stores.
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NewsMoss Bros store growth "hamstrung" by high business rates
The Government must tackle high business rates, which are stunting store growth at Moss Bros, said chief executive Brian Brick.
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NewsMoss Bros pre-tax profits rise to £3m but sales slow in 2013
Menswear retailer Moss Bros’ full-year pre-tax profits jumped £2.1m to £3m but sales have slowed in the first weeks of its current year.
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Grocer Rewe Group records sales climb
The country’s second largest grocer Rewe Group’s sales climbed 2.7% to E49.7bn (£42.55bn) in its 2012 financial year.Turnover rose 2.4% in its domestic market and 3.6% abroad. The group’s store base shrank 1% to 15,538, mainly due to adjustments of the network, particularly for chains Penny in Germany and Billa ...