All City & finance articles – Page 536
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NewsStrong July does not spell the end, City says
The strong retail sales rise reported by the ONS for July met with a downbeat reaction in the City as analysts cautioned that it is still too early to call an end to the downturn.
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NewsFocus’s CVA dashes rivals’ hopes of market share gains
The success of Focus DIY’s CVA has quashed competitors’ hopes that capacity would be taken out of the DIY market.
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NewsLiberty losses narrow
Upmarket London department store Liberty has reduced its first half losses after the relaunch of its West End flagship store proved a success.
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NewsEsprit to invest in expansion as profits take a dive
Esprit has laid out plans to invest in is underperforming markets as the global downturn contributed to a group pre-tax profits fall of 26% to HK$5.97bn (£476m).
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NewsAsda cites low prices and quality as key to success across markets
Asda has claimed its food, home and leisure and George clothing departments are all outperforming their respective markets.
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NewsAnalysts bullish on WHSmith’s prospects
Analysts issued a wave of bullish notes on WHSmith’s prospects as the bookseller and stationer approaches its year end next Friday.
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NewsBrokers divided as Tesco ups food ante
The retail rally lost momentum last week, although store groups were well up year on year.
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NewsConsole price cut to benefit Game
Game’s shares were expected to rise after Sony revealed a much-anticipated PlayStation 3 price cut on Tuesday.
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NewsEuropean comeback to lift Kingfisher and Kesa
France and Germany’s emergence from recession is likely to benefit Kingfisher and Kesa, which both have big operations in the countries.
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OpinionCompetition still hot in grocery
So farewell then – for now – to Paul Foley. The Aldi UK boss’s abrupt departure last week led to speculation that the wheels have come off his juggernaut.
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NewsDebenhams upgraded as margin prospects improve
City brokers have issued a raft of upgrades for Debenhams ahead of its pre-close update next month.
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NewsChange Capital acquires German fashion retailer Hallhuber
Private equity firm Change Capital Partners has acquired German womenswear retailer Hallhuber in a €29m (£25m) deal.
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NewsFormer Boots boss Richard Baker joins private equity firm Advent
Former Alliance Boots chief executive Richard Baker has joined private equity group Advent International as an operating partner.
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NewsFocus CVA plan has ‘strong chance of success’
DIY group Focus’s CVA proposal has “a strong chance of success”, said Seymour Pierce analyst Freddie George after a company visit.
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NewsJessops like-for-likes down 4.7%
Jessops has reported like-for-like sales down 4.7% in the 12 weeks ending August 16, against the continuing difficult retail environment.
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NewsRetail helps stem British Land losses
Losses at shopping centre and retail park owner British Land have been stemmed in its first quarter, helped by a robust performance by its retail assets.
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NewsH&M like-for-like sales fall 3 per cent in July
Sales at H&M fell 3 per cent on a like-for-like basis in July compared to a 3 per cent increase for the same month last year.
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NewsBest Buy threat to UK players overblown, analyst says
The threat posed by US giant Best Buy’s UK launch to electricals specialists DSGi and Kesa has been overblown, believes broker Shore Capital.
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NewsNext upgraded on back of share price expectations
Broker Pali International upgraded Next from neutral to buy in expectation that the fashion group’s share price will rise ahead of next month’s interims.
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OpinionHome comforts
There are new signs of bounce in the hard-pressed homewares and furniture market, on which the springs went more than a year ago.