Marks & Spencer and Ocado confirm talks over joint retail venture February 26, 2019 Marks & Spencer and Ocado have confirmed they are “in discussions” around a £1.8bn joint venture. Read more: Ocado to develop 20 new warehouses in first stage of US deal with Kroger The tie-up would see M&S pay Ocado between £800m and £900m for a 50 per cent stake in the food delivery service, according [...]
Vodafone rings cynical tone with token gesture on executive pay July 12, 2019 Talk about a late call. By the time Vodafone signalled a concession this week over long-term share awards granted to its top executives, the damage had already been done. The “voluntary request” (a phrase underlining the City’s talent for tortured tautology) made by Nick Read and Margherita Della Valle has stuck in the craw of [...]
Losses deepen as Ocado reveals cost of Andover fire July 9, 2019 Ocado suffered a sharp downturn in losses during the last six months as a devastating fire at one of the firm’s flagship warehouses scolded the firm’s performance. The delivery giant’s pre-tax losses slid to £142.8m in the first half of 2019, plunging from £13.6m during the same period in the previous year, as a major [...]
Ocado investors set to quiz boss Tim Steiner over M&S food delivery deal February 3, 2019 Ocado boss Tim Steiner will be in the spotlight this week as he delivers the firm’s annual results amid reports of a possible partnership with Marks & Spencer. The two companies are said to be in talks over a food delivery partnership that would see the retailer use Ocado’s warehouses and delivery lorries. Read more: Ocado [...]
Immigrants are building Britain’s fastest-growing businesses July 11, 2019 Too often, immigrants get a bad press. But we’re trying to change the narrative in today’s report Job Creators: The Immigrant Founders of Britain’s Fastest Growing Businesses. It reveals that – despite just 14 per cent of UK residents being foreign-born – 49 per cent of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses have at least one immigrant [...]
Joules lures in top Asda director as new chief executive May 8, 2019 Fashion group Joules has poached retail veteran Nick Jones to take over as chief executive, it announced this morning. A former top director at Marks & Spencer and Asda, Jones has spent 25 years working within the retail industry. Read more: Prime retail rents slip for embattled high street landlords After 15 years with M&S, latterly [...]
Marks and Spencer will shut seven stores for the final time as part of a wider restructuring May 4, 2019 Marks and Spencer will shut down seven more stores today as part of its long-term plan to close 100 by 2022. It will bring the total number of stores closed to 47 as the high street retailer adapts to consumer's changing habits. The department store chain is ending its association with town centres across the UK and [...]
Ocado strikes factory deal with Australian grocer Coles a month after £1.5bn Marks & Spencer tie-up March 26, 2019 Ocado has agreed a deal to provide two robot-operated fulfillment centres for Australian grocer Coles Online, as it doubles down on its growing role as a retail technology supplier. Read more: Ocado shares burn after 48-hour blaze at robotics centre The online supermarket will build and operate the customer fulfillment centres in Sydney and Melbourne, [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Return to his beloved Ascot can see Sands Of Mali strike June 20, 2019 CHOISIR made history in 2003 when becoming the first horse to win the King’s Stand-Diamond Jubilee double in the same year. It was a remarkable achievement, but 16 years on Blue Point will attempt to repeat the feat in tomorrow’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes (4.20pm). Charlie Appleby’s five-year-old outstayed Battaash to win the King’s Stand for [...]
Is honesty the best policy? Why brands should be open about their weaknesses June 24, 2019 Marketing can be complex, with so many sophisticated models, fancy processes, long words, plus various funnels, pyramids, and flow diagrams to help make people look clever. And the growing importance of data has added complexity to the way in which we plan the strategies behind advertising campaigns. But as the legendary ad man Bill Bernbach [...]