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

Next CEO sells £29 million sharesDunelm founder's son sells 10 million sharesHollywood Bowl director sells 275,000 sharesSimon Wolfson, CEO of clothing retailer Next (NXT) has sold three tranches of shares during the period 20 to 24 September.Wolfson sold 204,349 shares at £100.65 for a total value of £20,568,376; 57,962 shares at £101.57 at a total value of £5,887.051 and 27,689 at £100.04

On 1 August the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee made a 5-4 decision to kickstart its rate-cutting cycle. A 25 basis point reduction in the base rate to 5% marking The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street's first cut since March 2020.This means cash savings rates are heading in one direction, down. And the lower-than-expected jump in UK inflation reported on 14 August only boosted market exp

Dunelm (DNLM) £11.70Market cap: £2.4 billionWe have been watching homewares retailer Dunelm (DNLM) for some time now and we think the cycle-low is in for the share price.In fact, the low occurred in April just after the firm released its third-quarter trading update warning of 'challenging' homeware and furniture markets but confirmed full-year earnings would meet the consensus. We believe the g

There has never been a better time to be an income investor in UK equities, as payouts for the period from April to June hit an all-time quarterly record of £36.7 billion according to the latest Dividend Monitor from Computershare.Most of the increase was thanks to one-off special dividends, leaving the underlying growth rate at just 1%, but for those clipping the coupons or reinvesting the incom

Stock prices in London were in the green at midday, as investors awaited the next interest rate call from the European Central Bank, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted leaders from across Europe at a summit.The FTSE 100 index was up 59.33 points, or 0.7%, at 8,246.78. The FTSE 250 was up 151.37 points, or 0.7%, at 21,244.71, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.77 points, or 0.4%, at 789.57.The

Sales rise on volume growthEarnings to top estimatesCEO optimistic for coming yearHomewares retailer Dunelm (DNLM) demonstrated once again how resilient its business is against a challenging consumer backdrop by posting an increase in sales and earnings slightly above expectations for the year to the end of June.The shares, which had been trading down on the year, added 75p or 7% to £11.80 taking

Now the ballots have been cast at the general election, the UK could become the 'reassuringly boring' market, both politically and fiscally, when compared to the more extreme politics on the other side of the English Channel and Atlantic Ocean.So suggests Jean Roche, manager of the Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP), who notes capital allocators know more or less what to expect, which could explain th

Resilient third-quarter salesSofter demand in MarchFull year guide spooks investorsLeader in the UK?s fragmented homewares market, Dunelm (DNLM) said it delivered continued sales growth and market share gains in its third quarter as the retailer also nudged up its full year gross margin guidance.Why then, did shares in the affordable curtain, quilt and kitchenware seller cheapen 5% to £10.20 in e

Investors will be hoping for news of a strong start from new spring lines, continued market share gains and growth in active customers when Dunelm (DNLM) delivers its third quarter update on 18 April.The leader in a fragmented UK homewares market, Dunelm will provide a read on the health of the UK consumer and the margin outlook amid Red Sea disruption and promotional market conditions.The company

Investors reacted positively UK annual inflation holding steady last month, defying expectations of an acceleration and prompting local stocks to rise.The FTSE 100 index closed up 56.12 points, 0.8%, at 7,568.40. The FTSE 250 ended up 80.06 points, 0.4%, at 19,003.89, and the AIM All-Share closed up 3.21 points, 0.4%, at 750.45.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.7% at 755.91, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.7

A more favourable than feared UK inflation reading bolstered London-listed equities heading into Wednesday afternoon, as stocks recovered from a red-hot US consumer price index print on Tuesday.Housebuilders were particular beneficiaries, on hopes the Bank of England can begin cutting rates soon. The yearly inflation rate in the UK is still running at double the Bank of England?s 2% target, howeve

Sales up in a flat marketGross margins increasedShares now yielding 5%Against the background of a UK economy where companies selling non-essential goods are struggling ? exemplified by The Body Shop appointing administrators ? today?s interim results from homewares and furniture firm Dunelm (DNLM) suggest the firm has done a good job in tailoring its customer offer.Not only were sales for the six

Homewares industry rival Next (NXT) set the bar high with its strong Christmas trading update and latest profit upgrade, so there is pressure on UK market leader Dunelm (DNLM) not to disappoint with its second quarter update on 18 January, which includes the festive selling period.Another stand-out retail sector performer, Dunelm rarely disappoints and Shares suspects the FTSE 250 bedding, curtain

In this third part of our investor survey, we asked some of the UK?s leading fund managers which sectors or stocks they thought were the most promising for 2024.The responses were as varied as they were thought-provoking, with only a couple of managers singling out technology stocks.As before we would like to thank all those who took part for sharing their views, and we hope readers enjoy them. WH

Trust returns to long-run outperformance trendBenchmark-beating 17.6% returnUK mid-caps cheaper than large-capsJean Roche-run investment trust Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP) returned to form in style over the year ended 30 September 2023, delivering a net asset value total return of 17.6% versus the disappointing 30% decline in the previous year.This beat the 13.6% total return from the benchmark

We are now a little more than a fortnight away from Christmas Day with TV adverts pushing festive products, high streets adorned with Christmas decorations and shops flush with discount offers.The so-called 'Golden Quarter' including Black Friday is the most hotly contested period of the year amongst retailers and those that suffer disappointing sales or resort to overly-promotional strategies typ

Discount homeware chain Wilko's summer collapse into administration prompted analysts to upgrade estimates for the listed retailer regarded as the obvious beneficiary, B&M European Value Retail (BME).The FTSE 100 variety goods value retailer has agreed to acquire up to 51 Wilko stores for up to £13 million in a deal funded from its existing cash reserves and will undoubtedly benefit from Wilko's

UK fund managers say we have got a once in a generation opportunity to buy great companies cheaply. This is all very well, but when is the UK stock market going to deliver a decent performance? We need a catalyst to trigger more buyers to bid up the shares.One such catalyst is the Bank of England providing a clearer message on the direction of interest rates and when they might fall, according to

Recent weeks have seen a couple of encouraging economic data points for investors betting on the resilience of the UK consumer.Second-quarter GDP (gross domestic product) grew at a faster rate than expected, even as interest rates have risen, pushing up mortgage costs on top of rising food and energy bills.Wage growth also surprised to the upside at 8.2% in the second quarter, a new record and wel