Tesco moves key UK director October 23, 2012 ■ Tesco yesterday said it has moved one of the senior executives tasked with delivering the firm’s £1bn turnaround plan in its home market. The grocer said its UK fresh food commercial director Andrew Yaxley would leave the post he has held for over two years to prepare for a new management role. Yaxley’s duties [...]
Tesco set for a Christmas tussle to win back customers November 6, 2012 TOWARDS the end of last year I discussed in this column how 2011 had seen Tesco’s brand perception scores fall throughout the year. As we would expect to see, perceptions proceeded sales. Tesco’s January announcement that its sales had dropped led to a sell-off that knocked around 100p from Tesco’s share price. This is a [...]
Speed is not of the essence in the disposal of RBS branches August 20, 2013 THE ROYAL Bank of Scotland (RBS) was yesterday called upon to get a move on in the disposal of 316 branches it has been required to make as a condition of its 2008 bailout by the UK taxpayer. Urging it to make a speedy decision are two of the three short-listed bidders who are vying [...]
Innovation Diary: Why the rise of the intrapreneur may be picking up momentum August 18, 2013 MANY startups are sceptical of claims that big corporates understand small business. It certainly suits an image, but the reality is often different. A recent inquiry found, for example, that small and medium-sized businesses were owed a record £35.3bn in late payments at the end of 2012, with big firms the main culprits. Many startups [...]
Tech powerhouse who wants to save our ailing high street November 10, 2013 Annabel Palmer meets Dan Wagner, back in the limelight with latest venture Powa Technologies HE may be one of Britain’s most prominent tech entrepreneurs, but Dan Wagner has had more than his share of career ups and downs and scathing headlines. In the 1980s, he was subject to criticism from the financial community for his [...]
Inside Track: Just-eat.com just might serve up a London flotation July 25, 2013 LONDON’S reputation as a host city for start-up technology groups would be enhanced if some of the larger businesses would only decide to list here. While there’s no doubt the plan to set up a hub for tech companies around Old Street roundabout is making strong progress, there are still concerns that some of the [...]
It’s time we ended the pretence that planning rules come without a price September 6, 2013 MOST agree that the UK housing market has long been stuck in an affordability crisis. Despite a fall in prices since 2007, Nationwide recently calculated that the typical house now costs 5.1 times average earnings, up from 3.9 a quarter of a century ago. In London, the ratio has risen from 5.7 to 7.7. And [...]
Mining firms and Tesco help push UK’s bluechip index up 0.4 per cent December 5, 2012 MINING stocks helped Britain’s main share index rise yesterday on expectations of stronger demand from China, offsetting lingering concerns about the US and European economies. Miners added 1.8 per cent after the head of China’s Communist Party said the world’s largest consumer of metals will approve policies targeted aimed at helping the economic recovery. Britain’s [...]
It’s time we ended the pretence that planning rules come without a price September 2, 2013 MOST agree that the UK housing market has long been stuck in an affordability crisis. Despite a fall in prices since 2007, Nationwide recently calculated that the typical house now costs 5.1 times average earnings, up from 3.9 a quarter of a century ago. In London, the ratio has risen from 5.7 to 7.7. And [...]
The voice of business should burst the Westminster bubble August 1, 2013 IT IS great news to see that more senior business figures will be joining the House of Lords, including Sir Anthony Bamford, chairman of JCB and Dame Lucy Neville-Rolfe, former executive director of Tesco’s corporate and legal affairs department. At the same time, it’s not nearly enough – at least, that’s the judgement of some [...]