RETAIL/CONSUMER

John Lewis Partnership has reported a rise in pre-tax profit in the half year ended 31 July, with gross sales also rising significantly.

Shares in Mitchells & Butlers were up on the FTSE 250 in morning trading following news that the pub group is planning to buy Ha Ha Bar & Grill chain for £19.5 million.

Shares in Dunelm Group were down on the FTSE 250 in afternoon trading after the home furnishings company reported a rise in pre-tax profits in the full year ended 3 July 2010.

Shares in Kingfisher were up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading after the retailer reported a rise in pre-tax profit of over twenty per cent in the half year ended 31 July.

Shares in Kingfisher were up on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading ahead of the retailer's interim results, due out tomorrow.

Shares in French Connection were up on the FTSE Fledgling in morning trading after the fashion retailer reported a return to profit and dividends in the half year ended 31 July.

Shares in Next were up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading after the group reported a rise in profits in the half year ended July 2010.

Shares in Next were down on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading ahead of the group's half year results, due out tomorrow.

Shares in Debenhams were up on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the group said that it expected profits for the full year ended 28 August to be up 20 per cent from the previous year to £150 million.

Shares in Associated British Foods were down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading despite the company saying it expected its earnings for the full year ended 18 September to "show very good progress".

Furniture and fashion chain Laura Ashley has reported a rise in pre-tax profit of around 1,000 per cent in the half year ended 31 July.

Shares in JD Wetherspoon were down on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the pub chain reported a rise in pre-tax profit for the full year ended 25 July 2010.

Shares in Home Retail were down in morning trading after the group reported a fall in sales in the first half of the year.

Shares in Morrisons were down on the FTSE 100 as profit-taking began after the supermarket chain reported a rise in underlying profit in the half year ended 1 August.

Shares in Morrison (Wm) supermarkets were up on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading ahead of the group's half year results, due out tomorrow.

Shares in William Hill were down on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the gambling group reported a rise in pre-tax profit in the half year ended 29 June.

Shares in Diageo were down on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading ahead of the drinks group's full year results, due out tomorrow.

Flyglobespan was Scotland's biggest airline. Based in Edinburgh, it entered into administration all too suddenly on 16 December 2009 in rather curious circumstances involving several million pounds owed to it by its receipts-handling company. Flyglobespan's advice notice to customers, posted on its website at the time of its collapse, can be used as a typical and now all too familiar example for the 13 or so travel firms that have gone bust since:

Robert Swannell a Citigroup banker, former vice-chairman in Europe, is to take over from Sir Stuart Rose as M&S' next Chairman from next year when Sir Stuart steps down.

Shares in Mitchells & Butlers were down on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the company announced that it would be selling 333 of its non-core pubs to Stonegate Pub Company Limited for £373 million. Stonegate itself is controlled by TDR Capital LLP.

Newspaper distributor John Menzies has seen a trebling of profits recently after a good first half performance.Revenue for the six months to June 2010 was £924.0 million from £821.3 million and pre-tax profits was up to £20.6 million on aviation growth in its Cargo division.

Sir Philip Green is to lead a team of civil servants in a Government spending review as the 'enterprise tzar' - owner of Arcadia Group - will examine spending over the last five years.

Around 1,200 British holidaymakers have been left stranded in uncertainty, mostly in Spain, after travel company Sun4U announced that it had collapsed.

UK Retail sales for July and inflation data is set to go in differing directions next week as retail sales slow despite recent gains due to World Cup and inflation falls.

Shares in Thomas Cook were down in morning trading on the FTSE 250 after the travel company said it lost a higher than expected £81.9 million as a result of airspace disruption brought on by the volcanic ash cloud earlier this year.

Shares in Greggs were down in morning trading on the FTSE 250 after the baker reported a rise in pre-tax profits in the half year ended 3 July. The group also said it expected a rise in "ingredient costs" due to droughts in Russia pushing up wheat prices.

Shares in TUI Travel dived in morning trading on the FTSE 100 after the group said it took a £105 million hit as a result of air space closures prompted by a giant ash cloud being emitted from an Icelandic volcano earlier this year.

Unilever, the consumer goods giant and,maker of Dove soap and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream has outperformed itself after improving margins and sales up by 3.8 pct.

Shares in Next plunged over seven per cent on the FTSE 100 after the retailer reported a rise in sales at the lower end of previous guidance and warned of tough times ahead as the government prepares to raise taxes and cut spending.