Black Friday 2014: These eight Vines will make you glad you stayed in the office November 28, 2014 Pandemonium has erupted as Black Friday reached fever pitch in a number of stores across the UK. This year the all-American import was bigger than ever with the likes of Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, and Tesco getting involved. They slashed prices on everything from electricals like TVs, tablets and other gadgets to designer watches, clothing [...]
Sports Direct brushes off England’s early World Cup exit but results show even Mike Ashley can’t predict the weather December 11, 2014 Sports Direct has brushed off England's disappointing World Cup performance but it seems owner Mike Ashley is not immune to the unseasonal weather. The figures Group revenue rose 6.5 per cent to £1.4bn in the six months to 26 October. Underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation rose 11pc to £203.1m, excluding charges related to the [...]
Apps to improve your work-life balance in 2015 December 31, 2014 A 24/7 business cycle coupled with the smartphone invasion can create a seemingly insurmountable workload making it increasingly impossible to achieve the ideal work-life balance. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and for the tech-savvy there's a myriad of apps to help fight back against the increasingly blurred lines between work and play. Rescue [...]
Stars enjoy St Andrew’s Day at the Savoy November 30, 2014 IT WAS St Andrew’s Day yesterday and to celebrate for Scots in London, the London Scottish Football Club hosted a charity lunch at The Savoy on Friday – raising £23,000 for the STV Appeal. Presenter Kirsty Gallacher, magician Magic Romil and rugby star Kenny Logan (pictured) were all there along with ex-Tesco chair Sir David [...]
Tesco steps up assault with more price cuts April 22, 2014 TESCO yesterday launched a fresh round of price cuts and slashed its online shopping charges as it steps up its efforts to stop customers defecting to its discount rivals. The retailer dropped prices on over 30 products yesterday including bacon, sugar, broccoli and some of its bread ranges. The price of six Tesco free-range medium [...]
Tesco confirms finance chief departure April 4, 2014 Grocer Tesco has confirmed the widely reported departure of its chief financial officer, Laurie McIlwee. McIlwee has decided to step down from the board and resign, but has agreed to remain in his role to ensure a smooth handover, a statement said. Chairman Sir Richard Broadbent thanked McIlwee for his contribution, saying that he "has [...]
City Moves for 09 February 2015 | Who’s switching jobs February 8, 2015 Cohn & Wolfe The communications agency has appointed Helen Ridgway as chief executive of technology agency AxiCom, which it acquired seven years ago. Cohn & Wolfe, in turn, is part of WPP. Ridgway co-founded AxiCom 20 years ago. Her client base includes Tyco and Microsoft Devices Group. Insight Investment Shankar Athreya has been appointed head [...]
Argos rolls out eReceipts in bid to become a top digital retailer November 24, 2014 Argos has announced the introduction of eReceipts across its 750 UK and Ireland stores. The scheme gives Argos’ customers the option to have a receipt emailed to them to keep a record of purchases and warranties and has already been trialled this year. The technology has been developed by eReceipts, which is chaired by the [...]
Grocery deflation continues to tumble as Aldi and Lidl ramp up supermarket price war December 16, 2014 The supermarket sector has nudged back into growth after the surprise decline recorded last month. Figures out today from Kantar Worldpanel show that for the 12 weeks to December 7, the grocery market grew 0.1 per cent. The data company said this was down to “shoppers putting slightly more in their baskets compared with [...]
Analyst Views: What do you think of the strategy announced by Sainsbury’s? November 12, 2014 NICLA DI PALMA | BREWIN DOLPHIN What disappoints us is that management did not take a more aggressive stance with closing underperforming stores. Instead, Coupe will try to increase the non-food offer and possibly introduce some concessions. Management is loath to shrink, although we believe they could have taken the extra step. DARREN SHIRLEY | [...]