Mothercare margins squeezed as shoppers cut back
31st Mar 2011 07:02
Babycare retailer Mothercare saw margins squeezed in the quarter to 26 March after slashing prices to clear its autumn and winter stock amid a weak consumer environment. Total sales were up by 10.2% from the same period the previous year, with international operations leading the way. Sales in Brit
Read moreThursday preview: TUI Travel, Mothercare
30th Mar 2011 17:12
TUI Travel is the second big tour operator to give a trading update this week, following on from Thomas Cook's announcement on Tuesday. TUI shareholders will have been heartened that Thomas Cook felt no need to revise upwards the amount of money it expects to lose as a result of disruption from the
Read moreWeek Ahead: Thomas Cook, TUI Travel, Mothercare
25th Mar 2011 11:07
The UK's top two listed travel companies. Thomas Cook and TUI Travel are set to bring out trading updates, and both face much the same problems: rising oil prices, political uncertainty in some popular travel destinations and consumer concern about whether the budget will stretch to a holiday this y
Read moreSunday tips round-up: Barratt Developments, RSA, Greene King...
27th Feb 2011 11:59
There is no doubt that the UK housing market is in trouble. However, an investment in Barratt Developments is not a play on a recovery in the market - it is based on increasing margins. Because the group snapped up land cheaply during the downturn, if prices stay flat then margins will increase. Al
Read moreSwann raises £1.6m from WH Smith sale
17th Feb 2011 16:42
Kate Swann, the boss of WH Smith has raised more than £1.6m from selling shares in the retailer. Swann sold shares in November and the latest sale means that she has raised nearly £3m in three months. On 16 February, Swann sold 345,846 shares at 476.09p each. That raised £1.65m. In November, the
Read moreLondon close: Snow deluge buries Footsie
6th Jan 2011 16:43
Footsie succumbed to the growing list of businesses hit by the snow over the Christmas holidays and closed lower for the first time this week. December's snowfalls cost British Airways about £50m in the third quarter and a little more at the start of January. BA, due to complete its £5.7bn merger w
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Retailers feel the effects of the cold
6th Jan 2011 16:38
Retailers are dragging the FTSE 250 lower Thursday after disappointing trading updates following bad weather disruption. Mother and baby retailer Mothercare is the worst hit after warning that it now expects full year underlying pre-tax profit to be below current market expectations after disappoin
Read moreLondon afternoon: Winter woes fail to hold back FTSE 100
6th Jan 2011 14:51
It's three out of three days of gains so far this year for the top share index, with the impact of snow on retailers and other businesses over the Christmas failing to hurt overall sentiment. Miners such as gold group Randgold and industrial metals specilists Vedanta Resources and Xstrata are wante
Read moreBroker tips: Antogasta, Mothercare, Cineworld...
6th Jan 2011 14:23
Nomura has downgraded Antofagasta from a 'buy' to 'reduce' as it struggles to find value in the copper miner which has more than doubled over the last six months. "We think the risk to our forecasts is that copper prices experience an even more aggressive short-term price 'spike', fuelled by the in
Read moreBroker snap: Weather may not be Mothercare's only problem
6th Jan 2011 13:26
Peel Hunt suggests the reason for Mothercare's weak trading update could be that the group was simply out-competed, rather than purely suffering from weather disruption. The mother and baby goods retailer today reported third quarter pre-tax profit below market expectations because of weak UK life-
Read moreLondon midday: New highs for FTSE 100
6th Jan 2011 12:12
The top share index is posting gains for the third day in a row and is trading at levels not seen since May 2008. Gold miner Randgold leads the mining sector higher as the price of gold stabilises. Vedanta Resources and Xstrata are the other stand-out stocks in the sector. It is chip designer ARM
Read moreLondon open: Flat start for FTSE 100
6th Jan 2011 08:32
The top share index is little changed in early dealings but a raft of trading updates from retail and other sectors has given traders plenty to ponder. Mother and baby retailer Mothercare today warned that it now expects full year underlying pre-tax profit to be below current market expectations af
Read moreMothercare issues profit warning
6th Jan 2011 07:13
Mother and baby retailer Mothercare today warned that it now expects full year underlying pre-tax profit to be below current market expectations after disappointing Christmas sales. UK like for like sales in the third quarter fell 5.8% as freezing temperatures kept would be shoppers at home. Toy s
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 shrugs off weather woes
20th Dec 2010 16:44
Shares held onto gains to close in positive territory despite the bad weather hitting travel and retail stocks. Snow-affected stocks such as British Airways and many of the major retailers fell. Arctic conditions are hurting retailers at their busiest and most crucial time of the year. Next, Marks
Read moreLondon afternoon: Shares stay buoyant despite weather hit
20th Dec 2010 15:25
Footsie is still hovering around 5,900 points following a mixed start on Wall Street. Snow-affected stocks such as British Airways and many of the major retailers have trimmed losses. Arctic conditions are hurting retailers at their busiest and most crucial time of the year. Next, Marks & Spencer,
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