BUSINESS LIVE: Retail sales stagnate; 888 revenues beat forecasts; Home REIT raises £15.9m

This week, the luxury goods leviathan LVMH unveiled the sleek opening ceremony uniforms for the French Olympic and Paralympic teams.

The navy and cobalt blue outfits, designed by the LVMH house Berluti, showcase the high-end chic credentials of the group, which is France’s biggest company.

But these sporting ensembles also presage how the £340billion company, led by the world’s richest man Bernard Arnault, intends to make the most of its influence over the Paris Games.

Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown:

‘The FTSE 100 has swung to the downside today, as reports of an Israeli attack on Iran increase geopolitical uncertainty. On a more UK-specific level, retail sales were unexpectedly flat in March, according to ONS data. This was worse than expected, and included a decline in food store sales.

‘This doesn’t bode too well for some names in the grocery industry, with corporate updates expected next week. The data also speaks to growing concerns about resilience in the wider retail sector. Mid-market names are in a very difficult position and pressure isn’t abating.

‘The oil price is back up over $88 a barrel as Middle East tensions escalate. Some demand uncertainties still persist though, especially following weaker economic data from China. Overall this is keeping a partial lid on price gains, but that could be removed if the Israel – Iran conflict scales up.’

Bookmaker 888 beat revenue forecasts in the first three months of the year thanks to a bounce in player volumes, as the William Hill owner eyes a return to growth in the second quarter.

The group posted revenues of £431million, edging past forecasts of £420million to £430million and jumping 2 per cent on the final quarter of 2023.

Revenues were down 3 per cent compared to the same period last year, but 888 told shareholders it expects to return to year-on-year growth in the three months to the end of June.

London-listed stocks are trading lower this morning due to caution over the escalating tensions in the Middle East, while domestic retail data shows sales stagnated in March.

Nearly all sub-indexes traded in the red, with a 1.2 per cent fall in travel and leisure stocks leading declines as airlines scramble to divert flights over Iran as tensions in the Middle East escalated.

888 has gained 2.8 per cent after the bookmaker reported first-quarter revenue slightly ahead of its expectations, helped by strong customer volumes and expects revenue to return to growth from the second quarter.

The Chancellor has voiced concerns over the proposed takeover of Royal Mail by a billionaire dubbed the ‘Czech Sphinx’ in a sign that a deal could be blocked.

As analysts suggested that tycoon Daniel Kretinsky would have to raise his bid for the postal group to more than £4billion, Jeremy Hunt said there were ‘lessons’ to be learned from the tangled mess at Thames Water.

Embattled investment trust Home REIT has sold another 65 properties, raising gross proceeds of £15.9million – or 4.8 per cent of its portfolio value.

Home REIT has now completed the sale of 533 properties and exchanged on 240 since August last year, raising £11.4million.

Bookmaker 888 saw first quarter revenues beat expectations, helped by strong customer volumes and said that it expects revenue to return to growth from the second quarter.

The group posted revenues of £431million for the three months to 31 March, beating forecasts of £420million to £430million.

Per Widerström, CEO of 888, said:

‘I am pleased to report that Q1 2024 revenue was slightly ahead of our guidance, with strong player volumes converting into improved revenue run rates.

‘Having lapped various regulatory and compliance changes during the quarter, and with increased marketing investment supported by an exciting product pipeline, we remain confident in a return to growth from Q2 2024.

‘I was delighted to outline our multi-year value creation plan alongside our full year results in March, and am pleased to report a strong quarter of progress against these plans.

‘We are moving decisively and at pace to position our company for long-term success, and I look forward to providing further updates about our progress in the coming months.’

Two female executives are leaving BP in the first reshuffle since former boss Bernard Looney stepped down for not disclosing relationships with colleagues.

Leigh-Ann Russell, chief technology officer, is departing after 18 years at the oil giant, while Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath is standing down after two years leading the firm’s gas and low carbon division. Both will be replaced by men.

Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM UK:

‘The flatness in retail sales in March means that sales volumes rose by 1.9% quarter-on-quarter in Q1, another strong sign that the recession that marred the second half of last year is over.

‘We expect retail sales volumes to continue to gradually improve from here for three key reasons. First, households’ real disposable incomes are set to rise rapidly from April as inflation drops back to 2% and tax cuts kick in. This will boost overall consumer spending and retail sales volumes. What’s more, consumer confidence should continue to rise ensuring that households spend most of their new income.

‘Second, inflation is especially weak within retail sales. The price of retail goods increased by just 2.2% year-on-year in March, the slowest rise since early 2021. This means that continued strong nominal spending will increasingly show up in sales volumes.

‘Third, retail sales volumes are still about 2% below their pre-pandemic level. This is partly a hangover after a huge splurge in spending on goods during the pandemic.

‘But after two years of reduced spending on retail goods, households will need to start replacing some of those things bought during the pandemic. What’s more, as the housing market starts to recover and transactions increase, this will boost demand for household goods.’

Silvia Rindone, EY UK&I retail lead:

‘After a challenging start to the year, retail sales remained flat in March after an increase of 0.1% in February.

‘Easter did not bring the increase in sales that retailers were hoping for, with sales volumes and values remaining relatively unchanged for a second month. Non-food stores saw sales volumes rise by 0.5%, while food stores and non-store retailers saw a fall of 0.7% and 1.5%.

‘As we head into the summer months, retailers are hoping for a turning of the tide as consumer confidence grows.’

UK retail sales volumes stagnated in March, missing forecasts of 0.3 per cent growth, according to Office for National Statistics data.

It follows growth of 0.1 per cent in February, following an ugrade on previous estimates of flat growth.