John Lewis brings an air of reality to the retail sector
Despite signs that the retail sector is on the up and up, UK bellwether John Lewis has today brought many analysts and many investors back down to work. The company is forecasting a "fragile" year ahead in 2010 and believes that while the economy has shown signs of recovery in the last few months, confidence is still very fragile and could be impacted by unforeseen negative events in the short to medium term.
While John Lewis is not the only company to have uttered the word "fragile" with regards to the UK economic revival it is by far and away the most prominent to do so up to now. As the FTSE 100 index continues to power ahead this will come as a welcome reminder to some investors who appear to be getting carried away in the short to medium term. John Lewis is a company which certainly has its finger on the pulse and is well connected with the UK high street, consumer spending and the general level of activity in the UK economy.
Quite how this announcement by John Lewis will impact upon investor confidence in the short term remains to be seen but those still wearing their rose tinted glasses may well need to refocus in the short to medium term.
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