FTSE swings lower as rumours of Spanish bailout spook investors October 2, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index continued its choppy trend and was pulled marginally lower yesterday, as weakness in banks and miners overpowered results-related gains for companies such as Babcock and Tesco. The FTSE 100 closed down 11.00 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 5,809.45. The index has swung in a 100-point range over the last five [...]
Champagne: is bigger better? October 8, 2012 City A.M.’s wine industry expert When you think about buying a bottle of Champagne, which names immediately spring to mind? Bollinger? Moet & Chandon? Brands like these carry a hefty price tag but whether their wines are better than the cheaper alternatives is up for debate. You can buy a bottle of Tesco-branded Champagne for [...]
Google is spared the public’s anger over UK tax spat November 20, 2012 LAST week executives from Amazon, Google and Starbucks appeared before the House of Commons public accounts committee to discuss the issue of tax avoidance, which led to some calls for consumers to boycott big brands that are accused of not paying their fair share. But how is brand perception actually impacted by these sort of [...]
Sainsburys ups market share as Morrisons lags November 6, 2012 J SAINSBURY, Britain’s third-biggest supermarket group, has lifted its market share, helped by investment in its cheaper own-brand products, industry data showed yesterday. Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel said Sainsbury’s sales rose 6.4 per cent in the 12 weeks to 28 October, increasing its share of the UK grocery market to 16.8 per cent from 16.4 [...]
Sainsbury’s boosted by online and convenience sales October 3, 2012 Sainsbury’s beat expectations to post a 4.3 per cent increase in total sales over the quarter this morning, thanks to strong growth in convenience stores and online. The food retailer opened 49 new convenience stores over the first half of the year, while the online business posted growth of over 20 per cent year on [...]
Tesco continues to shed market share as Asda hits record high March 27, 2012 TESCO has continued to shed market share in the first three months of 2012, latest figures showed yesterday, while number two supermarket Asda has seen its slice of the pie jump to a record high. According to Kantar data released yesterday, Tesco’s year-on-year growth lagged behind the rest of the sector at just 2.7 per [...]
Tesco: the fastest growing of the top four global grocers March 14, 2012 TESCO may be losing market share in the UK, but the supermarket chain is forecast to grow faster than its three main global rivals over the next three years, according to research by retail analyst IGD. The grocer is set to grow at an annual rate of 6.8 per cent between 2011 and 2015, compared [...]
20,000 MORE UK JOBS FOR TESCO March 4, 2012 TESCO unveiled plans yesterday to hire 20,000 new staff over the next two years as part of the supermarket’s efforts to revive its UK business. The UK’s biggest retailer, led by Phil Clarke, said it will invest significantly in additional staff hours and training to boost the customer experience. Tesco said the jobs are the [...]
Firms turning to bond market to raise money October 17, 2012 LARGE companies are turning to the bond market in growing numbers as more traditional sources of cash remain in the doldrums, research out today claims. In the first eight months of the year, non-financial firms raised $75bn (£48bn) in corporate bonds, compared to £35bn raised in syndicated loans, according to TheCityUK, an interest group for [...]
Firms turning to bond market to raise money October 17, 2012 LARGE companies are turning to the bond market in growing numbers as more traditional sources of cash remain in the doldrums, research out today claims. In the first eight months of the year, non-financial firms raised $75bn (£48bn) in corporate bonds, compared to £35bn raised in syndicated loans, according to TheCityUK, an interest group for [...]