With three of the UK’s big four supermarkets reporting results this week,
investors are braced for a week of pain. From the results as they are released
to the news from the grocers, plus analysis, it is all here.
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SUPERMARKET RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Results due | Profit | Sales change % | Store portfolio update | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Morrisons |
12January | Full year profit projections: £295m-£310m (full year to 31 March) | 0.2% (like-for-like sales for the nine weeks to 3 January 2016) | Seven more store closures |
Sainsbury’s |
13 January | Fourth quarter trading statement to be announced on 15 March 2016 | 0.4% drop in like-for-like sales for the 15 weeks to 9 January | At the end of the quarter, Sainsbury’s had 600 supermarkets and 757 convenience stores |
Tesco |
14 January | “In line with expectations for the full year” | Like-for-like sales up by 1.3% in the six weeks over Christmas to 9 January | Total sales were in line with last year at constant rates, as the sales reduction from store closures slightly exceeded the contribution from new store openings |
Home Retail Group |
14 January | “We expect that group benchmark profit before tax for the financial year ending February will be around the bottom of the current range of market expectations of £92m to £118m.” | Argos like-for-like sales down 2.2% in the 18 weeks from 30 August to 2 anuary; Homebase like-for like sales grew by 5% | HRG said Homebase’s aggressive store closure program has positioned it as a smaller, more effective business |
Debenhams |
14 January | “We remain on track to deliver full-year profits in line with market expectations” | Like-for-like sales rose by 3.5% over the 19 weeks to 9 January | Debenhams trades out of more than 250 stores across 27 countries |
THIS WEEK’S RESULTS
This week is a major period for the UK’s supermarkets as some of the largest players report their results and the prospective takeover of Home Retail Group by Sainsbury’s remains the talk of the retail sector.
On Tuesday, Morrisons announced its annual results following a year when it accelerated property sales in order to minimise losses.
On Wednesday Sainsbury’s announced its third quarter trading statement while its £1.6bn target, Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos and Homebase, will release an interim management statement the following day.
Also on Thursday Tesco, after a year plagued by the knock-on effects of an accounting scandal and an oversized store portfolio, will be releasing its annual results.
Debenhams revealed itself as a Christmas winner against a backdrop of struggling fashion retailers, many of which blamed the mild weather for poor sales.