The Notebook: Victoria Scholar on defensive plays, BA’s new uniforms and Elon Musk’s fall from fortune January 10, 2023 The Notebook is a new feature for 2023, allowing the City’s biggest names to get a few thoughts off their chest. Today it’s the turn of Victoria Scholar, Head of Investment at interactive investor It has been widely reported that the UK is on the brink of recession while a third of the global economy [...]
Shoppers opted for premium products this Christmas as grocery inflation hit 3.5 per cent January 5, 2022 Grocery sales hit £11.7bn over the Christmas period, as shoppers were keen to make the most of the festive period after Covid restrictions hampered celebrations last year. Shoppers spent record amounts on supermarkets’ premium own brand products, with £627m spent on pricier items over the four weeks to 26 December. This was an increase of [...]
Aviation recovery on its way, BA’s owner assures November 23, 2021 Luis Gallego, chief executive of British Airways’ (BA) owner IAG, is convinced aviation recovery will get back to pre-pandemic levels by 2023, as a result of the easing of air travel restrictions and the opening of transatlantic travel. Speaking yesterday at the Airlines UK conference in Westminster, Gallego revealed that “transatlantic bookings have reached almost [...]
Sainsbury’s to shut 200 cafes as it eyes more Starbucks in stores March 1, 2022 Sainsbury’s has announced it will close 200 cafes in its stores this year as it attempts to rival discount retailers. The supermarket said 200 Sainsbury’s cafes will close to customers in the spring this year while it will roll out 30 food halls and 30 Starbucks cafes. Around 2,000 staff will be impacted by the [...]
As inflation pushes hospitality prices up, customers’ patience will also start to wane March 24, 2022 Last week I had the painful, and for many people, familiar experience of trying to contact an airline to redeem evouchers. Mine was a simple request but not one I felt an online chat would resolve. After navigating a tortuous route through a myriad of menus, I was informed that they were too busy to [...]
Starbucks joins Deliveroo for app orders October 5, 2021 Coffee chain Starbucks and delivery app Deliveroo have joined forces. More than 400 of the chain’s stores are available to order on the Deliveroo app from today, with more stores being added throughout the month. Londoners can now order coffees alongside sandwiches and other menu items. Other areas involved include Birmingham and Manchester. Standard delivery [...]
John Lewis, Ikea, or Aldi — which 2019 Christmas advert is the winner? November 18, 2019 From clumsy dragons to evil sprouts, here’s our review of the festive adverts from some of the UK’s biggest retailers. M&S Food: This Is Not Just Food… This Is M&S Christmas Food The premise of this entire advert hinges on presenters Paddy McGuinness and Emma Willis, who swan around a Christmas market for 1.30 minutes as [...]
Tesco profit surges but bosses warn of sky-high inflation side effects April 13, 2022 Tesco has rebounded from the pandemic with a 65 per cent boost in operating profit, climbing to £2.56bn for the full-year.
Can online favourite Ocado make a comeback, or will its share price sink lower? March 28, 2023 Ocado’s share price fell nearly six per cent in afternoon trade as the “magic” of the online retailer’s venture with Marks and Spencer did little to buoy the confidence of investors In its start of year trading update Ocado revealed that retail revenue grew slightly by 3.4 per cent, although a 7.5 per cent decrease [...]
Sainsbury’s warns of lower profit as grocer anticipates inflationary pressures April 28, 2022 Sainsbury’s has warned of a lower profit for the coming year as the grocer faces uncertainties including high inflation and cost of living pressures on shoppers. Sainsbury’s posted underlying profit before tax of £730m for the 2021/2022 financial year, a 104 per cent boost on the year prior, but warned of challenges down the line. [...]