London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/25/2011 -- Spread betting provider City Index (http://www.cityindex.co.uk/) takes a look at the financial activity shaping the markets on 14th April 2011.

For the 26 weeks to February 26th 2011, group like-for-like sales at Debenhams were down by 1.5 per cent when VAT is excluded.

When included, such sales remained flat. The retailer also revealed that headline profit before tax and exceptions reached £129.2 million, a 4.5 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2010.

Earnings per share rallied by 14.5 per cent to stand at 7.1 p, while sales for Debenhams Direct stormed ahead by 82.4 per cent.

It was also revealed today (April 14th) that chief executive of Debenhams Rob Templeman is to retire at the end of the current financial year, with deputy chief executive Michael Sharp taking over from September 5th 2011.

As of 09:42 BST, the share price of the retailer was up by 0.60 per cent on the FTSE 250.

Commenting on the financial results, Mr Templeman said:" Looking forward, there are some encouraging signs that commodity prices such as cotton may fall, which could be positive for both consumers and retailers in terms of pricing."

See how you can start spread betting with City Index at http://www.cityindex.co.uk/spread-betting/

Spread betting and CFDs are leveraged products, which can result in losses greater than your initial deposit. Ensure you fully understand the risks.

* Spread betting and CFD trading are exempt from UK stamp duty. Spread betting is also exempt from UK Capital Gains Tax. However, tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Please seek independent advice if necessary.

About City Index
Today more and more individual traders are discovering the benefits of derivatives, and many of them are discovering them through a City Index trading platform.

As a group, we transact in excess of 1.5 million trades every month for individuals in over 50 countries worldwide. We provide access to a wide range of instruments including margined foreign exchange, CFD trading (http://www.cityindex.co.uk/cfd-trading/) and, in the UK, financial spread betting (http://www.cityindex.co.uk/spread-betting/).

We constantly look to widen the range of assets we offer, improve the performance of our platforms and expand the range of services we provide. The result is that our customers benefit from innovative trading tools with transparent pricing, competitive spreads, and a high standard of customer service and support. Visit http://www.cityindex.co.uk/ for more information.