Launch of Topshop.com, ASOS.WORLD loyalty programme Re-iterated full year 2025 guidance Artificial intelligence roll-out across the business Shares in ASOS (ASC) gained 4% in morning trading as the online fast-fashion retailer reported better than expected adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) of £42.5 million for the first half. Adjusted group...

'Fundamentally undervalued' offer, says THG Approach fires starting gun for offers THG focused on growth and cash generation Shares in unloved THG (THG) ticked up 3.3% to 30p after the e-commerce company rejected an takeover bid for its Myprotein sports nutrition brand from Selkirk (SELK:AIM), the cash shell established by former THG director and early ASOS (ASC) backer Iain McDonald. Floated...

We start this month's round-up with news of not just one but three new faces, all of which joined the market recently.First up is One Health Group (OHGR:AIM), a provider of NHS-funded medical procedures, which raised £7.8 million before listing costs through a placing of shares at 180p to fund its first surgical hub.The site is expected to deliver revenue of £6 million to £9 million per...

Expects adjusted EBITDA of more than £34 millionSuccess of Test & React modelContinued cost disciplineShares in ASOS (ASC) soared over 24% to 317p in morning trading as the online fast-fashion firm said it expects 'significant improvement in profitability' in the first half of the year despite 'continued volume deleverage.'On Wednesday (19 March) Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, the...

The share price chart of online fast-fashion firm ASOS (ASC) is quite unnerving even for investors who don't own the FTSE 250 stock.Something has clearly gone very wrong since the start of the year, yet the news flow ? such as it is ? has been positive.In mid-January, the firm announced that, thanks to its new commercial model's success in reducing stock levels through FY23 and FY24, it would...

Record full-year revenuesFourth-quarter earnings beatWeak start to new year Spanish clothing retailer Inditex (ITX:BME) fashioned a strong performance in 2024 as its affordable, quality clothing collections continued to resonate with shoppers, and the cash-rich Zara-to-Bershka brands owner also upped its annual dividend by 9% to €1.68 per share.So why was the stock marked down 7% to...

Just over five years ago the stock market began to react in earnest to news of the Covid pandemic.The sell-off was short and sharp, with a modest recovery from the lows in the spring followed by sharper gains in November 2020 after AstraZeneca (AZN) made a vaccine breakthrough.However, a large number of UK stocks are still trading below the levels they were at by the close of trading on 21...

The number of companies on London's AIM market worth more than £1 billion has hit a nine-year low. A mere six stocks were worth more than £1 billion at the end of November 2024 compared with 30 at the end of 2021.From those 30 companies and excluding those still worth more than £1 billion, seven have disappeared through takeovers, three have moved to the Main Market, and the rest have...

Wealth managers least likedBank of Georgia gets full houseReal estate popular among analystsHumans generally feel more comfortable in groups which partly explains why stock prices often move in broad trends: knowing other investors and analysts have come to the same conclusion about a company breeds confidence in the investment case, whether or not it turns out to be correct.A rarer breed of...

A year after fast-fashion sensation Shein was first thought to have filed registration papers for a UK IPO, reports suggest the company is targeting the first quarter of 2025 for a London float that could value the business at £50 billion.Shein's position as a fast-growing retailer expanding across multiple geographies and taking market share from established players ? it is no coincidence...

AstraZeneca CEO buys 20,000 sharesTravis Perkins CEO buys 249, 218 sharesASOS director buys £430,135 sharesPascal Soriot, CEO of pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca (AZN) has bought 20,000 shares at £102 for a total value of £2.04 million on 15 November.Soriot's purchase comes after the pharmaceutical giant delivered earnings ahead of consensus forecasts and raised its outlook on 14...

Frasers stake is a 'conflict of interest'Board representation calls rejectedKamani has 'no intention' of making offerStruggling online fashion group Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has accused Mike Ashley's Frasers (FRAS) of using its stake in the Debenhams-to-Karen Millen owner and other retailers to promote its own 'commercial self-interest'.The defiant comments came as Boohoo hit back at Frasers' demands...

Stock prices in London were mostly higher at midday Tuesday as US voters are choosing their next president, as data showed UK service sector growth softened but outperformed its flash reading in October.The S&P Global UK services purchasing managers' index declined to 52.0 points in October from 52.4 in September, but beat the flash score of 51.8 points. The PMI composite output index fell to...

Debt deal characterisation 'inaccurate and unfair'Search for new CEO underwayFurther drama to unfoldHard-pressed online fashion group Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has given a robust response to Frasers' (FRAS) bid to install Mike Ashley as its new CEO, questioning whether putting the retail tycoon in charge would be in the interests of shareholders other than Frasers.Boohoo's bombed-out shares ticked up...

It's time to break out the birthday candles as Shares marks 25 years since its first issue hit the newsstands in September 1999.I'm just the latest custodian of this publication, having had the pleasure of editing Shares for a just under a year, and while there has been an enormous amount of change over the last quarter of a century both internally and in the broader financial markets, the one...

Sales remain weakTopshop and Topman brands sold to Bestseller£150 million reduction in debtOnline fast-fashion retailer ASOS (ASC) has sold a majority stake in the iconic Topshop and Topman brands for £135 million to Heartland, an investment vehicle of the Holch Povlsen family and their Bestseller business, ASOS' biggest shareholder with a 28% stake.ASOS shares rallied almost 15% to 417.4p...

Takes 14.65% stake in Aussie retailer'Mutually beneficial opportunities' for both groupsStrengthens ties with Hoka, SkechersDespite already having fingers in multiple pies, Mike Ashley-controlled Frasers (FRAS) has swooped on yet another opportunity to expand its international footprint.The deal-hungry conglomerate has taken a 14.65% stake in Australian sports and lifestyle brands seller...

As Shares goes to press, reports suggest online fast-fashion behemoth Shein is preparing an IPO (initial public offering) on the London Stock Exchange after its attempt to list in New York faced opposition from US lawmakers due to perceived China links.The IPO could value the fashion group at around £50 billion, making Shein the biggest-ever IPO in London by value, topping the £36.3 billion...

Filing could come as early as this week£50 billion valuation likelyBoohoo and ASOS feeling the heatReports suggest that online fast-fashion sensation Shein plans to file a confidential prospectus with the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), potentially as early as this week, as the retailer edges closer to an IPO (initial public offering) on the London Stock Exchange that could value the...

The journey of online clothing retailer ASOS (ASC) on the stock market has been a pretty extraordinary one. It started life as a penny stock on AIM ? when Shares first covered the story in 2003 it traded at 4.5p.Within a little less than five years the share price had reached more than £4, by 2014 it had hit £70 and, after another retreat, at its 2018 height it traded close to £80. Even its...