Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

B&M puts loss-making German unit under review

B&M European Value Retail wrote down the value of its German unit Jawoll and put it under review.

The latest move by the company came as the unit turned into a loss-maker earlier this week.


Jawoll, which was acquired by the B&M in 2014, recorded a 3.2 per cent rise in sales but fell to a loss of £12.2 million, in the first half of its financial year.

Shares in B&M were moved down earlier week over seven per cent, paring gains for 2019 to 24.3 per cent.

The performance in Germany overshadowed a firm first half from its main British business.

The Indian-origin Simon Arora-led company has 98 stores in Germany, primarily operating under the Jawoll brand.

B&M trades from 645 stores in the UK operating under the B&M brand and 290 stores under the Heron Foods and B&M Express brands.

B&M’s overall pretax profit moved down by 70.5 per cent to £32.2m, which included an impairment charge of £59.5m relating to its German unit, the company said in its financial report for its first half ended in September.

Arora, B&M’s chief executive, blamed the company’s German team, which had ordered higher stock while trading at the Jawoll chain remained weak.

About 50 per cent of Jawoll’s £12m losses were due to an increase in warehouse and transport costs.

The group’s latest setback is a rare negative development for the Liverpool-based B&M.

Arora, 49, started his business in 1995 supplying low price products from Asia to retailers before acquiring B&M in 2004, which is valued at £3.5 billion.

B&M makes 86 per cent of its sales from its British stores, where sales rose by 13.8 per cent.

The Asian-origin top executive of the business said that he was moving ahead with plans to raise the number of stores from 645 to 950.

More For You

Deliveroo posts first annual profit after 12 years

A Deliveroo rider near Victoria station in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Deliveroo posts first annual profit after 12 years

FOOD DELIVERY app Deliveroo announced on Thursday (13) its first annual profit as orders and revenue rose, while the 12-year old company sees further growth despite exiting Hong Kong.

The milestone follows sizeable full-year losses owing to high investment costs since American Will Shu founded the company in 2013 and made Deliveroo's first delivery in London.

Keep ReadingShow less
JLR-Tata-Getty

JLR had initially planned to manufacture more than 70,000 electric vehicles at the facility. (Photo: Getty Images)

JLR halts plan to build EVs at Tata’s India plant: Report

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has put on hold plans to manufacture electric vehicles at Tata Motors’ upcoming £775 million factory in southern India, according to a news report.

The decision was influenced by challenges in balancing price and quality for locally sourced EV components, three of the sources said. They added that slowing demand for electric vehicles was also a factor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Government to abolish payments regulator to boost growth

Keir Starmer (R) and Rachel Reeves host an investment roundtable discussion with members of the BlackRock executive board at 10 Downing Street on November 21, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Frank Augstein - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Government to abolish payments regulator to boost growth

PAYMENTS REGULATOR will be abolished and its remit absorbed by another financial regulator, the government said on Tuesday (11), as it aims to cut red tape in favour of growth.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), which oversees systems including MasterCard and bank transfers, tackles problems such as fraud, excessive fees and lack of competition among banks and payment providers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Boohoo

Boohoo’s shares, which have fallen by about 20 per cent this year, dropped 4 per cent on Tuesday. (Photo: Getty Images)

Boohoo rebrands as Debenhams after 21 per cent sales drop

BOOHOO has rebranded itself as Debenhams Group after sales from its young fashion brands, including Boohoo, MAN, and PrettyLittleThing, declined by 21 per cent to £947 million.

The move comes amid strong competition from Shein and a shift towards second-hand clothing among younger shoppers, The Guardian reported.

Keep ReadingShow less