3 ways Morrisons will change your supermarket March 13, 2014 Morrisons’ extensive and rapid loss last year, and its foreseeable future profit warning, perhaps put it ahead of other supermarkets in terms of how quickly it needs to change. But the changes it needs and is planning to make affect all mainstream supermarkets. Indeed, the shares of all of them have lost this morning on [...]
The real casualties of the supermarket price wars April 16, 2014 The threat posed by the hard discounters on Britain’s big four retailers has been well documented. Tesco’s chief executive Philip Clarke today described his discount rivals as “formidable” as he announced further plans to slash prices beyond the £200m already set aside in February. But new research shows that the biggest unrecognised casualties of the [...]
The nominations roll in as we launch our awards June 29, 2014 It’s that time of year again – City A.M. is today launching its fifth annual awards, one of the most hotly anticipated occasions in the City calendar. The event, which celebrates those who have helped put the City of London at the centre of the world’s financial markets, will take place on 13 November at [...]
Primark set to launch its first stores in the US April 23, 2014 ASSOCIATED British Foods (ABF) is taking Primark to the US, the FTSE 100 conglomerate announced yesterday, as it reported a 26 per cent leap in the budget clothing chain’s profits. Primark is set to open a 70,000 square foot store in Boston in 2015 and it is also in talks to open a further eight [...]
Sainsbury’s sales fall for the first time in 9 years March 18, 2014 Sainsbury's has seen a fall in like-for-like sales growth for the first time in nine years, with like-for-like sales in the fourth quarter dropping 3.1 per cent excluding fuel and a decline in total sales of 1.5 per cent. Justin King, chief executive, said: We have seen a decline in sales in the quarter reflecting [...]
Blurred lines: What the rise of branded content means for marketers March 2, 2014 @LiamWardProud WHEN is an ad not an ad? Last year, Channel 4 aired a daytime cookery show called What’s Cooking? It featured celebrity chefs including Jean-Christophe Novelli, and often drew an audience in excess of 200,000 according to Kantar Media. But there was something different about this programme: the food featured was mostly Sainsbury’s own-label [...]
Pancake fever: I can’t believe it’s not batter March 3, 2014 DUST off your sieves and practice your frying pan skills, it’s Pancake Tuesday. Whether you’re getting ready for Lent or you’re just a fan of pancakes (like us) – today is the day to get “battered”. Last year Sainsbury’s alone sold 1.731m lemons in the run up to Shrove Tuesday and it plans on a [...]
Justin King swears off crisps for Lent as City figures quit meetings March 4, 2014 STOCKS of crisps at the Sainsbury’s Local next to the supermarket’s Holborn HQ are likely to be more bountiful than usual from today, as it turns out chief executive Justin King has given up crisps for Lent. Forty days of abstinence kicks off today – but what are City figures giving up? Well, CEO of [...]
Bottom Line: This is the end of the big four supermarkets March 13, 2014 DALTON Philips kicked off more than just a price war yesterday. By promising to slash prices in an effort to turn around Morrisons’ fortunes, he also exposed a growing schism at the heart of the British grocery market. For years, supermarket analysts have talked about the big four (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons) but with [...]
Major retailers call for shake-up of bricks and mortar tax system February 17, 2014 BRITAIN’S retailers have today called for the link between business rates and rateable property value to be scrapped over fears that retailers with lots of property are being unfairly hammered. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and accountants EY have put forward several alternatives to the current business rates system: replacing it with a tax based [...]