Customer satisfaction levels suffer as retailers battle tough trading condtions January 23, 2020 Customer service satisfaction levels have suffered the longest decline since records began as retailers struggle to juggle meeting consumer expectations and facing the challenging trading conditions on the UK high street. The latest research showed that customer service satisfaction is at the lowest level since July 2015 with a score of 76.9. The top five [...]
Boots to slash 4,000 jobs and shut 48 Opticians stores July 9, 2020 British pharmacy chain Boots has announced it will slash 4,000 jobs and close 48 stores as it seeks to shore up its balance sheet after months of closures during the pandemic. Boots said it was consulting on plans to restructure its head office and store teams and close 48 Boots Opticians stores. In a statement, [...]
Coronavirus: Tesco rations essential food and household items March 8, 2020 Tesco has begun rationing essential food and household items as shoppers stockpile amid the coronavirus outbreak. Customers are limited to buying no more than five of each of the rationed goods, including antibacterial gels, wipes and sprays, dried pasta and UHT milk. The rules apply both in store and online. Waitrose has also reportedly introduced [...]
Tesco ‘unlawfully’ blocked rivals from opening nearby stores, CMA finds February 14, 2020 Tesco has been told to stop illegally blocking rival supermarkets from buying its land or leasing nearby sites by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). An investigation from the competition regulator found that Tesco had blocked access to rivals using restrictive contracts on 23 occasions. The UK’s biggest supermarket chain has agreed to take action [...]
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 [...]
Tesco ditches plastic wrap on multipack tins January 24, 2020 Tesco is set to remove all plastic wrapping from its multipack tins in a bid to cut down on waste, a step it says will remove 350 tonnes of plastic per year from the environment. The supermarket giant has teamed up with brands including Heinz and Green giant to replace single-use plastic wrap on multipacks [...]
John Lewis swings to a loss and flags no-deal Brexit fears September 12, 2019 Troubled high street chain John Lewis reported its first-ever half-year loss this morning, striking a gloomy tone amid fears of a no-deal Brexit. The retail giant, which owns both John Lewis department stores and Waitrose, warned that leaving the European Union without a deal would have a “significant” impact on the group. Read more: Retail [...]
A Machiavellian mastermind or a naïve kid? The story of the Flash Crash Trader June 5, 2020 On a cold morning in April 2015, half a dozen FBI agents and police officers pulled up outside a modest semi-detached house in Hounslow to arrest a man they considered to be among the most prolific and dangerous market manipulators in the world. Their target, Navinder Singh Sarao, had accumulated $70m buying and selling futures [...]
Brits spent an extra £1.9bn in stockpiling spree before coronavirus lockdown March 31, 2020 Brits made over 79 million extra trips to supermarkets in the four weeks leading up to the coronavirus lockdown, as people rushed to stock up on groceries ahead of restrictions being introduced, according to industry data. The stockpiling drove a 20.5 per cent jump in supermarket sales up to 21 March, with customers spending an [...]
Ocado joint venture with Marks & Spencer ‘working well’ December 12, 2019 Ocado has said its joint venture with Marks & Spencer is “working well,” as the retail delivery giant said revenue growth slowed slightly in its latest quarter. The firm saw growth in weekly orders, but stable average order size for the 13 weeks to 1 December. Read more: Ocado sales growth accelerates after Andover fire [...]