Retail sales rose in July but conditions remain challenging as households continue to be squeezed by higher inflation and rising unemployment. According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)/KPMG retail sales monitor, like-for-like sales rose 0.6% last month on an annual basis. On a total basis, meanwhile, sales were 2.5% higher, against a 2.6% increase in [...]
Early summer sales on the High Street have led to a modest rise in retail sales, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said today. According to the ONS, like-for-like sales excluding petrol rose 0.8% in May, while they were 0.2% higher on an annual basis due to heavy discounting. The figures were broadly in line [...]
WH Smith, which sells newspapers, books, stationery and confectionery, today announced like-for-like sales fell 4% in the 18 weeks to 2 July compared with the same period a year ago. However, the company, which operates on the High Street and at travel-based outlets such as airports, train stations and motorway service stations, said it “remained [...]
Carpetright has today added to the doom and gloom surrounding the retail sector by announcing a 70% fall in annual profits. The company blamed “very challenging trading conditions” after profits for the year to 30 April came in at £6.6 million – down from £22.3 million a year ago. Meanwhile, annual revenues were down 6% [...]
Chocolate retailer Thorntons has today announced plans to close 120 stores over the next three years. The firm also said, as part of a strategic review of the business, a further 60 shops could close as it blamed challenging trading conditions for the latest measures. The announcement comes just one day after it was revealed [...]
Furniture chain Habitat is to be put into administration but three of its stores are to be bought by Home Retail Group (owner of Argos and Homebase). Home Retail Group is acquiring the rights to the Habitat brand in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Administrators have been appointed for 30 of the outlets, [...]
There is further evidence of consumers reining in their spending after Home Retail Group (HRG), the biggest household goods retailer, said sales fell 9.6% in the 13 weeks to the end of May. Shares in HRG sank 11% after the announcement – a 2½ year low – after it said trading conditions were challenging and [...]
Vince Cable has spoken of how bad the British economy has been hit after the global financial crisis. According to the Business Secretary, the crisis and the recession has meant the country is poorer and it has been a “challenge” for the Government to explain what a bad state the economy is in. Speaking to [...]
Comet owner Kesa Electricals has announced plans to shut almost a dozen stores and axe 150 staff after sales fell amid the challenging economic environment. Kesa said same-store sales at Comet dived by 15.2% in the 12 weeks to 30 April as the High Street continues to suffer as consumers rein in their spending amid [...]
Home Retail Group, owner of Argos and Homebase, has today reported a 9.5% fall in pre-tax profits as conditions on the High Street remain challenging. Profits fell to £265.2 million in the 12 months to 26 February compared with £293 million in the same period a year ago. Meanwhile, revenue was almost 3% lower on [...]
Allied Irish Banks (AIB), which was the fourth Irish bank to be nationalised, has today revealed a loss of €10.16 billion (£9 billion) for the 2010 year, compared with a loss of €2.3 billion the previous year. Meanwhile, the bank also announced it would axe more than 2,000 jobs in 2011 and 2012 in order [...]
Retailers Halfords and Carpetright have both issued profit warnings, as UK consumers are squeezed in the face of rising inflation and Government spending cuts. Car parts and bicycle retailer Halfords lowered its 2011 estimate for profits before tax to £124 million-£127 million, down from £127 million announced earlier this year. The retailer blamed the “tougher [...]
British retailing giant Marks and Spencer (M&S) has today reported like-for-like sales, which strip out new store openings, grew 0.1% in the 13 week period to 2 April. The figures were marginally better than expected and sent shares up 13.3p today to 353.5p. The 127-year-old retailer which sells clothes, food and homewares said general merchandise [...]
Next, which is Britain’s second largest fashion retailer, has today said consumers are tightening their purse strings in the face of soaring inflation and Government spending cuts. The retailing giant announced record profits but has warned of challenging times ahead for the High Street. It shares jumped 5% earlier today after posting record profits of [...]
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed UK car sales fell by 7.7% in February compared with the same month in 2010. However, traditionally February is a quiet month for the car industry, with many waiting for the new number plate in March. The continuous fall in sales was expected due to [...]
Persimmon, which is the UK’s largest housebuilder by market value, has announced full-year underlying pre-tax profit jumped to £95.5 million compared with £7 million in the previous year. The company said it sold more homes at higher prices and it is “encouraged” by the group’s performance in the first two months of the year, with [...]
Discount clothing retailer, Primark, has today warned of a slowdown in consumer spending, as Britons prepare to cut back amid rising unemployment and higher inflation. According to Primark’s parent group, Associated British Foods (ABF), “a noticeable slowing down of UK consumer demand” is evident despite strong trading in the first three months of the financial [...]
The slowdown in consumer spending looks set to continue after the John Lewis Partnership, which is regarded as a barometer of British retailing, reported a further fall in weekly sales. The renowned employee-owned chain said department store sales fell 0.9% o £49.5 million in the week to 29 January. In the week to 22 January, [...]
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has today announced UK car sales fell by 11.5% in January compared with the same month in 2010. It represents the seventh consecutive monthly fall. The SMMT said the number of new cars sold in the month was 128,811. However, the fall was in line with the [...]
Randgold Resources leads gains on 100, in London mining sector
European equities markets were lower Friday after the US Labor Department reported that there was no job growth in the United States in August, leaving the unemployment rate at 9.1 percent, and that for those with jobs, the number of hours worked and hourly earnings were both down during the month. The FTSE 100 was [...]
US unemployment rate holds steady at 9.1%
According to the Labor Department, the world’s largest economy added no new jobs last month, which was a surprise after markets had expected 70,000 new jobs. This represented the first time since 1945 that there has been a zero payrolls figure after 17,000 jobs were added in the private sector last month but these were [...]
Obama administration downgrade US economic growth prospects
There have been fears of late that the US economy could fall back into recession this year but the Obama administration does not envisage this and is predicting growth of 1.7% this year – albeit 1% less than its forecast earlier this year. Official data from the Commerce Department show the economy grew by just [...]
China manufacturing activity improves in August
Manufacturing activity in China grew for the first time in four months in August, two separate surveys have revealed. Firstly, the official China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said its purchasing managers’ index (PMI) edged higher to 50.9 last month from July’s reading of 50.7. The index remains just above the crucial 50 level, [...]
UK construction growth slows further in August
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed growth in the UK construction industry weakened in August. The PMI dipped to 52.6 in August from July’s reading of 53.5 – however, the figure was in line with expectations. Furthermore, the index remains above the crucial 50 mark, which [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown leads 100 for second consecutive session on full-year results
European equities markets were mostly higher Thursday, but the Dax dropped 0.94 percent to 5,730.63 in Frankfurt after private consumption dropped by 0.7 percent in German in the second quarter and the economy there saw more imports than exports. The FTSE 100 was up 0.45 percent to 5,418.65 in London, while the FTSE 250 added [...]
Brazil in unexpected interest rate cut
Brazil’s central bank has cut the country’s key interest rate to 12% from 12.5% - a move which surprised economists. However, the bank said there had been a “substantial deterioration” in the outlook for the global economy and that was its reason for the rate cut. One analyst said the rate cut is a “huge [...]
South Korea inflation jumps to three-year high
Statistics Korea has today revealed South Korea’s inflation rate jumped to a three-year high of 5.3% in August as food costs continued to rise. The rate is up from 4.7% in July and represents the eighth consecutive month that inflation has been above the central bank’s target of 4%. Inflationary pressures are rife throughout the [...]
UK manufacturing activity hits 26-month low
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK manufacturing activity contracted at the fastest pace in more than two years in August. The closely-watched CIPS/Markit manufacturing PMI fell to 49.0 last month from an upwardly revised 49.4 in July. The latest figure means the index remains [...]
BCC revises UK economic growth forecast
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has today revised its growth prospects for the UK economy. The lobby group is now forecasting growth of just 1.1% this year, down from its 1.3% forecast in June and much lower than the 1.9% it estimated at the start of the year. Meanwhile, it is expecting growth of [...]
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