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U.K. Retail Malaise Pressures Bonds Amid Holiday Shopping Season

U.K. Retail Malaise Pressures Bonds Amid Holiday Shopping Season

(Bloomberg) -- Bonds of U.K. retailers extended declines on Tuesday as the industry’s crisis deepens in the run-up to the Christmas holiday.

U.K. Retail Malaise Pressures Bonds Amid Holiday Shopping Season

New Look Retail Group Ltd.’s 700 million pounds ($886 million) of notes due in July 2022 fell for a 16th day to about 46 pence, the lowest in six months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The British fashion chain is reducing the number of stores and pulling out of China as part of a strategic review of its international markets.

Debenhams Plc’s 200 million pounds of bonds due in July 2021 were little changed at a record low of 63 pence after declining the most on Monday among notes in Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s sterling high-yield index.

Matalan Ltd.’s 130 million pounds of six-year bonds sold in January hovered near a record-low of 81 pence, while Shop Direct’s 550 million pounds of securities due in November 2022 slipped 0.4 pence on the pound to a six month-low of 81.5 pence, the data show.

To contact the reporter on this story: Katie Linsell in London at klinsell@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shelley Robinson at ssmith118@bloomberg.net, Abigail Moses, Eric Pfanner

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