Ultimate Products (ULTP) 156pMarket cap: £142.9 millionStrong brands, a resilient business model and multiple growth opportunities ahead are among the investment attractions the market is missing at Ultimate Products (ULTP). This company is the owner of homeware brands including Salter and Beldray. The Oldham-headquartered firm is well placed to profit with UK and international retailers starting

Full year 2024 earnings at top end of guidanceQ4 like-for-like growth deceleratesHas the UK estate matured?Bargain stores giant B&M European Value Retail (BME) said it expects profits for the year ended 30 March 2024 will be at the ?top end? of previous guidance as the cash-generative discounter hailed a year of ?strong operational execution?.Yet shares in the variety goods value retailer softened

Our portfolio of picks for 2024 is off to a solid start in what proved an uneven first quarter for the stock market as a whole.Our return of 9% is comfortably ahead of our FTSE All-Share benchmark at 3.9%. It?s a tale of feast and famine, however, with half of our selections achieving double-digit gains while 40% are in the red.THE BIG WINNERSAt the end of 2023, shares in biotech specialist Purete

The retail sector accounts for £104 billion of the FTSE 350 index by value of its 22 constituents, making it of significant importance to the UK stock market and to any investor with exposure to UK equities.The fortunes of retailers can tell us about the state of the consumer and in turn provide clues on economic activity. Therefore, even if you do not have exposure to individual stocks in this s

Sales down 4% in December and JanuaryFashion retailer unveils new CEONew broom Erver has work cut outShares in H&M (HM-B:STO) cheapened 9% to SEK153.5 (£1/SEK13.2) in Stockholm after the Swedish fashion retailer disappointed the market with news of a 4% sales slide for December and January that demonstrated there is still work to be done to turn the business round.In order to shake things up, H&M

Primark?s Christmas trading performance, as well as management commentary around trading early in the new calendar year, will be the main focus when the discount fashion chain?s parent Associated British Foods (ABF) next updates the market on 23 January. With a tailwind from the cost-of-living crisis, value-focused retailers and discounters including German grocers Aldi and Lidl, bargain stores gi

Sales up 5% in ?Golden Quarter?Retailer declares 20p special dividendBut Q3 growth slowdown disappointsBargain stores giant B&M European Value Retail (BME) delivered ?strong profitable growth? in the third quarter including the run-in to Christmas, with group sales rising 5% year-on-year to the best part of £1.65 billion.The variety retailer also reiterated full-year guidance and treated investor

Stock prices in London were in the red on Tuesday morning as weak UK retail data and company updates overshadowed optimism after a tech rally on Wall Street.The FTSE 100 index had opened higher before returning early gains, and edging into the red by 0.29 of a point at 7,693.90. The FTSE 250 was down 85.57 points, 0.4%, at 19,308.23, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.56 of a point, 0.1%, at 750.26.

Firm rakes in money on higher ratesPanama and Suez passages chokedUK retailers could be affectedShares in shipbroking and shipping services group Clarkson (CKN) were the stand-out performer in the FTSE 250 after chief executive Andi Case raised the outlook for full-year earnings.Clarkson shares jumped as much as 9.5% to £35.95, taking them to a new 12-month high and straight to the top of the mid

Aldi sales up 8% year-on-yearLidl GB delivers best-ever ChristmasTesco gains on festive feelgood factorDiscount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl have both reported ?record? Christmas trading after consumers on a budget flocked to their stores for cheap food and drink over the festive period.Neither of these grocers are listed on the stock market.However, shares in Tesco (TSCO) and Sainsbury?s (SBRY) tic

Next kicks off festive reporting seasonScope for upbeat news from B&MPotential Christmas winners include CurrysRetail bellwether Next (NXT) kicks off the post-Christmas reporting season on 4 January followed by discounters B&M European Value Retail (BME) and Shoe Zone (SHOE:AIM) on 9 January.Investors will be eager to learn if the sector benefited from some last-minute festive shopping when all th

Investors seeking a resilient, dividend-paying growth company at the forefront of the consumer trend towards trading down should buy B&M European Value Retail (BME). The variety goods value retailer is benefiting from the cost-of-living crisis.2024 should see the cash-generative discounter continue to capture market share in the UK, where inflation and rising rates have cut consumer purchasing pow

AdobeIt may look like odd timing to back Adobe (ADBE:NASDAQ) just after lukewarm guidance, but we think this is a great opportunity.The creative digital software firm called for fiscal 2024 earnings per share of $17.60 to $18 on $21.3 billion to $21.5 billion revenue, a little light compared with the consensus of $18 and $21.7 billion revenue respectively.The shares plunged 7%, which seemed harsh

We are now a little more than a fortnight away from Christmas Day with TV adverts pushing festive products, high streets adorned with Christmas decorations and shops flush with discount offers.The so-called 'Golden Quarter' including Black Friday is the most hotly contested period of the year amongst retailers and those that suffer disappointing sales or resort to overly-promotional strategies typ

First half PBT up 180%Full year guidance raised againOutstanding vaping performanceShares in Supreme (SUP:AIM) surged 16% higher to 127.5p after the fast-moving consumer products distributor delivered another significant profit upgrade for the year to March 2024 amid continued growth across all divisions in the third quarter-to-date.A leading e-cigarette and vaping market name known for its 88vape

Strong first half results deliveredStore roll-out target increasedBut UK growth slowdown spooks investorsFollowing a strong first half, discounter B&M European Value Retail (BME) has raised its full year earnings guidance and lifted its store roll-out target as the variety goods value retailer continues to profit from the cost-of-living crisis.Why then, was the FTSE 100 shopkeeper out of favour wi

Discount homeware chain Wilko's summer collapse into administration prompted analysts to upgrade estimates for the listed retailer regarded as the obvious beneficiary, B&M European Value Retail (BME).The FTSE 100 variety goods value retailer has agreed to acquire up to 51 Wilko stores for up to £13 million in a deal funded from its existing cash reserves and will undoubtedly benefit from Wilko's

Shares have sold-off on single use vapes ban whispersSupreme confident vaping is 'most effective' cigarettes alternativeOn track to meet 2024 guidanceSpeculation that the UK government is drawing up plans for a ban on disposable vapes in a bid to tackle underage vaping has hit Supreme (SUP:AIM) hard. Shares in the company have lost 15% this past week.Supreme, which supplies disposable vapes to the

August is a quiet period for UK retail reporting, but the month proved volatile for the share prices of three shopkeepers as investors reacted to the negative read-across from corporate activity and updates from the US retail sector.Watches of Switzerland's (WOSG) shares plunged 27% to 499p on 25 August, a record one-day move, after Swiss luxury watch-maker Rolex agreed to buy retail partner Buche

In news that surprised everyone from shoppers to investors, general retailer Wilko announced in early August it had filed a 'notice of intention' to appoint administrators due to mounting cash pressures on the business.The firm, whose stores are a feature on most UK high streets, is reportedly losing market share to rivals such as B&M European Value (BME), Home Bargains and The Range.Compounding i