Black Friday 2015 is about more than just John Lewis, Tesco, and Amazon: Small businesses getting in on the shopping frenzy through eBay November 25, 2015 Brace yourselves: there are now less than 48 hours to go until the year’s biggest shopping frenzy hits, with UK shoppers predicted to part with a record-smashing £1bn this Black Friday. Retail giants like John Lewis, Asda, Tesco and Amazon may be reaping the biggest rewards from the massive Black Friday sales spike – but [...]
Tesco share price rises as bosses dip into their pockets and buy stake in troubled supermarket chain October 8, 2015 Tesco's board have thrown their support behind the embattled supermarket group by buying nearly half a million pounds worth of shares. Chief executive Dave Lewis has spent £200,000 of his own cash to buy his first 99,950 shares in the grocer. Non-executive directors Richard Cousins and Mikael Olsson have also invested in the business for the [...]
Tesco sells 14 development sites in London, South East and Bath to Meyer Bergman for £250m October 15, 2015 Tesco is selling 14 developments sites for a total of £250m as the troubled supermarket continues to sell-off assets while it shores up its balance sheet. The Spenhill sites, which are split across London, the South East and Bath, have been sold to a fund and clients advised by real estate manager Meyer Bergman. It is [...]
City Moves for 22 August 2016 | Who’s switching jobs August 22, 2016 Falcon Technologies International Optical Media storage specialist Falcon Technologies International has appointed Michael Gutowski as chief executive officer. Michael brings on board over 20 years of experience in the optical media industry, including having been CEO of Infodisc Technology in Europe and developing the firm into one of the leading players in the region. In addition to his executive [...]
The supermarket squeeze: Big four supermarkets outperformed by discounters and premium competitors June 1, 2016 The big four food retailers – Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons – are suffering in the supermarket squeeze today as both discount and premium challengers boasted the strongest sales growth. Tesco had the smallest drop in sales of the big four, at 0.1 per cent, and Asda the biggest, with a 5.1 per cent decline in sales. Discounters Aldi and [...]
One year in, Tesco boss has Dave Lewis no room for excuses – The City View September 29, 2015 A year ago this month, Dave Lewis was anointed Tesco’s chief executive after being parachuted in from Unilever and tasked with turning around Britain’s biggest retailer. The supertanker was sinking fast. Lewis’ predecessor Phil Clarke had overseen a disastrous reign littered with profit warnings, a collapse in the share price and falling market share. Tellingly, [...]
Now Lidl’s getting into the online grocery delivery business after Amazon Fresh’s UK debut and Aldi’s plans, taking on Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons November 24, 2015 Fresh from Amazon's launch into the highly competitive grocery delivery game with Pantry, is fellow supermarket disrupter Lidl about to follow suit? The German discounter, which is already giving the big four a run for their money in bricks and mortar, has snapped up a fresh food delivery startup in its home country. Kochzaube, which delivers fresh [...]
Meet Ernest: The free financial coach that sits in your Facebook October 24, 2016 When I was at BlackRock, I spent a lot of time on tech that was designed to improve return on investment for people who already had a lot of money,” says Niall Bellabarba, co-founder of Ernest, the intelligent finance coach. “So my starting point was that the man on the street doesn’t have access to [...]
From Tesco’s sugary drinks to Alton Towers’ roller coaster incident: How Twitter can make you a better investor August 19, 2015 Social media has long been used as a resource to tap into sentiment. Twitter, a platform that could easily be dismissed thanks to the challenges inherent in sharing information in 140 characters, is in fact a hugely viable source of information and a vital insight into what people are saying about a brand, an event [...]
Fixed or tracker: As Brexit prompts mortgage rates to tumble, how long should borrowers hold out for? July 12, 2016 Brexit might have thrown markets into turmoil, but if you’re thinking of taking out a mortgage, or are remortgaging, rates are about to get even more competitive. Since the referendum began in earnest, investors have clambered to buy government bonds, driving down yields and enabling mortgage lenders to offer more long-term funding. Banks have been [...]