How does John Lewis’s Christmas 2014 Monty the Penguin advert compare with previous years? November 7, 2014 It’s already spawned parodies and has yet to air on TV, but the John Lewis Christmas advert is already on track to surpass the success of last year’s Bear and Hare ad. The cuddly penguin called Monty has worked his magic, garnering the video more than seven million views on YouTube and Facebook in the [...]
The John Lewis Monty effect? Devonshire Square p-p-p-picks up a penguin for one day only December 4, 2014 We're not sure if it’s the John Lewis effect or just a coincidence, but it seems one’s Christmas party isn’t complete these days without a troop of live penguins. This week, it was Devonshire Square, which rolled out the ice carpet for the Antarctic’s best export – hosting a group of the animals in [...]
John Lewis Christmas 2014 ad campaign: The best spoofs the internet has to offer November 7, 2014 John Lewis' Christmas 2014 advert looks set to beat its previous record for most viewed, most shared, most loved and most commercial. Monty the Penguin had already had more than four million views on YouTube by this morning. But as every celebrity worth their salt knows, you've not made it until you've been parodied. [...]
How John Lewis took over Christmas – and restored festive cheer to all Britons November 6, 2014 When I was young, Christmas was a magical time, filled with wonder and delight. But as I grew older, and Father Christmas was revealed for who he really was (thanks dad), the shine wore off. Sure, I still look forward to it, but the crass commercialisation has slowly chipped away at this special time, and [...]
YouTube ranking: John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, Burberry and Marks and Spencer have the best Christmas ads of 2014 December 2, 2014 It’s only the second day of December, but we've already been treated to a sneak peak of the joy ahead for the Christmas season via the medium of advertising. This year, retailers battled it out with penguins, soldiers and celebs in a bid to get the public into the festive spirit and spend their pennies- although [...]
Black Friday UK 2014: John Lewis gears up for weekend shopping frenzy as sales growth slows November 25, 2014 John Lewis said yesterday it was gearing up for this weekend’s shopping frenzy that begins with Black Friday, as sales growth slowed over the past week. Sales in the week ending Saturday 22 November rose to £114.2m, 2.1 per cent up on the same period last year and a five per cent rise on the [...]
Amazon Prime Day is not the new Black Friday as British retailers have little appetite for mega sales… yet July 15, 2015 Not content with helping bring the horror of shoppingeddon to the UK in the form of Black Friday, Amazon is now attempting to create its own, even bigger version, with Prime Day. Last year Black Friday went from being a US tradition us Brits mocked as the embodiment of America's tendency to take things to [...]
John Lewis crashes through £100m weekly sales barrier after 2014 Christmas advert launch November 18, 2014 Department store John Lewis yesterday said sales in the week ending 15 November rose 7.2 per cent compared to the same time last year. The retailer, which launched its closely watched Christmas advertising campaign last week, said sales surpassed the £100m barrier for the first time this year, with tills ringing up £108.8m. [...]
With Tesco’s profits up but facing an “uncertain market”, has Dave Lewis saved the supermarket? April 14, 2016 John Ibbotson, director of retail consultancy Retail Vision, says Yes. Yesterday’s fall in Tesco’s share price should be taken with a Value sack of salt. Chief executive Dave Lewis is achieving an extraordinary feat, turning around an oil tanker in a very tight spot. With Tesco hemmed in by ruthless competition and food price deflation, it’s [...]
From Sainsbury’s Christmas advert to the Lord Mayor’s Show 2015: Here’s what got us talking this week November 13, 2015 Boris got into all sorts of bother in Israel. London's saddest skyscraper got given a new lease of life (fingers crossed). And Generation Rent got told to quit their whining. Here's what got us talking this week 1) Are you ready for the Lord Mayor's Show? Today marks the 800th time the procession has been [...]