London to be cloaked in fog tomorrow says Met Office and a London White Christmas doesn’t look likely December 18, 2016 Dense fog will descend on London tomorrow, hampering efforts to either get into the capital for work or get away from it for the Christmas holidays. Today, fog stubbornly held its ground leading to the capital's airports warning of flight delays and cancellations – it was the second day those looking to make an early [...]
After Brexit fears, Stonegate Pub Company toasts to sales growth over festive season January 5, 2017 Stonegate Pub Company today announced strong performance over the festive period despite fears of a tougher market after Brexit. The UK's leading privately owned managed pub company said total like-for-like sales grew 5.7 per cent in the four-week period from 5 December to 1 January following strong performance last year. Stonegate operates 691 drinks-led pubs and bars, including high [...]
It was a very merry Christmas for Morrisons with sales up 2.9 per cent January 10, 2017 Morrisons today revealed that sales in the nine weeks to 1 January were the strongest the supermarket has seen for seven years – and it's raised its expectations for full year profits. The group's shares jumped 4.5 per cent at the open. The group reported a 2.9 per cent jump in like-for-like sales excluding fuel – with [...]
Roboshop: How Morrisons is using artificial intelligence to stock its shops March 20, 2017 Morrisons is using artificial intelligence to stock its stores in a bid to improve efficiency and customer service. The supermarket is rolling out a system from tech firm Blue Yonder that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict exactly what is needed in each of Morrisons' 491 stores. Read more: Amazon is looking for [...]
Britons taking the day off work cost the economy £18bn every year March 1, 2017 People taking days off work cost the UK economy billions every year, with the toll to rise considerably over the next decade, a new study has found. Absences from work account for £18bn in lost productivity every year, according to the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) – a figure which could swell to £26bn [...]
House price growth falls to 14-month low February 1, 2017 UK house annual price growth fell to 4.3 per cent in January, down from a year-on-year growth of 4.5 per cent in December. As compared to the month before, house price growth edged up 0.2 per cent, according to figures from Nationwide. But it is thought that overall this year the housing market will be cooler [...]
Why the UK is falling out of love with fashion: M&S, Debenhams and Ted Baker offer solutions to the high street clothing crisis January 24, 2017 In 2016, Britons were focused less on fashion, and more on enjoying themselves. We ate out and drank more, but spent less on clothes. In other words, we “shifted towards the experience economy”, according to Richard Lim, chief executive of Retail Economics. “Since Brexit, the components within the economy holding up well have been consumer expenditure [...]
Mitchells & Butlers reports strong festive period with sales up 4.7 per cent January 13, 2017 Pub, bar and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers has reported an uptick in sales during the first quarter of the year, citing a particularly strong festive period. The figures Like-for-like sales growth for the year-to-date increased to 1.7 per cent in the 15 weeks to 7 January, with trading over the festive period "particularly strong [...]
Turnaround plan looks set to pay off for Morrisons March 5, 2017 The turnaround at Morrisons supermarkets headed by CEO David Potts looks set to gather speed this week as the company reports its best annual results in six years. The chain is likely to report a 54 per cent rise in pre-tax earnings to £335m on Thursday, according to predictions by banking firm Jefferies. The firm [...]
The Waitrose Christmas advert is here: Move over Buster, there’s a plucky little Robin giving you all the feels November 13, 2016 The bouncing boxer dog of the John Lewis Christmas advert has a rival: a tiny Robin braving wild weather and perilous predators to return to a young girl's festive home. The Waitrose Christmas advert has been revealed, and while never quite matching up to the much-hyped John Lewis one before, this year that might just change with its [...]