All articles by George MacDonald – Page 260
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News
Carphone Warehouse ejected from FTSE 100
Carphone Warehouse has been ejected from the FTSE 100, bringing retail’s representation on the blue-chip index to the lowest in memory.
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News
Sports Direct posts flat quarterly sales and profits
Sports Direct, the store group controlled by controversial tycoon Mike Ashley, managed to maintain sales and profits in its last quarter, despite torrid trading conditions.
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News
Comet to make first-half loss as sales plunge
Anglo-French electricals group Kesa disclosed that sales have plunged at its flagship businesses, including UK chain Comet, which will make a first-half loss.
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News
Galiform and Merchant Equity settle MFI row for £8 million
Building supplies group Galiform has agreed to pay Merchant Equity Partners 8 million in settlement of a dispute arising from the sale of MFI’s retail business to the private equity firm.
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News
Primark sales and profits to climb
Value fashion retailer Primark’s sales and profits will be “well ahead of last year”, parent company Associated British Foods reported in its pre-close update.
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News
Retail acquisitions likely in Central Europe as credit crunch bites
The impact of the credit crunch and inflation is threatening to pitch emerging retailers in Central and Eastern Europe into difficulties, providing acquisition opportunities for Western groups.
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News
City concern for retail spirals as sterling suffers further knocks
Despite a sector rally, analysts remained resolutely downbeat about retail’s prospects as recession loomed and the pound plunged to a record low against the euro.
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News
Shop Direct avoids strike with pay deal
Home shopping business Shop Direct has averted strike action, after staff members voted in favour of a revised pay offer.
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Analysis
Is this really the worst of times?
As Alistair Darling’s sobering comments on the downturn hit home, George MacDonald asks industry experts what truth lies behind the figures and what the impact will be for retail.
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NewsFat Face cuts debt
Fat Face, the private equity-owned leisurewear specialist, has taken advantage of weak debt markets to slash its borrowings.
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News
M&S faces strike after mole's dismissal
Trade unionists are mobilising against Marks & Spencer following the retailer’s dismissal of a staff member who leaked details of plans to change redundancy terms.
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News
M&S fires redundancy mole
Marks & Spencer has sacked the staff member who leaked details of proposed changes to the retailer’s redundancy payments to the media.
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News
M&S overhauls food ads
Marks & Spencer will break with its established food advertising campaign this Sunday, when the first of a new generation of ads will be aired on ITV1.
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News
Hunter takes charge at Wyevale as Hodkinson quits
Jim Hodkinson has stepped down as executive chairman of garden centre group Wyevale, Retail Week can reveal.
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News
Tesco withdraws site from eco-towns project
Tesco has pulled one of its developments from the Government’s “eco-towns” scheme, which has dealt a blow to the flagship environmental programme.
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News
Bid speculation nudges share prices up in short trading week
General retailers climbed over the week, partly buoyed by bid speculation about Woolworths and JJB Sports (see The City View below), but the grocers’ share price rise was more muted as the market digested last week’s data.
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News
Carphone poised to fall out of FTSE 100
Carphone Warehouse faces the prospect of eviction from the FTSE 100 next month, taking retail’s representation in the blue chip index to its lowest level within memory.
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Opinion
What hope for Christmas?
The dog days of August are almost over. Store chiefs and analysts are back from Monaco and Mustique (or Margate, for those whose options are under water). And the countdown has begun to the year’s biggest retail blowout: Christmas.
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News
Q2 wipeout bodes ill for shopper spending
Fears of recession have grown after UK economic growth collapsed in the second quarter.
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News
Russia still on West’s retail map despite political chill
International retailers are likely to push on with expansion in Russia despite a return to icy relations between the Kremlin and the West.