Prepare an equity research report comparing the financial performance Assignment

Prepare an equity research report comparing the financial performance of your chosen retail company with the financial performan - Assignment Example Through prudent risk management and optimum allocation of resources and assets, the company has been able to withstand financial difficulties and turmoil and has been able to portray sound and stable financial outlook. Today the company now has over 900 stores worldwide which cater to wide demography of customers across the globe. The company was founded by the name of John David stores in 1981 with one shop in bury. In the financial year of 1989 the first London store was opened in Oxford Street. One of the most important landmarks in the history of the company was the floatation of its equity stock in the year 1996. At this point of time, the company had around 56 stores. Subsequent to the issuance of equity in the market, the revenue growth of the company started increasing with rapid pace. The company acquired affiliations with international sports brands such as Addidas, Nike and Reebok and thus it was able to establish substantial present in the retail industry. The company not only focused on organic growth but it also expanded through merger and acquisitions. In the financial year 2002, JD sports acquired nearly 200 stores and the highlight among them the acquisition of first sport, a renowned sport retailer. In the financial year 2005, the company was also able to purchase more than 70 stores from Allstores which further established its position as the leading UK retailer in sports wear merchandise. The primary operations of the company reside in UK, Ireland and in France. 1.2 Overview of the current operations In the financial year 2012, the company acquired Blacks, another leading sports retailer in the industry. With the acquisition of Blacks, the JD group comprises of four divisions being Sport Fascias, Fashion Fascias, Outdoor and Distribution. The current primary business of the company is retail and the other businesses of the company acts as support activities. JD Sports have made substantial investment in brands, business, multi-channel and ot her infrastructure to improve and enhance the financial outlook of the company. The company has also made substantial investment in the current year for expanding its business to greater horizons such as Spain, Ireland and France. The company was able to open its first store in Spain in March 2012. The following is a brief financial analysis of various operational segment of the company: 1.3 Sports Fascias The Sport Fascias of JD sports plc comprises of JD, Size, Chausport, Sprinter and Champion sports. During the financial year of 2012, the revenue of the company increased by 16.3% and its market share also hiked as compared to the prior years. The gross margin of the company, however, experienced a marginal decrease from 51% (2011) to 50.8% (2012). This decrease was primarily due to the lower margin business of Champion and Sprinter. The operating profit of the segment experienced a hike of about ?1 million. 1.4 Fashion Fascias The fashion fascias comprises of Bank, Scotts and Gec il Gee. During the current financial year, the total revenue of the company increased by 13.2% and the gross margin of the segment decreased by marginally from 49% to 48.5%. 1.5 Outdoor After the acquisition of Blacks, a new reporting segment by the name of Outdoor has been created. At the time of the acquisition, the operations of Blacks were in adverse position and it required a considerable efforts and time of the managements to bring them to a reasonable position. The acquisition took place three months