Subtle signals are crucial in business November 2, 2014 Even the smallest actions can make a huge impression – think carefully before asking questions. Subtle signals exist in all of our interactions, and the best businesspeople have a firm command over the messages they are sending. New Tesco boss Dave Lewis, for example, quickly decided to sell the firm’s fleet of private [...]
Emojli: What’s so great about the emoji-based social network? June 30, 2014 Emoticons frequently supplement online conversations, but have you ever considered communicating in emojis alone? A new app is being developed to let you do just that. Emojli will allow users to communciate in emojis – and only emojis. An iOS app is on the way, and its developers claim it will be able to fix [...]
Three’s the magic number for Carphone in joint mobile talks July 16, 2014 Carphone Warehouse is in advanced negotiations with mobile operator Three to launch its own branded mobile offering on the network, akin to Tesco Mobile or Virgin Mobile. While branding and details are yet to be decided, people close to the talks told City A.M. that Carphone could launch its mobile offering by the end of [...]
Best of the Brokers for 30 May 2014 May 29, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com AMEC Berenberg has initiated on Amec with a “buy” recommendation and a target price of 1450p. The broker says the merger with Foster Wheeler will give Amec “transformative potential” through revenue synergies, with likely sustained strong earnings growth provided by its North Sea [...]
Analysts spread gloom ahead of Tesco numbers November 26, 2013 TESCO received an unwelcome early Christmas message from City analysts yesterday, as predictions of a further decline in third quarter like-for-like sales sent its shares down 2.5 per cent. Barclays predicted yesterday that the UK’s largest supermarket will report a 1.8 per cent fall in UK like-for-like sales next week compared with flat sales in [...]
Tesco confirms completion of Fresh & Easy sale November 27, 2013 Tesco has confirmed the completion of the sale of most of its Fresh & Easy grocery business to YFE Holdings. YFE is an affiliate of Yucaipa, which said in a statement that customers can expect to see "many exciting changes in the coming weeks" when it comes to the stores. The sale was initially announced on [...]
Bottom Line: Chop harder or prepare to face a descending axe June 4, 2014 HOW quickly a giant can start to resemble a dinosaur. Tesco’s likefor-like sales in the first quarter fell by a shocking 4 per cent if you exclude VAT, petrol and vouchers, its worst drop in years. Embattled chief executive Philip Clarke says he’s determined to cling to his position, but it looks less and less [...]
Even Primark sales aren’t sweet enough to save Associated British Foods from a 4pc share price slump September 8, 2014 Associated British Foods (ABF) went on the offensive in a trading update this morning, saying it expects strong Primark sales to contribute to an increase in adjusted earnings per share for the year ending September 13 – but that wasn't enough to stop shares falling 4.4 per cent in early trading as investors worried about [...]
Bottom Line: Tesco results to show the rise of discounters December 1, 2013 TAKE note, Tesco. Britain’s biggest supermarket, which is expected to post a drop in like-for-like sales of around 1.5 per cent on Wednesday, has been caught napping by Lidl and its discount peers in recent months. Tesco has rolled out extra price cuts and special offers as it tries to win back the market share [...]
Bottom Line: It’s crunch time for Clarke and Philips June 3, 2014 THE NUMBERS are dire. Despite splashing out more than £3bn over the past year, the UK’s three biggest listed firms – Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons – are all shedding market share, with the former showing its weakest growth in 11 years. Analysts are slashing the sector left, right and centre, and with Tesco expected to reveal another [...]