Coronavirus: When are supermarket opening times for NHS and pensioners? April 17, 2020 As the UK heads into lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak, supermarkets have enforced tighter restrictions and changed opening hours. Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday ordered all “non-essential” shops to close, leaving supermarkets one of the few stores to remain open. In recent weeks supermarkets have struggled to keep shelves replenished as consumers embarked on [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Coronavirus dividend cuts produce £4.4bn hit to investor portfolios March 27, 2020 With more UK firms announcing coronavirus-fuelled dividend cuts this week, the total loss of investor income so far this year is now £4.4bn. The pace of dividend cuts is accelerating as coronavirus wreaks havoc on world economies. In March 116 companies have suspended their dividends totalling £4.2bn, according to investment fund AJ Bell. That compares [...]
ii view: Sales retreat at Sainsbury’s July 8, 2019 By Keith Bowman from interactive investor. Tough comparatives have impacted results for this supermarket, but that is no surprise. First quarter trading for 16 weeks to 29 June 2019 Total sales down 1.2 per cent (excluding fuel) Like-for-like sales declined 1.6 per cent (excluding fuel) Grocery sales fell 0.5 per cent General merchandise sales down 3.1 per cent [...]
China is proving a tough market for western brands – here’s the common mistakes that companies keep making April 12, 2019 Last week, the International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2019 growth forecast for the Chinese economy to 6.3 per cent, up from 6.2 per cent. For comparison, the UK economy is only expected to grow 1.2 per cent this year. It’s worth noting these figures, because they highlight why many brands in the UK and elsewhere [...]
No respite for BT investors as shares sink again August 6, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. BT shares continue to fall after first quarter results do little to dispel fears over its dividend. After a torrid year for followers of Britain’s best-known stocks, first quarter results from BT Group (LSE:BT.A) have done little to ease their fears that the telecom group’s dividend is next for the chop. While last week’s figures [...]
The City View: ‘Charlemagne’ on the EU July 21, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Today Andy Silvester talks to Duncan Robinson, Charlemagne columnist for The Economist. Based in Brussels, Duncan gives us an insight into the changing relationships within the EU now that the UK has left, the role of member states in a post-pandemic world, and the future of continental euroscepticism. Andy [...]
Sainsbury’s slips behind supermarket rivals after Asda merger blocked April 30, 2019 Sainsbury's sales fell behind those of rivals in the three months to the end of April, according to data released just a week after the supermarket's £7.3bn Asda merger was blocked. Sainsbury’s suffered a 1.2 per cent fall in sales compared to the same period last year, data group Kantar's statistics showed, while Aldi and Lidl [...]
Marks & Spencer (M&S) share price falls after saying sales slump could have been much worse, had it not been for a “better” Christmas January 11, 2018 Food and clothing sales at Marks & Spencer fell in the final three months of 2017, the firm announced this morning. Total third-quarter sales in the UK dropped by 1.4 per cent to £2.9bn. Shares fell almost three per cent in morning trades. Boss Steve Rowe labelled the trading returns for the quarter “mixed”. He [...]