LONDON BRIEFING: ASOS and Dunelm see lockdown online sales boom
Thu, 8th Apr 2021 08:15
(Alliance News) - ASOS emerged as a clear winner from the pandemic shift to online shopping on Thursday, while bricks-and-mortar retailer Dunelm saw its digital offering soothe the pain of store closures.
ASOS said it delivered a strong performance in the first half of the financial year as the fast-fashion retailer continued to benefit from the online shopping craze during the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the six months to February 28, revenue increased 24% to GBP1.98 billion from GBP1.60 billion at the same time the year before and pretax profit more than tripled to GBP106.4 million from GBP30.1 million. ASOS said first half retail sales alone jumped 24% to GBP1.92 billion from GBP1.55 billion as its customer base increased by 1.5 million to 24.9 million during six months.
UK house sales up sharply in March as stamp duty holiday extended
Thu, 8th Apr 2021 05:32
(Alliance News) - UK house sales picked up sharply in March amid signs that the extension of a stamp duty holiday had an immediate impact on the housing market, according to surveyors.
A net balance of 50% of property professionals reported an increase rather than a decrease in agreed sales, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said.
It marked the strongest sales surge since last August.
A stamp duty holiday had been due to end on March 31, but this was extended in the recent budget.
The stamp duty nil rate band will now not revert to normal levels until the autumn.
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th April 2021 9:56 am
There was a sharp increase in sales agreed during March, following the chancellor’s extension to the stamp duty holiday, according to the latest index from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
A net balance of +50 per cent of the surveyors questioned reported an increase in sales, which is the strongest reading since August last year.
Respondents are anticipating sales activity will continue to rise over the coming three months, with a net balance of +35 per cent forecasting increases, the most upbeat reading since January 2020.
New buyer enquiries also surged, with a balance of +42 per cent of respondents recording an increase compared to 0 per cent the previous month.
House sales surged in March on back of extended stamp duty holiday - but surveyors warn that runaway house price inflation is worrying
Half of property professionals reported an increase in agreed house sales in March, according to industry body Rics - the biggest rise since August
This was due in part to the stamp duty tax holiday being extended
Rics said the potential for long-term price inflation was worrying
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