MBS Intelligence
Retail
This is not just a Managing Director… this is…
As with all of my interviews, I like my conversations to start at the beginning. This one was a bit different though, as I have known Richard Price for over 20 years. Richard grew up in Blidworth, a village in...
The resale revolution: we’re seeing the rise of second-hand…
I was recently in the market for a new mobile phone. As I was considering my options, I couldn’t help but notice the advertisements pasted around London touting the environmental and financial perks of buying a...
“It’s not just about us: it’s about the people…
I spend my days interviewing candidates. As you can imagine, I have my standard questions to really get under the skin of a candidate. What have they actually personally achieved in each role? How robust is their early...
On-demand grocery delivery: is this the next retail revolution?
If you live in a city in the UK, you’ll have grown used to seeing Uber Eats and Deliveroo riders weaving through traffic delivering hot meals to customers at home. Online delivery, in all its forms, has boomed over...
In for a penny… In conversation with Pennies CEO,…
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of catching up with Alison Hutchinson CBE, chief executive of Pennies. Even if you haven’t heard of Pennies yet, there’s a good chance you’ll have used its platform – the...
Amazon Fresh stores: already stale?
This has been an exciting week in Primrose Hill! Just down the road, in Chalk Farm, a new Amazon Fresh store has opened its doors, giving customers – and those of us at MBS visiting our offices – the chance to...
The evolution of shops: what’s next for retail?
This week, finally, non-essential retail shops reopened across England. But for many high streets and shopping malls, it is certainly not business as usual. I grew up near Watford, not far from what was then known as...
Diversity and inclusion in UK retail: where are we…
The retail sector needs to do more to drive up female and ethnic minority representation in the most senior positions. In this first-of-its-kind report, produced in partnership with British Retail Consortium and PwC UK,...
Vertical Integration: back to the future?
Going back several decades, many retailers across apparel, food, footwear, health, beauty and home owned their own production facilities. In many cases, manufacturing prowess preceded retail stores: shops were simply...
Latest Retail News
WH Smith celebrates solid performance in its travel business The retailer has said that in the six months to 29 February, group revenue rose by 8% to £926m, bringing in pre-tax profits of £46m. Revenue was up 13% at WH Smith's fast-growing travel unit. Read more.
Sainsbury’s hails profit growth for full year The grocer has announced that full-year headline profits were a fraction better than expected at £701m for the 12 months to the beginning of March. Sainsbury's has said that it is forecasting a spike in profits for the current financial year. Read more.
Musical instruments retailer Gear4music trading in line with expectations The specialist retailer has said total sales in the 12 months to 31 March declined by 5% to £144m, after edging up 1% in the UK and falling by 12% internationally. Read more.
Tortilla like-for-like sales up 3.6% for the full year The UK’s largest fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand has reported a 3.6% increase in like-for-like sales for the year ending 31 December 2023, generating revenue of £65.7m. The business opened a string of new sites in the period. Read more.
Japan’s 7-Eleven targets global expansion The retail giant has said that it is looking to roll out its 7-Eleven convenience store chain globally, and will be kick-starting its entry into Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Read more.
Half-year operating profit jumps 46% at Primark Primark owner ABF has reported a 46% spike in profits at the value retailer, to £508m. Revenue in the business was up 7.5% to £4.5bn. Alongside its results, the business has said it will roll out click-and-collect to all shops in England. Read more.
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