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general retailers Garden gnomes dressed in England football kit and wheelbarrows featuring the cross of St George are part of Kingfisher's plan to draw World Cup punters to its B&Q [...]

New chief rules out rapid changes Pre-tax profit falls slightly to [pounds sterling]703m Marc Bolland, the new chief executive of Marks and Spencer, insisted he would not be bounced into [...]

Kraft Foods reported net revenues of $11.3bn for the first quarter of 2010, a 26 per cent gain over the comparable period in 2009, much of it fuelled by the [...]

Alliance Boots is poised to report another year of double-digit profit growth as it looks to extend the Boots brand further around the world, write Andrea Felsted and Elizabeth Rigby [...]

Tesco , the world's third-biggest grocer by sales, delivers its annual results tomorrow , writes Elizabeth Rigby . Analysts expect group sales to rise 9 per cent to [pounds sterling]59bn, [...]

General retailers Performance beats analysts's forecasts Group raises share of clothing market Sir Stuart Rose said yesterday that Marks and Spencer was beginning to reap the rewards of its 'self-help', [...]

Wm Morrison's new chief executive has been given a total package of up to ￡6.1m from the supermarket chain. Dalton Philips, who joined from Canadian retailer Loblaw at the end [...]

Ocado narrowed its operating losses in 2009 as the online retailer delivered a sharp rise in sales ahead of its planned [pounds sterling]1bn initial public offering later this year. Ocado, [...]

News analysis Despite recent activity, there is still caution in the retail world about a recovery, writes Elizabeth Rigby The weather may have cheered up, but retail executives are still [...]

Interview Paul Polman Chief executive, Unilever The Dutchman's no-nonsense approach has brought a few ramifications, write Jenny Wiggins and Elizabeth Rigby Paul Polman likes to think of himself as a [...]

BEVERAGES Biggest three-month decline since 1997 Supermarkets' price incentives failing Beer sales in supermarkets and off-licences fell 11 per cent in the first quarter compared with the same period last [...]

GENERAL RETAILERS News analysis UK group hit by losses on its new US convenience chain, writes Elizabeth Rigby In the midst of the worst recession of a generation, Sir Terry [...]

Focus on Asia after tough year at home Trading profit set to rise to over [pounds sterling]3bn Tesco will next week emphasise the strength of its international business when it [...]

Chief defends falls as economy falters Price rises set to offset weak pound Simon Wolfson, chief executive of Next, defended a fall in profits and underlying sales as 'good' against [...]

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERS J Sainsbury has demonstrated how food retailing remains immune to the recession by delivering its best quarterly sales figures in at least a decade. Justin King, [...]

non-life insurance Lloyd's of London played down its exposure to claims arising from the financial crisis as hurricane losses and lower investment income halved profits at the world's oldest insurance [...]

GENERAL RETAILERS Department store division to cut staff Waitrose sales increase 5.2% Charlie Mayfield said he had little hope of a pick-up in business at John Lewisstores and Waitrose supermarkets [...]

After a torrid period following its [pounds sterling]3.35bn acquisition of Safeway in 2004, Wm Morrison is back on top form under Marc Bolland, chief executive, writes Elizabeth Rigby . Britain's [...]

HOUSEHOLD GOODS 'Value for money' lines introduced Reckitt Benckiser has shrugged off the economic malaise that is starting to worry consumer goods rivals by promising to expand sales at twice [...]

Kraft Foods, the world's second-largest food maker, yesterday cut its profit forecasts for the full year on the back of the strengthening dollar and US shoppers seeking out cheaper foods. [...]

GENERAL RETAILERS Shares in JJB Sports dropped by nearly a fifth after the retailer warned it would make a loss in its current financial year. The worse-than-expected trading update came [...]

Birds Eye iglo has emerged from 2008 as one of the few consumer-facing companies to benefit from the flight to frugality by anxious Britons, with sales and profits up for [...]

food producers Group revenue still forecast at top end New finance director named Cadbury, the world's second- biggest chocolate maker, said sales growth was slowing in North America and parts [...]

J Sainsbury yesterday defied the strong economic headwinds that are beginning to batter Tesco, its bigger rival, as it delivered solid interim profits and sounded a rare note of optimism [...]

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERS News Analysis The grocer is benefiting from woes at M&S and Waitrose, writes Elizabeth Rigby Justin King, J Sainsbury's chief executive, could scarcely hide his glee [...]

Toughest trading since early 1990s Job cuts considered in bid to trim costs Profits at Marks and Spencer fell by more than a third in the six months to September [...]

GENERAL retailers Profits at Marks and Spencer fell by more than a third in the six months to September 27, as both its food and clothing businesses suffered lower sales [...]

Interview Sir Philip Green Chief Executive Retail billionaire refuses to be glum in a challenging market, writes Elizabeth Rigby Sir Philip Green was doggedly upbeat about the prospects for British [...]

HOUSEHOLD GOODS New chief expected to drive group harder Shareholders rule out fundamental overhaul Investors in Unilever are set to push the group to reinvent the way it operates, once [...]

Underlying profits up at tour operator Cuts planned for packages offered Tui, the tour operator, has shrugged off fears over the economic downturn, reporting a strong rise in underlying profits [...]

FOOD PRODUCERS Foodmaker's price rises pay off Volumes fall by only 1 per cent Kraft Foods raised its guidance on sales and profits growth yesterday after the maker of Oreo [...]

food producers Foodmaker's price rises pay off Volumes fall by only 1 per cent Kraft Foods raised its guidance on sales and profits growth yesterday after the maker of Oreo [...]

US figures lead strong performance Wholesale revenue up 43% for quarter Strong sales in the US coupled with early deliveries of Burberry's autumn collection helped the luxury goods maker buck [...]

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERS J Sainsbury is 'miles better than three years ago', a triumphant Justin King declared yesterday, as he drew a line under his [pounds sterling]2.5bn sales-led recovery [...]

GENERAL RETAILERS Younger consumers are continuing to spend at Jaeger stores in spite of belt-tightening elsewhere on the high street, its chief executive said after the fashion label boosted sales [...]

Tesco, the world's fourth- biggest grocer by sales, yesterday shrugged off concerns of falling consumer confidence and said it was well placed to weather a slowdown as it reported strong [...]

Marks and Spencer was meant to be different. To the envy of rivals, it is held in real affection by British shoppers. In the past two years, it has been [...]

JJB Sports, which issued a profits warning nearly three weeks ago, is planning to scrap its 165 store-in-store deals with Nike and Adidas and start selling more own-brand sportswear labels [...]

Wm Morrison said shoppers were responding well to re-branding efforts as the UK's fourth-largest supermarket chain reported rising profits, but warned of the impact from rising commodity prices. Marc Bolland, [...]

Trading at Dunelm Group's 83-strong chain of homewares stores came in ahead of expectations as the recently listed retailer delivered sparkling maiden results. Will Adderley, chief executive, said his chain [...]

For a man whose company's shares had just lost almost a quarter of their value in five hours on the back of a large profit warning, Mike Ashley, the elusive [...]

Stuart Rose yesterday drew a close to his planned three-year recovery programme with sales, earnings per share and the dividend at Marks and Spencer all at record levels. Sales were [...]

Richard Baker yesterday said he had been vindicated in his decision to back the Alliance Unichem and Boots merger last year, as he delivered what is likely to be his [...]

LONDON -- Tesco, the world's fifth-biggest grocer, could build a business in the US that would rival its highly successful UK division, Terry Leahy, chief executive, said yesterday as he [...]

H&M yesterday beat profit expectations on the back of improving sales and tight cost control, writes Elizabeth Rigby. After a weak start to 2006, it reported a 12 per cent [...]

Next, New Look and House of Fraser yesterday shrugged off concerns over Christmas trading, opening a period of seasonal retail sales updates with solid performances. But the mixed picture on [...]

Unabated consumer demand for flat-screen televisions and laptops set the scene for good Christmas trading for Kesa, the owner of electrical goods retailer Comet and Darty in France, after a [...]

On results days, Sir Philip Green and Stuart Rose have a habit of calling each other to offer congratulations or commiserations on their rival's performance. But at 6pm last night, [...]

Tate & Lyle said that rising cereal costs and the fall-out from European Union sugar reforms would weigh on profit growth in the second half, as the sugar and sweetener [...]

What a difference a year makes. Last October, a triumphant Sir Philip Green was standing in front of 150 of his top team at Arcadia, announcing with gusto that he [...]