Ocado robot warehouse fire extinguished February 8, 2019 A major fire which has destroyed one of Ocado’s flagship robotics distribution centres has been extinguished this afternoon, putting an end to a three-day inferno at the firm's Andover site. The delivery giant's share price climbed three per cent today, recovering some losses in the blue-chip firm's stock value after investors feared for the firm's [...]
Waitrose sets out £1bn online shopping plan as it prepares for life without Ocado May 16, 2019 Waitrose has revealed a £1bn plan to bolster its online operations today as it prepares for life without Ocado. The upmarket grocer has signed a deal with Today Development Partners (TDP) in a bid to treble the size of its online business over the next three years, as its 20-year relationship with delivery giant Ocado nears its [...]
Grocery sales on track for bumper Christmas after reaching record high in November December 8, 2020 November was the largest month ever for the UK’s grocery market as out of home socialising was restricted by a second national lockdown, figures show. Market researcher Kantar said grocery sales rose 11.3 per cent in the 12 months to 29 November and climbed 13.9 per cent year-on-year in the last four weeks. Last month [...]
Give your business a boost and ‘move on up’ to North East England September 8, 2021 The coronavirus pandemic has seen organisations in all sectors find new, innovative ways of working. From remote and hybrid offices, to the adoption of new digital technologies like video conferencing and cloud computing; the pace of change has been unprecedented. Another significant trend – one that was well established before the pandemic but has continued [...]
Waitrose pledges to keep meat and fish counters open as rivals shutter services November 11, 2020 Waitrose has this morning pledged to keep its meat, fish and deli counters open, taking on the supermarkets that have shuttered the services to cut costs amid falling demand. The up-market grocer said it is committed to the long-term future of its food service counters, and is planning to expand its meat and fish range [...]
UK supermarket chiefs call for online sales tax on firms like Amazon February 8, 2021 Some of the UK’s largest retailers, including Tesco and Asda, have called for Rishi Sunak to “rebalance the tax base” between online and bricks and mortar retail in an apparent push for a new digital sales levy on firms like Amazon. In a letter to Sunak, 18 chief executives and union bosses said “online retailers [...]
This Week: PMIs, Morrisons, Next, US unemployment, Fed, M&S January 4, 2021 City A.M. looks at the first business week of 2021 with Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. Monday: UK PMIs for December Flash numbers in the middle of December were surprisingly encouraging, with manufacturing rising to 57.3. “No doubt due to some pre-Brexit stockpiling. services also managed to rebound a touch, coming [...]
Consumers expect free delivery amid online shopping boom October 6, 2020 Consumers expect free delivery when buying items online, new research has shown, amid a surge in internet shopping due to the coronavirus pandemic. A survey of 2,000 UK adults found that delivery services have risen up shoppers’ agenda since the outbreak of the pandemic, with Amazon Prime the standard to which other retailers are held. [...]
Winners and losers: Stocks soaring AND plummeting as Pfizer reports Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough November 9, 2020 US pharma giant Pfizer reporting today that early studies of its Covid-19 vaccine are 90 per cent effective has sent markets into a frenzy, with travel and hospitality stocks shooting up while food delivery services and video conferencing software providers plummeted. Jet engine maker Rolls-Royce saw the biggest change on the FTSE 100, surging 43 [...]
Crypto markets steady as major coins stabilise November 18, 2021 The cryptocurrency markets are broadly flat this morning, with Bitcoin (BTC) stabilising around the $60,000 support level after dropping 15 per cent from its recent record high of around $69,000.