Opinion: Supermarkets look a good bet April 20, 2020 The received wisdom at present is that UK property capital markets have pretty much gone into suspended animation in the face of the pandemic, but this certainly isn’t the case in the grocery-led sector. There are currently seven substantial supermarket transactions totalling around £205m which are either under offer or due to imminently complete. And [...]
B&M share price tumbles on slow Christmas sales growth January 10, 2020 Discount chain B&M’s share price has fallen by more than eight per cent this morning after a trading update reported a challenging Christmas period. The company said like-for-like sales for the 12 weeks leading up to 28 December had increased by 0.3 per cent. Read more: Selfridges’ Christmas sales boosted byt vegan food and toys [...]
City Moves for 11 March — Who’s switching jobs at Wavemaker, Waypoint Capital and CapitalRise? March 11, 2020 Today’s City Moves includes Wavemaker, Waypoint Capital and CapitalRise Wavemaker Wavemaker UK has announced the appointment of Elliott Millard as head of planning. Based in London, Elliott will lead a team of 65 planners, taking responsibility for the strategic element of key new business pitches. Elliott brings over 18 years of media industry leadership experience [...]
DEBATE: Should business be concerned about the planned immigration curbs on low-skilled workers? February 20, 2020 Should business be concerned about the planned immigration curbs on low-skilled workers? Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, says YES. The proposals announced yesterday are overly restrictive and will halt business growth in huge swathes of the economy. They also give very little time for business to adjust and adapt, as the government has said [...]
Shepherd Neame turnover drops after contract losses September 25, 2019 Turnover at Shepherd Neame fell nearly seven per cent after the pub operator lost contracts with Asahi and Lidl. The brewer, which owns and operates 322 pubs in Kent and the south east, reported that turnover was down 6.9 per cent to £145.8m in the year ended 29 June, compared to £156.6m in 2018. Read [...]
Tesco unveils new Clubcard Plus subscription scheme October 29, 2019 Tesco has announced its new £96 per year subscription loyalty scheme is set to launch next week. The supermarket said Clubcard Plus, which offers customers 10 per cent off two shops worth up to £200 each per month, could save shoppers more than £400 a year. Read more: Analysts react to Tesco chief executive Dave [...]
Intu sees rent payments dive amid UK coronavirus crisis March 26, 2020 Struggling retail landlord Intu has received less than a third of rent due for its second quarter as retailers struggle to pay the bills amid the UK coronavirus crisis. That forced it to abandon 2020 guidance as its incredibly low shares dropped three per cent to under 4p. The government has ordered almost all shops [...]
Coronavirus: When are supermarket opening times for NHS and pensioners? April 17, 2020 As the UK heads into lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak, supermarkets have enforced tighter restrictions and changed opening hours. Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday ordered all “non-essential” shops to close, leaving supermarkets one of the few stores to remain open. In recent weeks supermarkets have struggled to keep shelves replenished as consumers embarked on [...]
Aldi and Lidl continue to attract customers – so what impact will Tesco’s budget chain Jack’s have? September 26, 2018 Recently Tesco unveiled its first Jack’s discount store. With a strong emphasis on Britishness and home-grown products, the brand is seen as a challenger to the German supermarkets, Aldi and Lidl. I have often talked in this column about the growth of both Aldi and Lidl, and YouGov BrandIndex data points to the continued improvements [...]
Ocado retains crown as Britain’s fastest-growing supermarket February 4, 2020 Ocado has retained its position as Britain’s fastest growing supermarket, with the online grocer achieving its quickest growth in the North of England. Ocado’s overall sales grew 11.2 per cent year-on-year during the quarter, with its market share rising 0.2 percentage points, according to data from Kantar. While over half of the grocer’s sales come [...]