More bad news for retailers: Consumers to send back £223m-worth of unwanted Christmas presents January 6, 2015 Retailers have started to report their Christmas performances, and while online growth is something that many of them will trumpet proudly, the rise of etail presents a growing challenge for the sector. This year will see record levels of unwanted gifts being returned to retailers, with one estimate putting the total amount being sent [...]
From Ukip and bird flu to RBS and Lidl: 10 things we learned this week November 21, 2014 1. Ukip got its second member of parliament. Mark Reckless retook the seat he'd held as a Conservative. But that was really the side show to accusations of snobbish tweets and comments around immigration that were so inflamatory Ukip distanced itself from them. 2. Bird flu returned to the UK. It's unlikely to pose [...]
People’s Postcode Lottery: A gamble where everybody wins December 18, 2014 Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £56m for charity and they aim to raise even more next year. Fancy your luck this Christmas? Well, deciding to play People’s Postcode Lottery (PPL) isn’t a gamble at all when you know that the money you pay is being used to support some of the UK’s [...]
Happy Christmas to all our readers – Editor’s Letter December 22, 2014 So we come to the end of another year, and 2014 has been eventful enough, dominated politically in the UK by the debate over the future of Scotland and elsewhere by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Oil prices have crashed, causing major implications for producers and consumers alike and in some countries interest rates have [...]
Cyber Monday beaten as Black Friday sales soar December 7, 2014 Black Friday trumped Cyber Monday as online transaction volume soared 74 per cent year-on-year, compared to an increase of just 44 per cent on Cyber Monday, showing the meteoric rise of the US shopping event. Since 2011 Cyber Monday (1 December) has outperformed Black Friday in terms of online sales, however this year’s Black Friday [...]
Why you won’t find Black Friday discount deals at Aldi and Lidl summed up in a single tweet November 28, 2014 Aldi has taken an overt swipe at its supermarket rivals over Black Friday deals with a single tweet. As shoppers wrestled each other over discount deals in Tesco and Asda, Aldi tweeted: "Hmm, we think we did #BlackFriday last week. Although it was just called 'Friday'. And it's the same every day!" Hmm, we think [...]
John Lewis crashes through £100m weekly sales barrier after 2014 Christmas advert launch November 18, 2014 Department store John Lewis yesterday said sales in the week ending 15 November rose 7.2 per cent compared to the same time last year. The retailer, which launched its closely watched Christmas advertising campaign last week, said sales surpassed the £100m barrier for the first time this year, with tills ringing up £108.8m. [...]
Royal Mail has taken a battering but is still valued brand – Brand Index December 16, 2014 THE CHRISTMAS period is always one of great stress and pressure for the delivery sector. With Royal Mail’s hold over the industry beginning to be threatened, I can use YouGov BrandIndex data to assess how it has been performing in the run up to this crucial time. Of course, Royal Mail has been repeatedly in [...]
Court cases could mean payouts for delayed airline passengers April 28, 2014 A PAIR of appeals due in the next few weeks could cement new rights for passengers to claim compensation when their flights are delayed. A customer of Thomson Airways is going to the Court of Appeal in the hope of setting a precedent for other passengers who bring a claim more than two years after [...]
Time to give thanks for Black Friday – Editor’s Letter November 27, 2014 This week, one American seasonal tradition is on everyone’s lips: Black Friday. Today is the day when US retailers kick off the pre-Christmas rush with a slew of discounts, and their finances are said to move back into the black as a result. This year, Brits are promised our own welter of price cuts. But [...]