Analysts to the fore in big sectorial shakeups September 9, 2014 ANALYST of the year The role of the analyst has become increasingly important at such an uncertain time in the economy, when everyone is looking for guidance. With the UK retail sector in turmoil over the decline of Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, Waitrose and especially Tesco – caused mainly by the rise of the German discounters – their views [...]
Brand Index: Discounters’ customers force top shops to up their game July 16, 2014 For consumers, every little helps, and the tills at Aldi and Lidl are ringing as the German discounters attract new and unlikely customers. YouGov’s mid-year BrandIndex’s Buzz rankings show that Aldi tops the list with Lidl coming in fourth, as consumers keep buying habits forged in the downturn. In our Buzz Metric, a measure of [...]
Shapland is named Poundland chair in retail merry-go-round July 29, 2014 Poundland yesterday named Darren Shapland as its new chairman after losing its current boss to the troubled supermarket Morrisons in the latest round of retail musical chairs. Shapland joined the bargain chain’s board as a senior independent director ahead of its £750m float in March after a brief stint as chief executive of the flooring [...]
Aldi and Lidl to grab more sales from supermarket stores June 30, 2014 The amount of money spent at Britain’s larger supermarket stores is set to shrink over the next five years, new figures show, as competition from discounters, convenience stores and online gathers pace. According to research released yesterday by the industry body IGD, the value of the UK grocery market is set to rise by 16 [...]
London startup Osper wants to make kids better at managing money June 30, 2014 Osper, a London-based startup that teaches kids to manage their money online, has launched with £6m backing from Index and Horizons Ventures. The mobile app lets kids aged between eight and 18 years old take responsibility for their money and make purchases online using a prepaid card, but allows parents to oversee spending at the same time. [...]
Blake to make London return May 14, 2014 DOUBLE Olympic silver medallist Yohan Blake has confirmed he will return to London for this summer’s Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games. Blake finished behind world’s fastest man Usain Bolt in the 100m and 200m races at London 2012, but will hope to go one better at Horse Guards Parade on 20 July in a field that includes [...]
Morrisons ramps up assault on rival supermarkets after slashing more prices June 23, 2014 Morrisons has launched a fresh round of price cuts today as the troubled supermarket group steps up its efforts to win back shoppers defecting to cheaper rivals. Britain’s fourth-largest grocer will cut the price of a further 135 grocery and household products today by an average 14 per cent. “These are permanent price cuts, not [...]
Analysts predict price cuts at Sainsbury’s April 29, 2014 Analysts at Deutsche Bank issued a positive note on Sainbury’s today ahead of its full-year results next week, arguing that the supermarket group could be a relative winner in the sector compared to its rivals but warning that it will have to join them in slashing prices to stay ahead of the game. The [...]
Cream of the crop: Gu founder James Averdieck talks Australia and rural fantasy September 28, 2014 It's the kind of story you wouldn’t necessarily believe: someone cooked up the idea of a chocolatey pudding company while sitting in a coffee shop in Belgium, eating brioche. But for James Averdieck, founder of Gu, that’s exactly what happened. Back in 2003, he was a marketer for dairy company St Ivel, working in Belgium [...]
Stepping down Justin King heading for World Cup final June 25, 2014 Speculation about what Justin King, chief exec of Sainsbury’s, will do after he steps down next month has been rife – will he replace Ecclestone? Will he step into Bolland’s shoes? Will he go back to selling Haagen-Dazs? Well, we can’t reveal what his next career move is, but we do know what he’s doing [...]