Why Sainsbury’s is SocGen’s favourite supermarket January 22, 2014 When it came to supermarkets’ Christmas performance in the UK, the discounters claimed the victory. Aldi and Lidl saw sales leap, both increasing their market shares. It was good news for high-end store Waitrose, too, which also saw a bumper festive period. It’s the Big Four – or, at least, three of them (Tesco, Asda [...]
Is the Christmas shopping boost to retail sales really that positive? December 18, 2013 Retail sales picked up significant pace in the first half of December, as shoppers took a pre-Christmas breather in October and November before the festive rush. The Confederation of British Industry's Distributive Trades Survey came in at 34, rocketing past November's figure of one, the consensus forecast of 10, and matching September's 15-month high. Orders [...]
Tesco says £1bn plan on track as troubles mount December 4, 2013 TESCO boss Philip Clarke insisted yesterday that his £1bn investment plan to turn the retailer around was “firmly on track” despite posting a slump in trading across all of its markets. UK like-for-like sales fell 1.5 per cent in the third quarter to 23 November compared with flat sales in the second quarter and in [...]
Walmart names overseas boss McMillon as new chief executive November 25, 2013 WALMART yesterday named Doug McMillon as its new chief executive, replacing Mike Duke who will retire next year after five years at the helm of the world’s largest retailer. McMillon, who is currently in charge of Walmart’s fast-growing overseas empires including Asda in the UK, will take over from Duke on 29 January. Coming after [...]
Tesco hit by broker claims that prices rising faster than rivals December 10, 2013 TESCO’S share price faltered yesterday after the group suffered another downgrade from a major broker amid concerns that it has lost its differentiation with its rivals. In a damning note published yesterday, Bernstein analysts said that Tesco has raised prices faster than any of its supermarket competitors since 2010, losing its value credentials along the [...]
Retail still struggling to drive footfall despite British growth November 17, 2013 HIGH streets are still recording declining footfall, with little boost from the robust economic growth recorded for the second and third quarters of the year. Footfall in October was down 2.9 per cent across the sector, compared to the same month in 2012, according to data released today by Springboard and the British Retail Consortium [...]
Scarlett fever: Under The Skin is a classic March 13, 2014 FILMUNDER THE SKINCert 15 | By Alex DymokeFive Stars IF YOU were considering the filmic potential of Scotland, first to come to mind would probably be the highlands; the dramatic barrenness of the western isles, the bronze light that illuminates the Grampians every evening. You probably wouldn’t think of Asda, Tescos, or obscure ring-roads on [...]
Greencore draws a line under horsemeat as revenues rise November 26, 2013 GREENCORE posted a robust rise in full-year profits yesterday after recovering in the second half from a slump in the ready meal market caused by the horsemeat scandal. The food group, which makes own label products such as sandwiches and desserts for major supermarkets, said revenues increased by three per cent to £1.19bn in the [...]
Housing market cools for winter but price growth beating wages November 17, 2013 HOUSE prices this month are still up four per cent on November last year, despite a small seasonal dip from October. According to Rightmove’s latest house price index, London prices are up by 6.9 per cent in the same period. In the year to September, average weekly earnings only rose by 0.8 per cent. Between [...]
UK retail sales grind to a halt in October as supermarkets stutter October 28, 2013 ANNUAL growth in British retail sales unexpectedly ground to a halt over the past month, hit by the first big fall in supermarket sales since February, the Confederation of British Industry said yesterday. The CBI distributive trades survey’s retail sales balance slumped to plus two from a 15-month high of plus 34 struck in September, [...]