Lidl unveils £500m London expansion plan for 40 new stores June 12, 2019 Lidl has unveiled a £500m expansion plan to create 40 new stores in the capital, including its first central London store. The German discount supermarket said the openings would create 1,500 new jobs over the next five years. Read more: Big Four supermarkets stall amid fast rise of Lidl and Aldi A proposed Tottenham Court [...]
Big Four supermarkets stall amid fast rise of Aldi and Lidl May 29, 2019 The UK’s Big Four supermarkets all failed to post a rise in sales during the last quarter as they battled it out with the German discounters to keep their market share in an increasingly competitive landscape. While Tesco’s overall sales were flat in the 12 weeks to 19 May, its performance trumped the likes of [...]
FTSE 100 and Wall Street flat in subdued day for markets January 13, 2021 The FTSE 100 was flat by the mid afternoon as markets slipped into a lull after a rapid start to the year. After rising 6.4 per cent last week, London’s leading index has faltered this week with two consecutive sessions of losses. By 3pm the bourse was down 0.05 per cent at 6,751 points. The [...]
Christmas shoppers flock to toy shops ahead of second Covid-19 lockdown November 10, 2020 Toy and entertainment retailers reported a surge in shopper numbers in the days leading up to the coronavirus lockdown, as Brits snapped up Christmas presents ahead of the closure of non-essential stores. The latest analysis showed that toy stores more than doubled their share of pre-pandemic footfall between Monday and Wednesday last week. But one [...]
UK supermarkets secure best Christmas on record as online sales double January 6, 2021 Online share of UK grocery sales doubled in December, helping to drive supermarkets to their biggest Christmas on record. A total of 8.5m households shopped for their Christmas groceries online this year, up almost 3m compared to last year and equating to roughly a third of all UK households. This pushed total spend at UK [...]
Freedom Day: Where do I need to wear a face mask from today? July 19, 2021 Across England, the final remaining coronavirus restrictions have been lifted. From today, people are no longer required by law to wear masks. The government has said, however, that people will still be expected to wear face masks in certain situations while some businesses, travel operators and local politicians have said that masks will still be [...]
Kingfisher joins supermarkets in returning business rates relief December 7, 2020 DIY retailer Kingfisher has joined a list of retailers announcing plans to repay millions in business rates relief it received at the start of the pandemic. The FTSE 100 firm has announced it will pay back £130m in tax relief, pointing to strong sales since it reopened its UK stores in April amid high demand [...]
Grocery sales on track for bumper Christmas after reaching record high in November December 8, 2020 November was the largest month ever for the UK’s grocery market as out of home socialising was restricted by a second national lockdown, figures show. Market researcher Kantar said grocery sales rose 11.3 per cent in the 12 months to 29 November and climbed 13.9 per cent year-on-year in the last four weeks. Last month [...]
Britain 2030: Reviving the industrial spirit along the River Thames August 17, 2021 Snaking inland from the dark of the North Sea, the River Thames has for centuries been the very lifeblood of London. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the Thames that put the capital right at the heart of Britain’s global empire, turning it into the modern, thriving metropolis it is today. Travel just [...]
The good, the bad, and the orange: In search of the perfect 2020 Christmas ad November 24, 2020 To call 2020 a “garbage fire” of a year would not be unfair. This year has turned people’s worlds upside-down in so many ways. But at least a few things remain a constant presence in life — one of which is the return of the blockbuster Christmas TV advert. While the advertising budgets look a [...]