Previously writing on branded clothing, accessories and footwear company Superdry (SDRY), in May with the shares falling to around 80p I questioned it arguing “the brand is recovering well… believes that the equity raise, along with the suite of measures… will provide the stable base necessary to underpin future success”. And today… a “Secondary lending facility of up to £25m” announcement. After little more than three months, brand recovery and equity raise and related measures now not providing the necessary stable base then?!

Previously writing on branded clothing, accessories and footwear company Superdry (SDRY), last month with the shares falling below 90p I wrote the consumer landscape very ‘challenging’ for it. Attempted equity raise ahoy? – concluding that, with its trading certainly not providing a strong platform to undertake a fundraise, natch, at a heading towards £70 million market cap (will thus the mooted fundraise even be sufficient?), still a Sell. It has now announced a proposed equity raise… and the shares are currently falling to around 80p. So what’s the latest detail?

Previously writing on branded clothing, accessories and footwear company Superdry (SDRY), last month with the shares rising back above 110p I asked just how challenging is the “consumer landscape” for it?, with it still talking of additional steps to further strengthen its balance sheet despite a $50 million disposal agreement. Now a trading statement… and the shares currently down below 90p.

Hello, Share Swampers. As it’s been pouring down almost non-stop in my seaside town during the festivities, I thought I might look at Superdry (SDRY). I think it might see its shares rise after a torrid time during the worst days of Covid. Superdry is in the clothing game. But though it sells waterproof gear and footwear, it has a much wider range than that.

I start with news of two birthdays. Then I look at today’s Superdry ramp from Versarien (VRS), at Wildcat (WCAT), where the FCA has already responded to  my missive, and at Nightcap (NGHT) where what I have revealed today is legal but surely stinks to high heaven making the shares utterly uninvestable. 

I last wrote about clothing name Superdry (SDRY) back in September here, concluding that returned CEO and historic founder Julian Dunkerton was someone to back. Back then the shares were about 132p and despite inevitable challenges in its big plans, even with today’s share price fall you still have a share ahead of 210p (i.e. down over 10% on the day). So still a value company or is today’s £173 million market cap now too much?

Fashion company Superdry (SDRY) has updated on trading, with CEO Julian Dunkerton stating “we have financial flexibility and are making good progress with our strategy and brand reset… record levels of engagement through our influencer-led Autumn campaigns”. The shares have currently responded towards 155p, er more than 5% lower…

It seems a bit crazy to be talking about a financial year ended on 25th April 2020, two-thirds of the way through September, but such is the pandemic’s impact on conventional financial calendars. Listening to the Superdry (SDRY) conference call this morning after a ‘year of considerable change’ – no surprise with the share, already massively down in recent years, compressing a further 73% year-to-date and today has an EV of less than £100 million. Well this is what happens when in the year to near the end of April you made losses and had a 19.2% fall in revenue, which massively outweighs the big squeeze which delivered a higher net cash figure…

In today’s podcast I look at Pensana Rare Earths (PRE), Verditek (VDTK), Zenith Energy (ZEN), Inspirit (INSP) where there is a rebellion about to break out and, natch, I back the rebels, Supply@ME Capital (SYME) and Superdry (SDRY).

Fashion company Superdry (SDRY) “is pleased to announce that it has entered into a new financing facility… strong cash position” and “current trading in Q1 has been better than our initial expectations” – with the shares currently above 147p in response, more than 25% higher…

A “Trading Statement” from fashion retailer Superdry (SDRY), with CEO Julian Dunkerton concluding “we remain open for business online through superdry.com, our stores in Europe have begun to reopen and I am excited by our new ranges for the Autumn/Winter season” – and the shares have currently responded to circa 125p, more than 5% higher...

A “Statement re Current trading and COVID-19 update” from fashion retailer Superdry (SDRY) sees the shares currently more than 30% further lower on the back of it, below 70p…

Lots and lots of Christmas trading thoughts out in the last few days but I have got to comment on Superdry (SDRY), a stock which I described a month or so ago at the time of its last trading update as having an 'encouraging early start to Q3 peak trading with strongest online Black Friday day ever', but naturally everything still has caution attached to it given the changeable retail backdrop (and that)...the post-Christmas trading update will be insightful but for choice I am still backing the man'…

A surprisingly busy day of news disclosures given it is election day. All good fun at multiple levels...

Lots of interesting numbers out today but let me concentrate on two. First, recruiter PageGroup (PAGE) has a share price shocker (down 14% at the time of writing) after apparently enjoying 'a record quarter'…

I have spent much of the last few days in California, mostly in Silicon Valley, on the final part of a global research and related tour. And very interesting it was too.  Another time I will maybe share a few of the individual share insights from the company level interactions I had with names such as Tesla (TSLA), Alphabet/Google (GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL), but today's missive is just me starting to tidy up a few loose ends from the UK markets from the last two or three days. 

I wrote an article back in March  bout the importance of the pareto principle in business and that 'i trust the views and instincts of founders/co-founders inherently much more than chairman with historic general experience but massively less skin in the game'.  Since that article - which was primarily centred on boohoo (BOO) shares in the online fashion company have done rather well, showing that the co-founder's focus and elbows out manner has been very helpful for shareholders. But what about the other company mentioned in that article, Superdry (SDRY)? 

By far the most interesting story on the business pages of today's deadwood press is the veiled attack on the co-founder (Mahmud Kamani) of Boohoo (BOO) and the allegation he has failed to move with the times on matters of corporate governance in appointing 'an associate' (i.e. a friend) as the company's new CEO, whilst going upstairs as a very hands-on executive chairman. 

Like some of the other writers on ShareProphets I sometimes turn my hand to sharing a few pearls of wisdom with the younger generation at some of our Higher Education institutions.  As i only really know about one thing - finance and investment related matters - it will not surprise any readers the subjects i talk about.  It will also not surprise anyone that I try to refocus the students away from mathematical explanations to a broader palate of qualitative and interpretative insights. 

I do not think i have ever visited the Postings shopping centre in Kirkcaldy in Fife but the photos of it look pretty grim.  Most of the tenants have moved out to a more appealing alternative local shopping sector and unsurprisingly the owner - City property hotshot Columbia Threadneedle Investments - wants to sell.  Well the cost of annual upkeep is now higher than the £152k annual rental bill from the continuing tenants, a statistical combination that surely is only going to get worse. 

Well I did say to get the popcorn out on Superdry (SDRY) and the excitements continue with weekend reports observing that Julian Dunkerton - the 18% shareholding co-founder of the 'faux-Japanese' clothing retailer - is preparing to launch a proxy battle against the board in an attempt to secure a return to the company…

A flood of interesting news out today on stocks that I follow…

Following a more than 20% share price fall to 800p on a trading update last month, shares in fashion company Superdry (SDRY) are currently more than 6% lower and below that price today on the back of a “Pre-Close Trading Statement”…

Looking at the leaderboard this week, I find it interesting - after a few days of plummeting share prices - that the most read articles are on prosaic things: clothing, hotels, real estate, and minerals.

Tom mentioned clothing retailer Superdry (SDRY) in a bearcast just under a week ago  and highlighted the recent profits warning, which was based on warm weather hitting sales of fleeces and the like.  The shares are down at five plus year lows and this is starting to have an impact...on the rhetoric from one of the founders.  I was amused to read in an article in the deadwood press earlier today that: 

First things first - we have almost raised the £2,500 needed for the Woodlarks Christmas grotto. I am sure you can spare a fiver to get us over the line HERE. Secondly, I am in London tomorrow and on the warpath and hope to see many of you HERE.  I was distracted today doing a radio interview with my friend and hero the great Kelvin McKenzie of "gotcha!" fame. That covered Patisserie Holdings (CAKE) and fraud and I continue with that theme. I also look at Superdry (SDRY), First Derivatives (FDP), Frontera (FRR) and Purplebricks (PURP).