Shares in WH Smith (SMWH) jumped 5% to £12.11 on 27 January after the storied retailer confirmed it was 'exploring potential strategic options' for its High Street business, which opened its first shop in London back in 1792.These options include a potential sale of all 500 High Street stores at a time when bricks-and-mortar retailing faces online competition, subdued footfall and a sharp rise in

Good start to financial yearTravel delivering strong growthHigh Street arm continues to struggleHaving kick-started an auction process for its ailing High Street division earlier in the week, WH Smith (SMWH) was in demand with investors again as the retailer reported soaring sales at its Travel division over the Golden Quarter.The FTSE 250 company's shares rallied 6.6% to £12.69 on an update that

Exploring options for High Street divisionTalks ongoing with prospective buyersFocus on faster-growing Travel armShares in WH Smith (SMWH) were marked up 5.5% to £12.11 on 27 January after the global travel retailer confirmed it is 'exploring potential strategic options' for its storied-yet-struggling High Street business, which opened its first shop in London back in 1792.These include a possibl

Strong trading over peak seasonFull-year revenue in line£50 million share buybackGlobal travel retailer WH Smith (SMWH) said strong UK travel demand over the peak summer season had left the group in a strong position, prompting management to announce a surprise £50 million share buyback.Investors welcomed the update and share buyback, sending shares in the FTSE 250 company up almost 14% to a new

Stock prices were mostly higher at midday on Wednesday as markets prepared for possible rate cuts in Europe and Canada, with a boost for Smith & Nephew but a slump for B&M European despite strong earnings.The FTSE 100 was up 24.43 points, 0.3%, at 8,256.47. The FTSE 250 was down 13.88 points, 0.1%, at 20,704.11, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.53 points, 0.4%, at 801.73.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3%

Travel revenue up 9% for 13 weeks to 1 JuneOn track to deliver on full year guidanceWell positioned for peak summer tradingGlobal travel retailer WH Smith (SMWH) said it had seen continued positive trading momentum in the 13 weeks to 1 June, with total travel revenue up 9% putting it on track to deliver full-year results in line with expectations.Investors welcomed the positive trading update and

Full-year results from Greggs (GRG) on 5 March painted a picture of a company doing so well in its domestic territory that one has to ask when it might export the successful business model abroad.Greggs? profits and market share are growing, it is investing in manufacturing and distribution expansion, and shareholders are getting a special dividend. While the company is confident it can add at lea

London stocks closed up on Friday, as consumer confidence reached a two-year high and the Federal Reserve appeared more likely to consider cutting rates.The FTSE 100 index closed up 105.36 points, 1.4%, at 7,635.09. The FTSE 250 ended up 114.92 points, 0.6%, at 19,338.02, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.60 points, 0.4%, at 750.70.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 1.4% at 763.67, the Cboe UK 250 closed up

Strong UK travel demand boosts revenuesOn track to open 110 new stores in 2024High street like-for-like sales drop 3%Retailer WH Smith (SMWH) said brisk trading at railway stations and airports helped boost group travel revenues by 16% in constant currencies for the 20 week period to 20 January 2024.Overall revenues grew 8% on a reported basis and 9% in constant currencies. While the company said

European equities went into Friday afternoon on the up, with measures to support China?s property sector and a forecast-defying final-quarter for luxury goods juggernaut LVMH lifting the mood.Focus in the afternoon will be on the Federal Reserve?s favoured US inflation gauge. A cooler than expected reading could swing the pendulum back in favour of a March rate cut.The FTSE 100 index was up 92.54

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

Next kicks off festive reporting seasonScope for upbeat news from B&MPotential Christmas winners include CurrysRetail bellwether Next (NXT) kicks off the post-Christmas reporting season on 4 January followed by discounters B&M European Value Retail (BME) and Shoe Zone (SHOE:AIM) on 9 January.Investors will be eager to learn if the sector benefited from some last-minute festive shopping when all th

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

First half PBT up 180%Full year guidance raised againOutstanding vaping performanceShares in Supreme (SUP:AIM) surged 16% higher to 127.5p after the fast-moving consumer products distributor delivered another significant profit upgrade for the year to March 2024 amid continued growth across all divisions in the third quarter-to-date.A leading e-cigarette and vaping market name known for its 88vape

Inflationary pressures playing to Card Factory's strengthsProfit to be 'materially ahead' of guidanceClintons' problems positive for Card Factory's competitive positionValue-for-money greetings cards and gifts retailer Card Factory (CARD) has cheered investors with yet another earnings upgrade as the cost-of-living crisis continues to drive cash-strapped shoppers to its stores.Following a strong f

NAV (net asset value) up by 18.5%Outperforms company's benchmark return of 15%Increases interim dividend of 5.5p by 10%Schroder UK Mid Cap's (SCP) net asset value for the six months ending 31 March rose by 18.5%, 'comfortably' outperforming the company's benchmark, the FTSE 250 ex Investment Trusts Index, which returned 15% over the same period.The company attributed the rise to successful stock

Modest improvement in full-year expectations as travel division reboundsRevenue up 23% in 13 weeks to 27 MayCompany 'excited' about growth opportunities in North AmericaA slight improvement in the outlook for retailer WH Smith (SMWH) belies a difficult consumer backdrop and reflects the reality its true growth engine - the travel division - is back firing on all cylinders.Up 1.1% to £15.45, arres

Despite inflationary pressures and a cost-of-living crisis that is squeezing consumers' real disposable income, shares in household name retailers with nationwide physical store footprints have rallied hard since the back end of 2022.They include British retail institution Marks & Spencer (MKS), variety goods discounter B&M (BME), cut-price greeting cards seller Card Factory (CARD), athleisure spe

Contrasting fortunes for 888 and Entain shareholders ahead of big updatesWilliam Hill's £19 million fine for gambling protection failures adds to compliance issues at new owner, 888Online gambling and gaming company 888 Holdings (888) will release full year results and a first quarter trading update on 14 April while larger peer Entain (ENT) will give a first quarter trading update on 18 April.In

An under-the-radar constituent of the IA UK Equity Income sector that is delivering stellar returns despite difficult market conditions is VT Tyndall Real Income Fund (BYX0D61). Small at £18.9 million of assets, it is big on ambition under the stewardship of manager Simon Murphy and competitive on cost, with a lowly annual management charge of 0.35%.Murphy took over the fund right before the pand