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Pin to quick picksMarks & Spencer Share News (MKS)

Share Price Information for Marks & Spencer (MKS)

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Share Price: 291.90
Bid: 291.60
Ask: 291.70
Change: 4.20 (1.46%)
Spread: 0.10 (0.034%)
Open: 289.10
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Low: 287.50
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M&S swings to first ever loss as Covid hammers clothing sales

Wed, 04th Nov 2020 07:02

(Sharecast News) - UK retailer Marks & Spencer swung to tan historic half-year loss as coronavirus lockdowns hit its clothing division and warned that new restrictions to be introduced on Thursday would be a further blow to profits.
The company on Wednesday posted a pre-tax loss of £87.6m from a profit of £159m a year earlier. It is the first loss since it went public 94 years ago. Revenue fell to £4.09bn from £4.86bn and no dividend was declared.

"There remains significant uncertainty regarding the near-term outlook in relation to both Covid and Brexit. Trading in the first four weeks of the second half has continued at similar rates to the end of the second quarter, with food revenue up 3%, clothing and home revenue down 21.5% and international revenue up 7.4% due to the timing of shipments," the company said.

Clothing and home sales fell 60% during lockdown as stores shut. The company said demand for formalwear and outerwear, traditionally a quarter of clothing and home sales, also plunged the lockdown saw weddings and other events cancelled.

Marks & Spencer's clothing and home division lost £107.5m over the six months to the end of September, while sales were down 40% across the period. The retailer announced the creation of a new digital division called ''MS2''.

The food business saw sales growth of 2.7% as stores were allowed to stay open during the lockdown imposed in March, driven by out of town stores which offset weaker sales in cities where workers were forced to stay home.

There was also an indication of how its new partnership with Ocado was faring. It replaced Waitrose to become Ocado's main grocery supplier in September and is poised to benefit from high demand for online orders in the second lockdown and the run up to Christmas.

"The customer response to switchover was overwhelmingly positive with demand for the new range driving both an increase in the number of products in customer baskets and strong forward demand."

Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Susannah Streeter said the Ocado partnership, while costly to set up "finally means M&S can compete on home deliveries, which should bode well during lockdown mark 2".

"Clothing rebrands have been and gone at the retailer before, and bosses will have to work very hard to ensure this time around the new styles really do stand out from the fashion pack."
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17 May 2023 15:46

UK earnings, trading statements calendar - next 7 days

Thursday 18 May 
Brighton Pier Group PLCFull Year Results
BT Group PLCFull Year Results
Burberry Group PLCFull Year Results
ConvaTec Group PLCTrading Statement
easyJet PLCHalf Year Results
Energean PLCTrading Statement
Future PLCHalf Year Results
Helios Towers PLCQ1 Results
International Distributions Services PLCFull Year Results
Investec PLC and LtdFull Year Results
National Grid PLCFull Year Results
Nexus Infrastructure PLCHalf Year Results
Premier Foods PLCFull Year Results
Premier Miton Group PLCFull Year Results
TheWorks.co.uk PLCTrading Statement
Tritax EuroBox PLCHalf Year Results
Tyman PLCTrading Statement
Vesuvius PLCTrading Statement
Friday 19 May 
IQE PLCFull Year Results
Knights Group Holdings PLCTrading Statement
Smiths Group PLCQ3 Results
Titon Holdings PLCHalf Year Results
Tharisa PLCHalf Year Results
Monday 22 May 
Big Yellow Group PLCFull Year Results
Chrysalis Investments LtdTrading Statement
Henderson European Focus Trust PLCHalf Year Results
Kainos Group PLCFull Year Results
Pershing Square Holdings LtdQ1 Results
Ryanair Holdings PLCFull Year Results
Schroder Oriental Income Fund LtdHalf Year Results
Wincanton PLCFull Year Results
Tuesday 23 May 
Assura PLCFull Year Results
Avon Protection PLCHalf Year Results
Benchmark Holdings PLCHalf Year Results
Bytes Technology Group PLCFull Year Results
Caledonian Trust PLCFull Year Results
Calnex Solutions PLCFull Year Results
Cranswick PLCFull Year Results
Engage XR Holdings PLCFull Year Results
FD Technologies PLCFull Year Results
Forterra PLCFull Year Results
Harworth Group PLCTrading Statement
Helical PLCFull Year Results
Hilton Food Group PLCTrading Statement
Ixico PLCHalf Year Results
JPMorgan China Growth & Income PLCHalf Year Results
Pebble Group PLCFull Year Results
Princess Private Equity Holding LtdQ1 Results
Residential Secure Income PLCHalf Year Results
RS Group PLCFull Year Results
Schroder AsiaPacific Fund PLCHalf Year Results
Seraphim Space Investment Trust PLCQ1 Results
SSP Group PLCHalf Year Results
Topps Tiles PLCHalf Year Results
Trellus Health PLCFull Year Results
Victorian Plumbing Group PLCHalf Year Results
Watkin Jones PLCHalf Year Results
Wednesday 24 May 
Aviva PLCTrading Statement
Bakkavor Group PLCTrading Statement
Bodycote PLCTrading Statement
C&C Group PLCFull Year Results
Close Brothers Group PLCTrading Statement
Ediston Property Investment Co PLCHalf Year Results
Empiric Student Property PLCTrading Statement
Esken LtdFull Year Results
Great Portland Estates PLCFull Year Results
Gym Group PLCTrading Statement
HICL Infrastructure PLCFull Year Results
Intertek Group PLCTrading Statement
Kier Group PLCTrading Statement
Kingfisher PLCQ1 Results
LondonMetric Property PLCFull Year Results
Majedie Investments PLCHalf Year Results
Marks & Spencer Group PLCFull Year Results
Mediclinic International PLCFull Year Results
Mortgage Advice Bureau Holdings PLCTrading Statement
N Brown Group PLCFull Year Results
Petershill Partners PLCTrading Statement
Purplebricks Group PLCTrading Statement
Regional REIT LtdTrading Statement
Sabre Insurance Group PLCTrading Statement
Severn Trent PLCFull Year Results
Sondrel Holdings PLCFull Year Results
SSE PLCFull Year Results
Tullow Oil PLCTrading Statement
Wynnstay Properties PLCFull Year Results
Zotefoams PLCTrading Statement
  
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