Morrisons’ woes wipe £2.6bn off supermarkets March 13, 2014 FEARS of a new supermarket price war wiped around £2.6bn off the combined value of Britain’s major grocers yesterday after Morrisons launched a major assault on its discount rivals. Shares in Morrisons plunged 12 per cent – to their lowest level since 2008 – after it revealed it would invest £1bn in slashing prices over [...]
M&S profit falls less than expected as Bolland stresses step by step approach May 20, 2014 Marks and Spencer has reported a fall in profits for the third year in a row: in the year ended in March, the store saw a 3.9 per cent decrease in underlying pre-tax profit, to £623m. That is, however, considerably better than the 7.5 per cent drop analysts have been predicting. Pressured chief executive Marc [...]
Shares in high street retailers cool on Next’s warm weather warning September 30, 2014 SHARES in the UK’s biggest clothing retailers slumped yesterday after industry bellwether Next warned it might have to cut its profit forecast if the warm weather continued. Next said third-quarter sales to date were up six per cent rather than the 10 per cent it had forecast as the mild September weather deterred shoppers from [...]
Wolrd Health Organization: Ebola outbreak cases pass 10,000, death toll nears 5,000 October 25, 2014 There have been over 10,000 cases of the Ebola outbreak and nearly 5,000 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed in its latest situation report update. The total death toll from the latest outbreak has risen to 4,922 while the number of recorded cases stands at 10,141. All but 27 of those [...]
From overtime holiday pay and immigration to the EU bill and John Lewis’ Christmas advert: 10 things we learned this week November 8, 2014 1. Businesses are going to have to start giving workers holiday pay for overtime. But it's quite complicated and likely to be subject to a few appeals so it's still a bit up in the air. 2. John Lewis is the king of Christmas adverts. That's not just our view, but the view of [...]
Next share price drops on back of profit warning as warm weather hits sales October 29, 2014 High street retailer Next has warned that profits will be lower than expected for the full year as a result of warm weather, pushing its share price down this morning. Sales for the third quarter were up 5.4 per cent, almost half the 10 per cent originally expected, saying weather this autumn had been "unseasonably [...]
Sarries brush off Quins and target trophy sweep November 2, 2014 SARACENS assistant coach Joe Shaw insists his side plan an assault on all fronts this term after starting their LV=Cup campaign with a 25-20 success over Harlequins at Allianz Park yesterday. With both clubs selecting strong line-ups, the hosts took full advantage of a sluggish Quins start to lead 15-3 at the break before the [...]
The 100 City people you need to follow on Twitter this year, day one: Entrepreneurs January 5, 2015 It's the beginning of 2015, so it's time to give your Twitter account a revamp: out with that Cheryl Cole spoof account, in with people who can give you the knowledge to get ahead in your career. Over the next five days, we'll be giving you the best and brightest City types to follow, from [...]
Tesco’s falling share price eats away at Dave Lewis and Alan Stewart’s bonuses October 27, 2014 Here's another reason for Dave Lewis to be concerned about Tesco's tumbling share price – it's already cost him around a quarter of the bonus accrued at his previous employer Unilever. Tesco bought out awards that both Lewis and new chief financial officer Alan Stewart forfeited from leaving their previous employment, which in the [...]
Content isn’t just for Christmas: Reflections on 2014’s seasonal ads December 21, 2014 One of the wonders of Christmas is the gift of giving, and brand marketers have been wrapping up content in abundance this Christmas. For the major retailers, it’s no longer simply about occupying the most television airtime over the festive period. Content now starts with YouTube and Facebook, becomes amplified through Twitter and is spun [...]