Ocado sales surge as consumers switch to online shopping September 15, 2020 Ocado sales soared in the third quarter as more customers continued to switch to online shopping due to the pandemic. Retail revenue surged 52 per cent to £587.3m in the 13 weeks to 30 August due to high demand for home grocery deliveries. Ocado’s share price jumped 5.99 per cent this morning after it forecast [...]
The real John Lewis bonus today was Waitrose March 7, 2019 Caution was in no short supply at this morning's breakfast with the bosses of John Lewis Partnership. Over coffee and croissants at its Victoria HQ, the retail giant’s directors echoed worries that the industry as a whole has been voicing for months: namely, the major structural changes on the high street and fears over a [...]
High street redundancies: Which retailers have cut jobs in the pandemic so far? February 13, 2021 Thousands of high street jobs have evaporated during the coronavirus pandemic, as retail chains have fallen under the pressure of lockdown restrictions on trading. The UK high street, which was already struggling before the pandemic, is set to look very different when shoppers return after lockdown following high profile collapses that have cost many retail [...]
John Lewis may convert department stores into affordable housing July 30, 2020 John Lewis is considering converting some of its store estate into housing in an attempt to strengthen its services business as the high street battles the impact of the coronavirus crisis. The retailer, which owns the department store chain and Waitrose, said it is exploring the concept of new mixed-use affordable housing with third parties. [...]
Guinness recalls non-alcoholic stout over safety concerns November 11, 2020 Guinness has urged customers not to drink its new non-alcoholic stout due to a microbiological contamination. The brand, which is owned by drinks giant Diageo, recalled its Guinness 0.0, saying the product may not be safe to consume. Guinness’ alcoholic stout is not affected by the contamination issue. It told customers to return the non-alcoholic [...]
Eat Out to Help Out wipes £155m off supermarket sales September 15, 2020 The government’s Eat Out to Help Out discount scheme saw £155m knocked off supermarket sales last month as consumers ate fewer meals at home. Brits spent less at supermarkets in the four weeks to 6 September compared to July as the discount scheme encouraged people to venture out to restaurants and cafes. Alcohol supermarket sales [...]
Nearly 50,000 businesses register for rapid Covid tests for staff to return to work March 13, 2021 Almost 50,000 businesses in the UK have registered to take part in the government’s free workplace testing programme, which will see rapid Covid tests used to return staff to the workplace. The health secretary welcomed the “fantastic” news. adding that it marked “a huge step forward in getting businesses back on their feet and helping [...]
Waitrose sets out £1bn online shopping plan as it prepares for life without Ocado May 16, 2019 Waitrose has revealed a £1bn plan to bolster its online operations today as it prepares for life without Ocado. The upmarket grocer has signed a deal with Today Development Partners (TDP) in a bid to treble the size of its online business over the next three years, as its 20-year relationship with delivery giant Ocado nears its [...]
Lidl pays back £100m in business rates relief December 4, 2020 Budget supermarket Lidl has joined the Covid repayment train in announcing it will pay back millions in business rates relief it received at the start of the pandemic. In March, the supermarket sector along with other retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England, was granted a business rates holiday for 12 months. Lidl today said [...]
Asda joins ranks of supermarkets set to return business rates relief December 3, 2020 Asda has joined the growing number of UK supermarkets to hand back business rates relief given by the government to help it through the coronavirus crisis. This afternoon the grocer confirmed that it would repay £340m in emergency support – the fifth supermarket to make such a pledge. Since Tesco first announced it would give [...]