Mothercare shares surge as baby goods seller returns to profitability September 13, 2022 Shares in Mothercare surged by more than 60 per cent today after the British baby-care products retailer said it had swung back into profitability over the past financial year. The Watford headquartered company posted profits of £12.1m for the financial year 2022, compared to a £21.5m loss in FY 2021. The retailer said the “significant [...]
Center Parcs forced into u-turn after threatening to kick out guests on Monday September 13, 2022 Center Parcs has been forced into an embarrassing u-turn after threatening to kick out holidaymakers on Monday as it closed for the Queen’s funeral. Hundreds took to Twitter to express their anger and frustration after the short-breaks specialist announced its villages across the UK would close on 19 September “ as a mark of respect”. [...]
Sainsbury’s injects £20m into boosting shop workers’ wages September 13, 2022 Sainsbury’s has said it will boost pay for its shop workers in London to £11.20 per hour, as well as offering employees free food amid the cost of living crisis. The supermarket said it was investing £25m into supporting its hourly paid workers, with some £20m being pumped into employees’ pay packets. Employees at Sainsbury’s [...]
Discounters Aldi and Lidl keep taking market share as Brits now pay £571 more for groceries September 13, 2022 Discounter Aldi has become Britain’s fourth largest supermarket for the first time while Lidl’s market share is also in the lift, according to new data out this morning. The findings come as Brits are now paying a record £571 more on average for their groceries than last year Grocery price inflation hit 12.4 per cent [...]
Fever Tree profit margins impacted by shipping and inflationary pressures September 13, 2022 Fever Tree has said price increases on its soft drinks only partially helped to off-set cost pressures caused by heightened shipping costs. The tonic-water seller said its gross margins had been hit by “inflationary cost pressures and continued exposure to elevated Trans-Atlantic freight costs,” in interim results published on Tuesday. A gross margin of 37.4 [...]
Sports Direct owner Frasers makes re-entry into FTSE 100 September 13, 2022 Sports Direct owner Frasers has made a return to the London Stock Exchange’s FTSE 100. The retailer re-joined the blue-chip index on Tuesday, according to its new chief executive officer Michael Murray. In a LinkedIn post, the CEO said the “significant milestone reflects the strength of our strategy and the strong performance that Frasers Group [...]
Ocado shoppers sent to cut back on spending at online grocer September 13, 2022 Ocado has warned its grocery shoppers will cut back on spending as they turn to cheaper supermarkets and add less to their baskets. In a trading update, the London-listed firm noted “accelerating trading down and smaller baskets, particularly over the last few weeks” and said it now expected to see “a small sales decline” in [...]
Lidl joins Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Primark to shut shops for Queen’s funeral September 12, 2022 Top supermarkets and retailers including Lidl, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s are set to shut their UK stores on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. Major retailers B&Q and Primark will also close shops for the bank holiday to mark the Queen’s state-funeral next Monday. Some supermarkets are also working on plans to cut some of [...]
Michael Murray: Frasers ‘increasing efforts’ to reach out to City investors September 12, 2022 The new boss of Frasers has pledged to repair relations between the retailer and the City. In an interview with The Financial Times, Michael Murray said the Sports Direct owner was “definitely going to be increasing its efforts” to reach out to investors. The retailer was presently recruiting for an investor relations manager, as well [...]
Gaucho boss: Restaurant menus featuring more seasonal produce could be ‘silver lining’ of high inflation September 12, 2022 Restaurants shifting to more seasonal menus may be the “silver lining” of sky-rocketing food prices, Gaucho boss Martin Williams has said. Hospitality venues have been forced to grapple with heightened prices for vegetables and proteins this year, in addition to energy bill increases that bosses say pose an existential threat to the sector. However, the [...]