Consumer confidence worrying for everyone March 22, 2011 WHAT do politicians, retailers, the media and market researchers have in common? They are all talking and worrying, about “consumer confidence”. ECONOMY IS BIGGEST ISSUE Over three quarters of the UK population think the economy is the most important issue facing the country and the Bloomberg/YouGov Household Economic Activity Tracker shows 55 per cent expecting [...]
Ocado sales up 25pc March 4, 2011 Online grocer Ocado posted a 25 per cent rise in first-quarter sales and said it remained profitable, despite a challenging economic backdrop which has hit many retailers hard. The group, which mostly sells the products of grocer Waitrose, said it made gross sales of £146.2m in the 12 weeks to 20 February, in line with [...]
Ocado sales up 25pc March 4, 2011 Online grocer Ocado posted a 25 per cent rise in first-quarter sales and said it remained profitable, despite a challenging economic backdrop which has hit many retailers hard. The group, which mostly sells the products of grocer Waitrose, said it made gross sales of £146.2m in the 12 weeks to 20 February, in line with [...]
Waitrose opens overseas February 13, 2011 WAITROSE is set to open one of five shops in the Channel Islands this week, in its first owner-operated venture outside the UK. The Thursday opening of its 21,000 square foot shop in St Saviour, Jersey, comes just a week after the retailer opened its first shop in Bahrain. However, unlike Bahrain, which is operated [...]
Waitrose opens overseas February 13, 2011 WAITROSE is set to open one of five shops in the Channel Islands this week, in its first owner-operated venture outside the UK. The Thursday opening of its 21,000 square foot shop in St Saviour, Jersey, comes just a week after the retailer opened its first shop in Bahrain. However, unlike Bahrain, which is operated [...]
Analyst views: What is the outlook for retailers’ figures this week? January 9, 2011 NICK BUBB | ARDEN “The resilience of trading at the premium end of the High Street, as evidenced by John Lewis, is still striking. Investors can’t buy shares in John Lewis, but they can buy shares in M&S, which is the best proxy for the strength of middle-class spending on food and clothing.” KEITH BOWMAN [...]
West End shop sales soar ahead, defying post Christmas slump February 13, 2011 LONDON’S West End stores have seen strong growth in sales in January, despite the rise in VAT and sluggish wage growth, it was revealed today. Retail sales were up 5.8 per cent compared to the same time last year, the New West End Company said. An increase in menswear was particularly notable, it said, reporting [...]
Ocado hit by boss share sale February 21, 2011 OCADO shares took a tumble yesterday after chief executive Tim Steiner sold £5m worth of Ocado stock. Steiner’s move – plus the announcement that Waitrose was planning to revamp its own online delivery service – saw the stock close down 7.75 per cent at 239p. Waitrose, which has a ten-year contract with Ocado to supply the [...]
Boost for January’s sales February 6, 2011 DOOM and gloom forecasts for the British high street have yet to materialise, according the latest BDO sales tracker, released today. In January, sales for retailers with revenues between £5m and £500m were up 9.1 per cent compared to the same time last year, said BDO. Consumers have been taking advantage of “VAT busting” offers [...]
No punishment for Tindall and co after night out September 16, 2011 ENGLAND’S management team have launched a vehement defence of skipper Mike Tindall and several of his team-mates who embarked on a night out in Queenstown following last Saturday’s win over Argentina. Tindall, who led the side in the absence of the injured Lewis Moody, and a group of players, including Dan Cole and Steve Thompson, [...]