To date, a small, exclusive club of UK retailers have exceeded £1 billion in annual profits, a high street elite that includes Tesco (TSCO), Marks & Spencer (MKS) and Kingfisher (KGF). Some may view this £1 billion figure as merely symbolic, but breaching this barrier is no mean feat and demonstrates a retailer has a lasting place in consumers' affections and the scale to win in a competitive ma

Primark profits up 51%Good growth in food27p special dividend declaredShares in Associated British Foods (ABF) topped the FTSE 100 leader board, rallying 4.5% to £23.91, after the global consumer conglomerate reported a 33% surge in annual profits boosted by Primark's rising sales and significant margin recovery.While the discount fashion chain continues to dominate the narrative at Associated Br

Lower sugar prices impact profitabilityPrimark hit by poor UK weatherShare buyback extendedAssociated British Foods (ABF) dropped to the bottom of the FTSE with the shares falling 4% after the grocery-to-retail conglomerate warned on sugar division profitability and reported a second half decline in like-for-like sales at Primark.The shares have slipped by just over a tenth since the middle of the

Stock prices in Europe opened in the red on Thursday morning in a data-heavy week for the US, as investors await US jobless figures.The FTSE 100 index opened down 7.81 points, or 0.1%, at 8,261.79. The FTSE 250 was down just 4.44 points at 20,804.17, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.03 points, or 0.1%, at 758.63.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 826,40, the Cboe UK 250 was up marginally at 18,292.1

Gloomy start to summer spendingJune volumes worse than fearedPoor showing from weather-sensitive categoriesRetail sales fell in June as colder-than-average weather conditions and election uncertainty dampened consumer spending, with sales across department stores and clothing categories faring especially poorly.Last month's disappointing sales decline came despite hopes of a boost from above-infla

According to the ONS (Office for National Statistics), retail sales volumes were much stronger than expected in May, following a wet April, in news which will be welcomed by the sector's long-suffering constituents.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrap

Vodafone CFO buys sharesOutgoing Tristel boss sells sharesWeston family places AB Foods stakeLuka Mucic, chief financial officer of Newbury-based mobile network operator Vodafone (VOD), bought 510,000 shares at 76.15p for a total value of £388,365 on 4 June.Vodafone shares are down 1.1% year-to-date against a 5.6% gain for the FTSE 100.The purchase came less than a week after Vodafone announced i

Trustpilot director buys 78,000 sharesAssociated British Foods director buys 2,930 sharesPetra Diamonds director buys 65,000 sharesA person closely associated with chair of the board and non-executive director Zillah Byng-Thorne at global reviews platform Trustpilot (TRST), Max Thorne has bought 78,800 shares at 217p for a total value of £170,996 on 21 May.Thorne's purchase comes after the FTSE 2

Stock prices in the UK fell Friday morning after retail sales came in below forecasts after a rainy April.The FTSE 100 index opened down 53.88 points, 0.7%, at 8,285.35. The FTSE 250 was down 95.18 points, 0.5%, at 20,536.12, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.37 points, 0.3%, at 802.65.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.7% at 826.62, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.6% at 17,972.38, and the Cboe Small Companies

After almost closing at a new high in early April, the UK?s blue-chip FTSE 100 has finally made it into the ranks of indices hitting new all-time highs thanks to a 4.5% gain since the start of January.On 22 April the index reached its highest ever close and on 23 April it moved through its previous intra-day high.The UK clearly isn?t in the same league as the US, where the S&P 500 has notched up n

Margins beat across the boardInterim dividend raised sharplyFull-year outlook increasedGrocery-to-retail conglomerate Associated British Foods (ABF) delivered investors a double helping of good news with consensus-beating first-half results and a 46% increase in the interim dividend.In response the shares jumped 9% to £27.50, topping the FTSE 100 leader board and returning to their pre-pandemic p

Primark?s margin recovery narrative and sales performance for the second quarter ended 2 March will be in focus when parent Associated British Foods (ABF) delivers first half results (23 April).Shareholders will also be seeking reassurance the food-to-fashion conglomerate still expects ?meaningful progress? in profit and cash in the year to September 2024.The jewel in the ABF crown, Primark?s like

Sales down 4% in December and JanuaryFashion retailer unveils new CEONew broom Erver has work cut outShares in H&M (HM-B:STO) cheapened 9% to SEK153.5 (£1/SEK13.2) in Stockholm after the Swedish fashion retailer disappointed the market with news of a 4% sales slide for December and January that demonstrated there is still work to be done to turn the business round.In order to shake things up, H&M

Warm weather weighs on Q1 salesPrimark sales growth slows to 7.9%But ABF still confident of profit progressFollowing a slow start to its important first quarter period, Christmas saved the day for Associated British Foods? (ABF) retail arm Primark, the jewel in the foods-to-fashion conglomerate?s crown.Shares in Associated British Foods nudged up 1.5% to £22.99 after the company reported a solid

Primark?s Christmas trading performance, as well as management commentary around trading early in the new calendar year, will be the main focus when the discount fashion chain?s parent Associated British Foods (ABF) next updates the market on 23 January. With a tailwind from the cost-of-living crisis, value-focused retailers and discounters including German grocers Aldi and Lidl, bargain stores gi

Hard-pressed fashion retailer warns againLike-for-like sales down 7% in last six weeksCost-saving programme on trackEmbattled clothing and footwear retailer Superdry (SDRY) has disappointed the market yet again, warning trading has been ?significantly below? management expectations with full year profits to fall short of forecasts as a result.Shares in the hard-pressed hoodies, jackets and sweatsh

Stocks in London continued to rally during midday trade on Thursday, as the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged, matching Wednesday?s move from the US Federal Reserve.Sterling was quoted at $1.2706 shortly after midday on Thursday, higher than $1.2525 at the London equities close on Wednesday. Before the decision, the pound was trading at $1.2667.The FTSE 100 index was up 137.20 points,

We suggested investors buy into the positive price momentum behind Associated British Foods (ABF) in September on the basis the diversified food, ingredients and retail conglomerate was churning out good news and there was further upside for the shares.Our thesis was the broad-based growth business had passed through the worst of cost inflationary pressures and the Primark-owner was entering a per

Mixed start to the year knocks sharesFull year profit expected to be metSecond half weightingAnimal genetics specialist Genus (GNS) reiterated full year profit guidance at its annual general meeting on Wednesday but conceded that phasing is expected to be second half weighted after mixed trading in the period.Increased uncertainty of meeting market expectations saw the shares fall 3% to £20.47, m

London?s FTSE 100, which only registered a more underwhelming gain compared to continental peers after a US inflation slowdown on Tuesday, was back in form on Wednesday after similarly favourable data from the UK.Retail and property led the way, as an easing of inflation pressure in the UK has lifted hopes that the Bank of England has enacted its last rate hike and will not need to keep bank rates