More finance – Page 158
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OpinionThe like-for-like masquerade
A focus on short-term figures simply damages retailers’ prospects in the long run, says Neil Gillis
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OpinionInvestors see value in retail’s ugly ducklings
The City tends to see things in a very black and white way. And if the stock market continues to price established businesses at levels that assume they won’t exist much longer, then eventually someone else is going to see opportunity in them.
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OpinionBolland spreads M&S’s wings
M&S boss Marc Bolland started to make his presence felt with last week’s rejig of the general merchandise senior management structure. The rationale for the changes was to create the right framework for delivery of M&S’s business plan.
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AnalysisChristmas Trading: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Terrible weather hit retail hard this Christmas, but some managed to prosper regardless. Rebecca Thomson wraps up Christmas 2010 with the help of OC&C’s Christmas trading index
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OpinionBanks are on board – for now
The extent of new lending by the banks continues to preoccupy politicians but for some hard-pressed retailers existing borrowing is front of mind.
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AnalysisInterest rates
With inflation still surging ahead of the Bank of England’s 2% target, a predicted interest rate hike this year could pose a threat to retail
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AnalysisNRF: Polar opposites
The big topic at this year’s NRF convention was the polarisation of global retail. Joanna Perry reviews the key themes, while on page 24, Rebecca Thomson examines the top technological innovations on show
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OpinionDixons down but not out
Now that most Christmas numbers are out, retail sector investors face a fundamental question: yes, the snow affected sales but were there deeper reasons for disappointing trading at particular companies?
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OpinionDon’t fall into the VAT trap
Get beyond the VAT rise and focus on the retail essentials to succeed, says Angela Spindler
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OpinionOcado beats the bears
If there is one retailer that could have convincingly used the snow as an excuse for lost sales over the Christmas period it is Ocado.
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AnalysisConsumer confidence in 2011
Public sector job cuts, the VAT rise and possible interest rate hikes mean consumer confidence will remain jittery this year, but Easter could be retail’s reprieve
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OpinionTesco is still the food retail star
Predictably the new year not only started with the VAT rise but also with a pledge from Tesco to save customers money by slashing prices.
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AnalysisRetail resolutions for 2011
All the signs are that 2011 will be a tough year for retail, so how can businesses prepare? Charlotte Hardie and Rebecca Thomson report
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OpinionNo trolley dash for retail
Many retailers have weathered the trading storms well post credit crunch but their efforts have frequently not been matched by investor enthusiasm.
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AnalysisBoxing Day trading
With Boxing Day falling on a Sunday this year, trading hours will be shorter. What impact will this have on retailers in-store and online?
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OpinionThe heat is on to make up lost sales
A successful retail Christmas is all about planning, but even the best laid plans can’t take account of the extreme cold snap that has paralysed large parts of the country over the past fortnight.
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AnalysisPassing on the VAT increase
With VAT set to rise retailers will struggle to absorb the increase, especially as other costs are rising. Some are already putting prices up to make January’s change less noticeable, Nicola Harrison discovers
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OpinionWhat goes up...
SuperGroup has been the retail sector’s share price superstar ever since it floated in March.
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OpinionDifferentiation will be key in 2011
It’s that time of year for peeping over the parapet to stare at the new year.The trouble with predictions is that so often the reality turns out to be much wilder than the forecasts.
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OpinionTesco leads overseas charge
Fresh from being shown around its Asian operations, brokers agree that international is Tesco’s most significant growth opportunity.