Poundland owner Pepco increases earnings as store openings outpace pandemic June 24, 2021 Pepco Group, owner of discount retailer Poundland, has reported a 16.8 per cent increase in core earnings in the six months to 31 March, as revenue growth from new store openings offset the impact of pandemic restrictions. The group, which is listed in Poland and also owns the PEPCO and Dealz brands in Europe, trades from more than [...]
Asda ramps up partnerships strategy with Accessorize and Decathlon trials December 17, 2020 High street chains Accessorize and Decathlon have launched trials with Asda to sell products in supermarket stores, as retailers seek to adapt to new consumer shopping trends that have formed during the pandemic. Fashion and jewellery brand Accessorize will sell its products in an Asda West Midlands store as part of a “test and learn” [...]
Stump up the dough: Warburtons to spend millions on new bagel and crumpet factories May 17, 2021 Warburtons is spending £56m on new plants and depots after shoppers swapped slice bread for crumpets and bagels during the lockdown. The company will spend £28m on developing three new distribution depots and creating 150 new jobs, the Telegraph first reported. The baker will also plough £26m into building two new bakery plants; one factory [...]
Asda sales growth slows but grocer forecasts bumper online Christmas November 17, 2020 Asda’s sales growth slowed in the third quarter as lockdown restrictions lifted and hospitality businesses reopened, the supermarket announced this morning as it said customers are already stocking up for a “very different” Christmas this year. The grocer’s like-for-like sales excluding fuel were up 2.7 per cent in the three months ended 30 September, compared [...]
Asda to ‘Covid-proof’ trolleys and hire 1,000 safety marshals September 23, 2020 Asda has revealed a new investment plan to make its supermarkets Covid-secure, including the use of technology found in NHS coronavirus hospitals. The supermarket giant said it would appoint 1,000 new safety marshals stationed outside doors and in aisles, to make sure customers are wearing masks and maintaining a social distance from other shoppers. It [...]
Speed shopping: Food delivery space in frenzy as well-funded newcomers eye Deliveroo’s market share June 9, 2021 Getir has become the latest in a raft of fast-growing grocery delivery operators to raise bumper cash injections to fuel ambitious growth plans. The Turkey-based company, which said it can deliver to customers in as little as 10 minutes and launched in the UK in January, secured almost £400m in investment last week, taking its [...]
Online share of grocery sales hits record level during third lockdown March 1, 2021 The third national lockdown pushed the share of online grocery sales to a record high in January, double the level the previous month. The pandemic has accelerated the shift to online shopping with Britain’s big four supermarkets expanding their capacity during the crisis. The online share of grocery sales hit 16 per cent in January, [...]
Aldi and Lidl sales growth slows as discounters struggle to compete with Big Four’s online capabilities March 2, 2021 The growth of the discount supermarkets Lidl and Aldi has slowed as the Big Four UK grocers benefitted from their more established online presence during the pandemic. German budget grocers Lidl and Aldi reported that sales were up 10.9 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively in the 12 weeks to 21 February. However, three [...]
Walmart confirms Asda sale to billionaire UK brothers in £6.8bn deal October 2, 2020 Asda is back in British ownership after Walmart today agreed a sale to the Blackburn-based Issa brothers in a £6.8bn deal.
Covid restrictions drive online food shopping to record high as customers eat in to help out February 2, 2021 Online grocery shopping hit a record 14 per cent share of the UK grocery market in January, as customers bought more food to enjoy from home. The growth was boosted by a 229 per cent year-on-year rise in online spending by retired households. Supermarkets saw sales growth accelerate to 12.2 per cent in the last [...]