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An improving economy, low interest rates, increasing availability of credit, less general discounting on the high street and much better summer weather all contributed to a 19% rise in pre-tax profit at fashion chain Next.The retailer said that the positive performance was ahead of its original expectations, including a 10%...

The John Lewis Partnership has warned that prices in its Scottish John Lewis and Waitrose shops may rise above prices in the rest of the UK if Scotland votes yes to independence.Chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield told the BBC that a price rise was “most probable” as the partnership announced a...

Online grocery business Ocado has announced a 15.5% rise in retail sales, beating analysts’ expectations as the online grocery shopping market continued to grow.In the 12 weeks to August 10th, the company said that it had managed to thrive in an increasingly competitive market, helped by its tie-up with Morrisons,...

Homewares retailer Dunelm has announced a 7% rise in pre-tax profit, led by new store openings. The news comes as chief executive Nick Wharton announced that he will be stepping down from the board. He will be replaced by Will Adderley, currently executive deputy chairman.Geoff Cooper, chairman, said: "In almost...

Morrisons has announced “good early progress” on its three-year plan, despite a fall in sales and profits as a price war between the big four supermarkets and discounters such as Aldi and Lidl.In a statement, Morrisons said that it remained confident of generating £2 billion of cash and £1 billion...

US bookstore chain Barnes & Noble has said that falling demand for its Nook e-book reader impacted its financial results for the first quarter.Revenues from its Nook division fell 54.3% to $70m, compared to the same period last year.Book store and online revenues also fell 5.3% for the three months...

Sportswear company Sports Direct has said that both sales and profits have risen, in line with expectations, albeit with some stronger weeks offset by England's disappointing World Cup performance.Group sales for the 13 weeks ending 27th July were up 12.2% and gross profit increased 11.8% to £301.2 million.Dave Forsey, chief...

Chocolate firm Thorntons has announced a 60.4% rise in full year profits as UK sales rose 9.7% to £99.4 million.Jonathan Hart, Thorntons' chief executive, commented: "We are pleased with these results which indicate continued strong recovery in our profitability and are testament to the strategy we put in place just...

Apple has announced its first new product line since the death of its co-founder Steve Jobs, a smartwatch named the Apple Watch.The company also announced new, larger models of its iPhone.The iPhone 6's screen measures 4.7in (11.9cm) and the iPhone 6 Plus's 5.5in (14.0cm) - a change that analysts said...

Airline Ryanair has finalised a deal with Boeing to purchase 100 737 planes worth £6.4 billion.Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said that the fuel efficient planes would “change the game for low-fare air travel” and added that he hopes it will “hasten a new era of price wars in Europe...