Slowdown in sales growth at Sainsbury’s March 23, 2011 SAINSBURY’S said yesterday that its sales growth was slowing with fears over the economy draining consumer confidence. Chief executive Justin King said that the company was performing well considering the challenges facing retailers. Like-for-like sales for the fourth-quarter were up by one per cent, below market expectations, and against growth of 3.6 per cent in [...]
Sales are strong at Asda but high fuel costs keeping shoppers away November 15, 2011 SUPERMARKET group Asda yesterday reported a pick up in third-quarter sales growth, helped by revamped own-brand food ranges and a pledge to be cheaper than rivals. Sales at stores open more than a year rose 1.3 per cent, excluding fuel and VAT sales tax, in the three months to September, Britain’s second-biggest supermarket group said [...]
THE TIPSTER October 3, 2011 FASHION retailer Ted Baker is reporting figures to the market on Thursday, and the expectations are good. Despite the high street gloom and the UK retail sales index being at a 16-month low, Ted Baker has supposedly bucked the trend, and will show a 15 per cent increase in sales. Global expansion is also being [...]
Fears for UK economy knock FTSE lower in volatile trading November 16, 2011 AFTER yet another rollercoaster session, Britain’s top share index ended a touch lower yesterday, as upbeat US economic data proved a welcome distraction for investors gripped by concern over the UK economy and Europe’s debt crisis. The UK benchmark closed down 8.42 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 5,509.02, after a session in which it [...]
FTSE inches up despite Sainsbury’s glum update March 23, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares edged up higher yesterday, on a budget day that brought a mixed outlook for UK corporates. J Sainsbury fell sharply after a downbeat trading update, while sector peers firmed after the budget, as did housebuilders which got a first-time property buyers boost, while North Sea-focused oil firms were hit by a tax [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT HAS CAUSED THE SLOWDOWN AT SAINSBURY’S? March 23, 2011 NICK BUBB | ARDEN Sainsbury’s was very pleased with itself for delivering 3.6 per cent like-for-like growth in its third-quarter, but once higher VAT and the benefit of store extensions were stripped out the performance wasn’t so impressive. We maintain a ‘weak Hold’ view. We would switch to Morrisons. CLIVE BLACK | SHORE CAPITAL The [...]
Patron saint of retailers says co-ops won’t work for everyone January 29, 2012 RESPONSIBLE Capitalism. Moral Markets. Whatever you call it, the debate raging around executive pay and “predator” business shows no sign of dying down. All political parties have tried to claim the issue as their own, but they have struggled to articulate what a fairer form of capitalism might look like. Enter John Lewis, the patron [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS October 30, 2011 Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments Serial entrepreneur Sir Eric Peacock has joined the board of Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments, the fine wine investment adviser, as a non-executive chairman. Sir Eric is a non-executive director of UKTI and the chairman of Baydonhill Fx, Buckley Jewellery, Halo Furniture and Stage Technologies. Earlier in his business career, [...]
GOK WAN TO DESIGN FOR SAINSBURY’S March 1, 2011 TV FASHION guru Gok Wan is set to create a number of womenswear collections for Sainsbury’s with the first due to hit the shelves this autumn. He will design for the retailer’s TU clothing label as part of a move to expand its clothing category. Wan said: “While I’ve styled thousands of women over the [...]
Here is the Next step for Marks & Spencer to take November 8, 2011 TWENTY years ago, the UK was in recession and Marks & Spencer had just changed its boss: some things never change. Under Rick Greenbury, M&S went on to have a good 1990s, before over-expansion led to the inevitable and painful correction, under a new management team. Twenty years on, the competition is much tougher and [...]