Guidance
This coverage focuses on trading guidance, financial outlooks, and performance updates issued by UK retail businesses. Retail Sector reports on company forecasts, profit warnings, earnings revisions, and strategic updates that shape investor sentiment and corporate planning across the retail industry. Coverage includes analysis of market reactions, executive commentary, and sector-wide trends influencing guidance from leading retailers. For retail professionals, this category provides critical insights into financial health, market expectations, and business confidence driving decision-making within the UK retail economy.
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Mar- 2020 -26 MarchCoronavirus
Covid-19: Banks under fire over emergency loan scheme
Banks have come under fire over government-backed emergency loans which require business owners to sign for a personal guarantee, as the UK battles with the Covid-19 pandemic. The British Business Bank (BBB) opened applications for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) on Monday (23 March), and claimed the loan…
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26 MarchCoronavirus
Intu receives only third of rent
Intu revealed that it has received only 29% of its second quarter rent that was due from tenants on 25 March. For the same period last year, it had received 77% on the quarter day, and the group is now in discussions with its customers regarding the outstanding rents.ย In…
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25 MarchCoronavirus
Halfords forecast 25% sales slump
Halfords has warned that sales will โdrop sharplyโ in light of the coronavirus outbreak, with a forecasted sales decline of 25%. After modelling a range of disruption scenarios that assume โsignificant sales declinesโ between April and June, it predicts its next full-year results will see a loss of ยฃ300m in…
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23 MarchHigh Street
Laura Ashley slashes 721 roles as 70 stores shutter
Embattled retailer Laura Ashley has shuttered 70 of its stores leaving almost 721 people out of work, administrator PWC has said. The โBig Fourโ accountancy firm said it will be working with those employees to help them understand โwhat this means for their rolesโ and provide all โnecessary supportโ including…
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20 MarchHigh Street
Frasers Group issues profit warning and drops FY20 guidance amid Covid-19
Mike Ashleyโs Frasers Group has issued a profit warning after revealing its board expects Covid-19 to cause a โsignificant disruptionโ to its business. The retailer said the impact, including customer footfall, will likely mean the group โwill not achieveโ its previous guidance of 5-15% EBITDA growth for the year ending…
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19 MarchHigh Street
Next warns on coronavirus despite full-year sales growth
Fashion retailer Next has warned that sales could plummet in the coming weeks and months as the UK battles the coronavirus pandemic, despite posting strong results for the year ended January 2020. Next full price sales were up 4% during the period, and brand total sales (including markdown sales) were…
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16 MarchClothing & Shoes
Primark owner shares dive after it warns of coronavirus impact
Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF Foods) has seen its shares dive in early trading after it announced that the closure of its European stores due to coronavirus could leave a hole of ยฃ190m in sales. Shares in the company dropped by 100% this morning (16 March) to ยฃ0.01p per…
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12 MarchHigh Street
Covid-19 could knock ยฃ130m from sales, says WH Smith
WH Smith expects that full-year results will see an โadverse impactโ from the effects of coronavirus, with up to ยฃ130m being wiped from its revenue.ย In its latest update, the stationary group predicted an impact between ยฃ100m and ยฃ130m on group revenue, while underlying profit before tax can expect a…
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11 MarchComment
Harassment in retail: What steps should you take?
Last year, we at Foot Anstey conducted a survey which identified that one in 10 retail staff, equivalent to 319,000 UK workers, have experienced inappropriate or unwanted touching of a sexual nature whilst at work.ย ย We have now reached a point in time where Harvey Weinstein (whose alleged criminal misconduct…
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10 MarchAnalysis
Banks to help us all out with coronavirus fallout
Once again the business pages on all major news outlets are pretty much dominated by the developing story of coronavirus – every sector has some kind of tale to tell. So here is the roundup from today. RBS said it will allow mortgage holidays for people who are forced to…
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