Is Marks & Spencer in line for a troubled Christmas?
News of Marks & Spencer's 20% off day has caught the market by surprise coming so far ahead of the vital Christmas period. This has caused concern with many analysts suggesting that trading could be worse than expected with such sharp reductions available so far away from the Christmas period. If shoppers are receiving 20% discounts today, what will expect tomorrow, and what will they expect next week?
For a company such as Marks & Spencer to have read the market so wrong and stocked up on goods and items which are either unaffordable to the consumer of today, or just the wrong type of product, is something which is concerning many followers of the sector. There is also a worry that if Marks & Spencer is struggling so badly what are they smaller less well financed companies feeling at the moment?
With no apparent end in sight to the recent downturn there are serious concerns that moving into 2009 we will see more retailers come under serious financial pressure. Yesterday we heard that the Woolworths retail chain was up for grabs at just one pound and there are suspicions that other retailers are starting to feel serious financial pressure.
Share this..
Related stories
Worldwide stock markets lower again on Dubai fears
Worldwide stock markets have again been marked lower on concerns that the Dubai saga could overflow into the general worldwide money markets. While the ruling family in Dubai has moved to allay market fears about the future, there is some concern that we could possibly move back to a similar credit crunch scenario that we saw two years ago - but this time against an already weakened worldwide econ...
Read MoreWhy are taxes so high in the UK?
If you look at a number of aspects of the cost of living in the UK the taxation system, both direct taxes and indirect taxes, do not compare favourably with the vast majority of developed countries around the world. This has been an issue for many years with areas such as tax on petrol and the cost of cars, let alone the cost of gas and electric, among some of the more popular gripes of the UK pop...
Read MoreRegional recession index shows hardest hit areas of the UK
The uSwitch.com regional recession index has highlighted the varying degree of performance across the UK with regards to property prices and unemployment. Those living in the Swindon area will be dismayed to learn that the city has seen unemployment explode by 197% over the last 12 months making it officially the worst hit area in the UK.
Swindon has also seen a 16% fall in property...
Should you be scared of the stock market?
Over the last few months there have been many scare stories about the stock market, pension funds and ultimately investment returns. While there is bound to be a degree of concern from UK investors the truth is that the UK stock market is the centre of the UK economy and if the economy is to recover then the stock market will in due course follow. Indeed, there have already been signs over the las...
Read MoreJobless figure expected to rise on Wednesday
As the UK economy continues to head south there is speculation we could see a significant increase in the jobless total which is to be announced on Wednesday. The last figures showed unemployment hitting a rate of 1.82 million in the UK and the forthcoming figures are expected to see the number nudged towards 2 million. So where will it all end?
The employment situation in UK contin...