Shakespeare: M&S loyalty scheme gives new spark July 31, 2020 High street retailer Marks and Spencer launched their loyalty scheme ‘Sparks’ in 2015, but customer feedback branded it confusing and hard to use. Even CEO Steve Rowe himself admitted it needed “substantial improvement”. Sparks has now been relaunched as a digital-first loyalty scheme offering members instant rewards. For example, one customer at every store will [...]
The lessons from the military that business leaders need to learn May 14, 2019 In today's business climate, you either embrace technology and establish it into the DNA of your company, or fall behind. However, investing in technology alone is not enough. Companies need to have the right talent to make everything sing. Effective, sustained technology skill development is key to ensuring that businesses not only keep up but [...]
Insurers need to capture the Covid-19 zeitgeist and go beyond expectations January 21, 2021 As a communications professional, you rarely want your client and the words “the Supreme Court” to appear in the same sentence. However, last week, the justices issued a 112-page judgement on the Financial Conduct Authority’s appeal asking for “clarification” on whether insurance companies were required to pay business interruption claims for companies which had been [...]
Debenhams share price plunges as investors fear disappointing Christmas trading January 2, 2019 Shares in Debenhams plunged almost nine per cent this morning amid fears of poor trading over the festive period. The department store chain saw its share price tumble to 4.68p on the first day of trading in 2019, ahead of an update due on 10 January. The sliding shares suggest investors have low expectations 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 [...]
Tesco doubles dividend as profits surge 30 per cent after turnaround success April 10, 2019 Tesco boosted profits by almost 30 per cent in 2018 as it beat expectations, leading the supermarket to almost double its dividend as its chief executive revealed the supermarket has met the “vast majority” of its turnaround goals since its 2014 accounting scandal. The figures Pre-tax profits rose 28.8 per cent year on year to [...]
The City View: Offshore Energies UK CEO on deleterious effects of a windfall tax May 25, 2022 Today Andy Silvester chats to Deirdre Michie, CEO at Offshore Energies UK. They unpick the windfall tax, the risk it poses for smaller energy firms and the sector in general, the state of the energy industry, and the seemingly lackadaisical speed of the energy transition. In other news: M&S is leaving its Russian franchise business, [...]
Tesco and M&S reveal stockpiling amid concerns of a ‘no deal’ Brexit January 12, 2019 Two of the UK’s biggest supermarkets have revealed they are stockpiling food in case of a “no deal” Brexit. Both Tesco and Marks & Spencer have confirmed they are stockpiling long-life food such as packets and tins ahead of the UK leaving the EU on March 29. M&S chief executive, Steve Rowe, admitted his company’s [...]
John Lewis ends year on a high as sales are boosted by last-minute Christmas shopping January 2, 2019 John Lewis reported a rise in sales during the last week of the year as shoppers rushed to buy last-minute Christmas gifts and cash in on sales. Total sales for the the department store chain were up 4.5 per cent for the week ending 29 December, compared with the same period last year. The company [...]
Brands’ battle for the eyeballs: watch all the Christmas ads here November 13, 2020 As some of the UK’s biggest brands have rolled out their seasonal ads, it’s starting to feel a lot more festive. The battle for the eyeballs started in earnest this morning as John Lewis launched its annual television advertisement, gaining over one million views within just two hours. However, Aldi’s ad so far tops the [...]