Maplin appoints Darren Shapland as chairman August 11, 2014 Electrical goods retailer Maplin has appointed Darren Shapland, the new Poundland chairman, as its non-executive chairman. He replaces John Lovering who is retiring. Shapland starts his role next month following the sale of Maplin by Montagu Private Equity to Rutland Partners for £85m in June. Shapland was previously Carpetright chief executive and also held senior [...]
Fashion wars… a Lidl bit of what you fancy August 20, 2014 The invasion of supermarkets into the fashion sector is hotting up after hard discounter Lidl announced yesterday it was entering the fray. The German retailer is to launch a new fashion range for women next Monday, including ankle boots for £9.99 and even a faux leather jacket for £15. Lidl already sells basic clothing such [...]
British Land gets full house at Regent’s Place after Guinness Partnership takes 10 year lease September 1, 2014 PROPERTY giant British Land said yesterday that its 13-acre Regent’s Place campus near Euston station is now fully let after securing The Guinness Partnership as a tenant. Regent’s Place was completed last summer and is made up of a cluster of buildings let to firms including Debenhams, Santander, Manchester City Football Club and Facebook. British [...]
Tesco share price: What the analysts are saying August 29, 2014 Tesco's profit warning – its second in just over a month – came out of the blue this morning, but its sentiment has been known for a while. The supermarket's struggles are well documented, from loss of market share against Lidl and Aldi, and growth at a 10-year low. Here's how analysts have responded to Tesco's [...]
Lidl by Lidl, the discounters are still on the rise – Bottom Line August 27, 2014 Fresh data, but no fresh hope for the mid-market grocers. Tesco dropped its market share to 28.8 per cent in the 12 weeks to 17 August, down from 30.2 per cent last year. Sainsbury’s also edged down. By contrast, premium player Waitrose grew its market share to 4.9 per cent – and its take at [...]
Supermarkets say Tesco tax would raise the price of food July 28, 2014 A senior executive at Sainsbury’s slammed proposals to levy another new tax on supermarkets yesterday, saying that the plans would lead to higher food prices. Derby City Council has proposed that local councils be permitted to introduce a “local levy” to supplement existing business rates, adding up to 8.5 per cent, to be kept by [...]
Sainsbury’s to take Tesco ad fight to court October 29, 2013 J SAINSBURY has announced it is to take Tesco to court to seek a judicial review, after the UK’s advertising watchdog twice rejected the retailer’s complaint against Tesco’s price comparison campaign. Tesco’s Price Promise scheme, launched in March, compares the cost of thousands of own-branded products against Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s and offers a money-off [...]
Supermarkets cut fuel prices July 28, 2014 THE LATEST round of petrol price wars kicks off today, as three of the country’s largest supermarket chains lower the cost at the pumps. Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s have all slashed 2p per litre off the price of diesel and petrol. Morrisons has not yet followed suit, but says it “will be evaluating [its] pricing [...]
Philip Hampton is being lined up to replace Sir Christopher Gent as GSK’s next chairman August 7, 2014 Sir Philip Hampton is being lined up to take the role of chairman at Britain’s biggest drug company Glaxosmithkline after exiting Royal Bank of Scotland, Sky News reports. It’s said that Hampton will join GSK as early as next month as a non-executive director or deputy chairman, moving into the chairman’s seat by 2015. GSK’s [...]
Asda sales ahead despite profit warning from owner Wal-mart August 14, 2014 ASDA is outperforming its leading supermarket rivals in the battle for customers’ loyalty after reporting a 0.5 per cent increase in like-for-like sales in the second quarter. The US-owned chain was the first of the big four to take action against the discounters by cutting its prices when it pledged in November to invest £1bn [...]