LFL sales shift into reverse at Greggs
14th Mar 2012 07:27
Hot snacks seller Greggs ended 2011 on a roll with like-for-like sales growth picking up sharply in the fourth quarter, but 2012 has got off to a slow start. Sales growth in 2011 was a bit more than the market expected after a strong finish to the year while the profit before tax figure was a tad u
Read moreLondon close: Euro worries pull Footsie lower
11th Jan 2012 16:58
Eurozone debt worries weighed on London's stock market today with some disappointing economic data from the region's largest economy dampening the mood. Energy stocks led the decline on the FTSE 100, tracking oil prices lower. SOVEREIGN DEBT CRISIS RUMBLES ON News that German gross domestic produc
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks retreat, Unilever drops after downgrade
11th Jan 2012 11:49
After trading within a narrow 20-point range for most of the morning, it seems if the Footsie has found its direction, dropping around 40 points by midday, with Eurozone concerns once again in the spotlight. Euro-area gross domestic product growth slowed to 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in the third quar
Read moreLondon open: Footsie pulls back early on
11th Jan 2012 08:16
The FTSE 100 nudged lower in early trading on Wednesday despite a decent start for retailers, as investors pause for breath following yesterday's sharp rise, which was sparked by the announcement that Fitch does not intend to downgrade France this year. After a strong showing yesterday, the heavywe
Read moreLondon pre-open: Sainsbury lights up at Christmas
11th Jan 2012 07:22
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down 13 points from yesterday's close of 5,696 as investors pause for breath following yesterday's sharp rise, which was sparked by the announcement that Fitch does not intend to downgrade France this year. Supermarket chain Sainsbury was widely expecte
Read moreGreggs on a Christmas roll - UPDATE
11th Jan 2012 07:11
Bakery and hot snacks vendor Greggs was on a roll over Christmas, with like-for-like (LFL) sales growth of 5.1% in the five weeks to January 7th. Total sales grew by 10.8% for the period. For 2011 as a whole, total sales were up 5.8% from 2010 but the crucial LFL sales figure only rose 1.4%. The
Read moreGreggs to open on motorways
19th Oct 2011 07:32
Not content with having an outlet on just about every high street in the country, baked snacks retailer Greggs is to start peddling its wares at motorway service stations. The company is to start a trial with Moto, the operator of service stations, with two outlets being opened under a franchise ag
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks tread water ahead of US jobs data
7th Oct 2011 12:46
Losses are reasonably modest considering that some heavyweights from the banking sector are in the doldrums following a downgrade of 12 financial institutions by ratings agency Moody's. Stocks seem to be treading water ahead of a key employment report due out in the US before the opening bell in N
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie up 2% as BoE injects more money
6th Oct 2011 12:07
The Footsie has held onto gains following the Bank of England's surprise move to increase its asset purchase programme by a bigger-than-expected £75bn. In an announcement at midday, the central bank revealed that it has maintained its key Bank Rate at the historically low level of 0.5%, but raised
Read moreLondon open: Miners in demand ahead of rate decisions
6th Oct 2011 08:35
Strong gains were made on the Footsie in early trade as investors await key policy rate decisions from the Bank of England (BoE) and the European Central Bank (ECB). Meanwhile, the market extended Wednesday's gains on hopes that the European Union is planning for a co-ordinated recapitalisation of
Read moreGreggs on a roll
6th Oct 2011 07:30
Bakery chain Greggs served up a 0.8% increase in third quarter like-for-like sales and remains confident in its full year prospects despite the persistently tough retail environment. The Newcastle based baker reported total third quarter sales of 5.4%. Year to date sales increased 4.6% while equiva
Read moreLondon pre-open: Rally still has legs
6th Oct 2011 07:22
A strong showing on Wall Street yesterday has given renewed heart to London, where the top-share index is set to open around 50 points up from yesterday's close of 5,102. Bikes and car parts seller Halfords was thankful for its recently acquired Autocentres business, which notched up a 3.1% year-o
Read moreThursday preview: Central banks may be poised to act
5th Oct 2011 15:58
Attention on Thursday will be directed toward the Bank of England (BoE) and the European Central Bank (ECB), both of which are expected, by some at least, to announce changes to recent policy. Though there has been talk of the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street cutting the UK benchmark interest rate f
Read moreLondon midday: Banks plummet, retailers buck trend
4th Oct 2011 12:29
A decent performance from the retail sector was not enough to pull the market higher by lunchtime, as investors bailed out of banking, engineering and mining stocks on concerns over the global economy. Jean-Claude Juncker, chairman of the Eurogroup finance minister committee, has said that there wi
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Lloyds, Anglo Pacific, Greggs...
12th Aug 2011 06:50
Lloyds makes most its profit in the UK, and the news on the British economy has been fairly grim. Like all UK banks, it also faces regulatory uncertainty. It has to sell 632 branches under its competition agreement with the EU and the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) wants it to offload a fur
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