Ocado posts strong results – but the company is worried about the ongoing supermarket price war September 13, 2016 Ocado, the food delivery service, celebrated a positive set of results today but said the supermarket price war will drag on for some time. The group's share price slumped nine per cent in early trading on the news. The figures Sales at the group were up 15.4 per cent, reaching £314m for the 12 weeks to 7 August. Ocado's retail [...]
Discounters Aldi and Lidl pick up the space race left by Big Four supermarkets November 15, 2015 The big four supermarkets may have called an end to the space race. But for Aldi and Lidl the race has just begun, after new figures show the discounters have submitted plans for nearly five times as many stores. The latest data from construction data firm ABI Barbour shows that Aldi has submitted 93 planning [...]
Supermarket sales continue to edge upwards in the months following the Brexit vote September 20, 2016 Supermarket sales continued to edge upwards this month, increasing by 0.3 per cent for the three months ending 11 September. The growth was against a backdrop of price deflation of 1.1 per cent. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “While overall sales growth has been slow, consumers have been keen [...]
Tesco’s Drastic Dave must keep delivering to revive fortunes of the supermarket giant October 5, 2016 Tesco's slogan “every little helps” was aimed at cost-conscious shoppers in the financial crisis, but the same could also be said of the grocer’s gradual recovery under CEO Dave Lewis. Two years into his tenure, the retailer can perhaps add a new catchline to its roster: buy everything here. Lewis is steering the Tesco juggernaut [...]
Investors eye strong earnings at Morrisons September 11, 2016 Supermarket chain Morrisons is expected to deliver its best half yearly performance in four years this week. The chain, which is in the middle of a back-to-basics turnaround, has been slashing prices and doing deals with competitors to try and tempt customers through its doors. Analysts are expecting like-for-like sales growth of 0.7 per cent [...]
Morrisons steps up battle with rival supermarkets as it slashes prices of kitchen staples such as meat, poultry and vegetables September 4, 2016 Britain's fourth largest supermarket provided some Autumn cheer for consumers by announcing a series of price cuts to key products in a move that could spark a price war. Morrisons announced that prices of staples such as meat and poultry will be slashed by 20 per cent with some vegetable prices a third lower. Industry leaders said [...]
Supermarket sales creep upwards as grocers benefit from the summer sun August 23, 2016 Grocery sales edged up this summer as sunny weather encouraged shoppers to spend. According to data from Kantar Worldpanel, supermarket sales increased by 0.3 per cent in the 12 weeks to 14 August – the fastest growth in the grocery market since March this year. There is no evidence yet to suggest the Brexit vote [...]
The nightmare before Christmas: Aldi and Lidl hammer Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco October 21, 2015 Britain's biggest supermarkets are facing a crunch Christmas as the pressure from German discounters Aldi and Lidl is ramped up, with experts warning of a bloody battle for this year’s festive season. The German duo have both seen growth rates return to over 17 per cent in the past three months, according to data from [...]
Trouble for the big four supermarkets as Aldi and Lidl growth speeds up again October 20, 2015 German discounters Aldi and Lidl both saw growth rates return to over 17 per cent over the last three months, dashing hopes for the Big Four that a slowdown earlier in the year may have been part of a longer term trend. The cut-price chains have been the fastest-growing grocers in the sector for some time now. But in [...]
M&S boss Steve Rowe declines to meet MPs to discuss pay cuts for his staff September 13, 2016 M&S boss Steve Rowe has rejected an invitation to meet MPs to discuss the pay changes he is making for his staff and he has refused to accept their suggestion that he should commit to a three-year pay freeze. Some 70 MPs wrote to Rowe last week to complain about the pay changes he is making for employees, [...]