UK: EASTER SEEN AS VITAL FOR RETAILERS

Article Abstract:

UK retailers are hoping that the Easter period will offset the ongoing market slump, although market specialist Verdict's Richard Hyman believes that sales growth will not compensate for the performance in 1999, when sales prices declined by 15%. Retailers are facing a number of pressures, including the increasing use of the Internet by shoppers seeking bargains and the impact of cheap imports. Industry experts believe that investors could shun the likes of BHS, C&A and Marks & Spencer if sales do not recover. Analysts say that the top and bottom ends of the market have been squeezed, with My Hyman foreseeing hard times ahead for high street stores and the possible disappearance of major names as the market consolidates.

United States, Industrial Machinery and Equipment, Machinery ex Electric, Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing, Machinery, Machinery industry, BhS PLC, Hyman, Richard, C and A

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City forecasts grim reading as M&S lifts the lid on its Christmas trading figures

Article Abstract:

Retail chain Marks & Spencer is expected to have seen very weak performance in the run-up to Christmas 2000. It has been most badly affected by the fact that the high street has segmented into niche markets, preventing it from continuing to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds.

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Dividend cut may be a blessing in disguise for M&S

Article Abstract:

It is widely believed in financial markets that Marks & Spencer will cut its final dividend in May 2000. Dividend cuts are often seen as an admission that a company is in crisis, but making a dividend cut need not necessarily have a negative long-term impact on Marks & Spencer. There are several examples of a dividend cut being widely accepted as long as the company is strongly committed to reform and recovery. These include BP and British Aerospace.

Management, Dividends

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