Member Info for alex1621

Netflix is going great guns at the moment, albeit on a very high multiple. They used to sell DVDs through the letterbox. Amazon too, and a couple of years after the dot com bust there future was less than certain. Facebook hit the skids shortly after flotation as people moved towards mobile, a platform that they were behind in. Things change very quickly and it�s impossible to predict the future of a company ... most predictions are based on �nothing changing�, in an environment when things can change very quickly. And the same applies to ITV ... they might just surprise everyone.

Would that be the same John Lewis whose profits fell 77% last year, and 22% after exceptionals? Thamks for making my point for me. Now, if John Lewis are doing so well with customers then why is that not reflected in their performance? Perhaps its because their is no correlation to an anecdotal website? Incidentally the same relatives who buy regularly from Next have had issues with John Lewis ... go figure.

The "manwhocan" can't seem to understand what he's being told? A company the size of Next has high transaction volumes and is therefore likely to receive more complaints than smaller retailers, but the number of complaints as a percentage of volume will be considerably lower. Next's systems and processes have been built up over decades and will be superior to most other retailers. The complaints that you refer to are simply normal for retail. Given the complexities of the business they are impossible to eliminate. They are not evidence of impending bankruptcy. As I have stated, you know very little about how a retail company works and your "evidence" is pitiful. But perhaps you and your mates in Wetherspoon's know better? Unlikely.

All you would be doing is ordering your furniture from another retailer that will probably have a worst record for customer service ... a "trust" website won't know that as it is anecdotal and transaction volume influenced. You are on here with the sole purpose to persuade people that Next is near bankruptcy, for your own purposes of course? Your evidence is beyond weak, and laughable when you think about it. Next is one of the best run retailers in the UK and is performing steadily during a downturn in the retail sector. The strong retailers tighten up their act during these periods and the weaker one's go to the wall. When the cycle turns the stronger retailers benefit from the reduced capacity. Believe me, that scenario has been playing out since the dawn of retail. Let's hope your not holding that short position when the tide turns!

The complaints on Trustpilot are normal, not unusual. If you knew anything about, for example, the furniture and home business you'd realise that it is a business that generates a high number of complaints. Sofas don't always arrive on time, sometimes stock arrives damaged, or gets bumped in transit ... shit happens when human beings are involved and there are many moving parts in the process. My point is that this is normal, not unusual. As a % of transaction volume it is probably statistically low compared to many other retailers. You don't understand that because you don't understand this industry. The point that I'm trying to make is that no retailer in the world operates without complaints ... it is impossible to eliminate, and the cost of perfection outweighs the benefits. Comments on a "trust" website are not sufficient for you to gauge whether Next is an outlier. I suspect that Next have better service than most.

If you knew anything about retail, if you had any experience with customer services, you'd appreciate that all major (large and high transaction volume) retail companies in the UK and around the world deal with thousands of customer complaints every year. There are no retailers in the world dealing with a only a couple of complaints ... from Wal-Mart to Amazon to Harrods. And no, I'm not kidding you. I know from experience. And it's not a success/failure indicator either. One of the best known retailers in the US for customer service is Nordstrom, and their business is struggling? And what about RyanAir? The most hated of carriers by customers is the most efficient operator in the world, and very profitable. Next get customer complaints. Yes, of course they do, as do every other retailer.

The end is nigh? So we can all take it from your posts that you are not holding shares in Next, but you are possibly "shorting" the shares? Nothing wrong with that, and sensible given your strong conviction that Next plc will soon be in bankruptcy. I have family members who continue to shop with Next, both online and in-store, and they have not had a poor experience. Retailers do get customer complaints, that is inevitable in any company with lots of moving parts and human beings. The retail sector faces structural challenges but it appears to me that Next plc are better positioned than most to navigate them ... there online operation will continue to grow and it's likely that their store operation will undergo a managed reduction ... but bankruptcy? I very much doubt it. Any improvement in consumer confidence will see a re-rating of all retailers ... given the cyclical nature of this sector that prospect seems infinitely more probable than bankruptcy.

The point is a simple one, so your mind should be capable of absorbing it; the British public on the whole recognise that people make mistakes in their life and they are willing to overlook some of them. Ant�s errors of judgement and addiction problems will be forgiven if he is able to clean his act up. And I suspect that is what will actually happen in this case. But thanks for stating the obvious about what people should not do?

Apparently Ant had a chronic medical issue with his leg that led him to take drink and drugs to numb the physical pain, and as a consequence he became hooked. And all his troubles have stemmed from those wrong decisions. I suspect that the British public and ITV will have a more sympathetic view of him ... unlike say John Leslie or Michael Barrymore, despite both being found not guilty their nocturnal activities off-screen turned the public off them. If he can overcome his problem he'll survive this episode.

Reasons I suspect: (1) The result for profit before tax at �726 was slightly ahead of mid-range forecast of �725. (2) Forward statements suggest that many headwinds are beginning to turn, no negative surprises. (3) Strong hint that Q1 performance will be an improvement on Q1 LY. (4) View that cyclical issues re clothing sales will eventually turn around. (5) Stress tests on store network suggest gradual and managed future adjustments, but still profitable with a decent return.

Figures, you'll be pleased, were not terrible, and better than Numis recently forecast ... given the increased level of hedge fund short positions in retail stocks I'll be interested to see how the market reacts today, although I suspect the reaction would have be much larger on the downside if the figures had been terrible. So it may not move the needle by much?

Thank you. I worked in retail for many years, both private and public listed companies. None of the companies that I worked for increased their profitability quarter after quarter, or sales for that matter. In the growing private companies there would occasionally be a step-change in the cost base (gets higher) as you invest in better technology and better people to strengthen the core and ensure that the business can manage iris growth. That might entail higher borrowing or reduced profitability as.resources are invested in the business. The payback occurs several years down the line, it is rarely immediate. The financial market and financial investor of today is unable to grasp this fact of life for growing companies, any disappointment resulting in a share price hammering. I recall the same happened a few years back with BooHoo and Superdry ... now trading at multiples of the former SP. And that is why I don't consider the CEO purchase today (higher than previous buys) as token.

The company pretty much indicated that they could support the 15p special for two years, this year being the final. I suspect going forward they will return surplus cash to shareholders after maintaining a debt ratio they are comfortable with. In the meantime they will continue to grow organically and fill the space vacated by weaker competitors. I believe they lease premises and will likely obtain new sites at reduced rents as well as renew leases on better terms ... owning is not the advantage it once was. Value traps tend to be companies losing market share and experiencing ever falling sales, and that's not happening here. The profit fall was in most part down to a foreign currency shock. The question worth asking is does this represent a permanent deterioration or a temporary one? As I said if your interest is the short term the SP could indeed go lower ... but given that expectations have been lowered since the update any improvement come the next update should see it reverse.

Some buys are "token", but I doubt this one is ... the bulk of the fall in profit was foreign exchange, not underlying business issues ... hiring experienced senior people in design, retail operations and technology development makes sense, but adds to cost base ... and building market share at the expense of the competition does also, even if you give up some margin in the process. The payback on these moves takes longer to come through. If you are a short-term investor the share price could go anywhere but medium to long term I think this one is likely to exceed previous highs.

Interim dividend is 2.9p ... so 17.9p in total. Which means that, at 304p, you will yield 5.89% on your investment. Having said that, you might lose more than that as the SP dives? An over-reaction in my view.

Payment date is 15 December 2017, Ex Date is 9 November 2017. The ex date and payment date is later than it was in 2016. Source, ADVFN.

Ex Date is 9 November 2017 for both special and interim dividend.

Dividend under threat? The 158p dividend is well covered, even in the worst case scenario ... not to mention the additional 45p per quarter special dividends that have been indicated. As for SP, no idea ... but results appear to be well received.

Pensioner167 ... if you would prefer posters to stick to the facts then would it not be better to sight falling turnover, increased losses and continuing cash burn? All of those facts are available in the updates and relate specifically to Blinkx. Instead you focus on Quantcast figures. Can anybody explain how Quantcast figures relate to revenues, operating margins, and profitability? Over the last few months there has been a great deal of optimism expressed by several posters off the back of these numbers ... numbers that, in my view, offer little guidance to the numbers that matter. I'm not an expert (I don't think there is one), but the Blinkx numbers don't seem to correlate with Quantcast were company results are concerned.

A buyback makes sense if you believe that the shares are substantially undervalued; many investors thought that was the case at 40p,30p and 20p (myself included). But subsequent results have been poor and as a result Blinkx is valued in line with its results. I also don't believe that the management would countenance a buyback as it would reduce the cash on hand and mean that their time to deliver is shortened. Being cynical, as salary takers it's not in their interests to do so. I don't believe they are crooks like Globo, etc but they do appear to be 'self interested'.