Sainsbury’s #50pChallenge is a poster boy for its decline – Brand Index October 7, 2014 THESE are not happy times for Sainsbury’s. It became the brunt of many a joke when a poster meant for staff asking them to convince shoppers to spend an extra 50p on their visits was mistakenly displayed in a branch window. Photos of the poster went viral with the #50pChallenge hashtag. Discounter Lidl had a [...]
Tesco launches supplier network as supermarket rebuilds trading relationships January 22, 2015 Tesco has launched an online network for its 5,000 suppliers, as the supermarket attempts to heal the rift with its trading partners. The supermarket giant has come under fire in recent months for the way it deals with its suppliers as the fall-out from its £263m profit blackhole continues to land. The revelation [...]
Analysis: Why has Tesco chosen to shut these 43 stores? January 29, 2015 Tesco has now announced the 43 stores that it plans to close. 18 Express stores, 12 metro stores, seven superstores and six Home Plus stores. The closures will start taking effect from March. What does it tell us about their location strategy when one looks at the stores set to close? It is a [...]
From Greek elections and Apple’s record-making profits to Thameslink floods and Afren’s misery: Here’s what got us talking this week January 30, 2015 News was dominated by results from the US this week, but it was Apple that really made waves with its history-making profits of $18bn in one quarter. Here are five things that put that into perspective. (Hint: It's huge). Meanwhile as the results of the Greek election began to sink in, investors started reacting. [...]
Sainsbury’s eyes dividend cuts as profits set to fall November 10, 2014 Spending cuts, including a reduction in its dividend, are tipped to be on the agenda for Sainsbury’s on Wednesday as the supermarket prepares to rein in costs along with its first-half results. Analysts expect chief executive Mike Coupe will reveal a disappointing 12.5 per cent fall in profits to £350m for the period, as the [...]
UK supermarkets vs German discounters: Morrisons gets tough as Buffett attacks Tesco October 2, 2014 Britain’s embattled supermarkets have finally begun their fight back against German discounters Aldi and Lidl who have been eating their lunch in recent months with double-digit growth in the sector. Morrison, the UK’s fourth biggest supermarket, will launch its first customer loyalty card today, along with a price-matching scheme that its chief executive has labelled [...]
Razor sharp: Will King talks moving on from King of Shaves, politics, a plan for Tesco and why we need Tinder for voting May 4, 2015 I came, I saw, I shaved, I died’ isn’t how I want to be remembered,” quips Will King. In 1993, he founded King of Shaves, the popular men’s toiletries brand. In frustration over the poor quality of his own products, he turned to his then-girlfriend’s bath oil for a smoother finish. The resulting businesses, including [...]
Uncertainty over future of Tesco executives suspended after discovery of £260m profits overstatement November 28, 2014 One of the executives suspended by Tesco after it discovered a black hole in its accounts has left the company, it is understood. The BBC reported this morning one of eight executives who were suspended when it revealed it had overstated profits by £260m had stepped down. Tesco announced in September that it had overstated [...]
Are you a Waitrose Wendy or a Tesco Tracey: How do the UK’s supermarket shoppers look? November 17, 2014 What does a Waitrose shopper look like, and how would you tell them apart from a Sainsbury's regular? There's actually not much to choose between them, according to YouGov, which has just released the best visualisation tool we've seen for a while. What YouGov says is particular (as opposed to generally true) about [...]
In a supermarket version of The Apprentice, Alan Sugar would have a whale of a time January 16, 2015 Imagine an Apprentice supermarket special – Alan Sugar, flanked by his experts, reviewing the practices of the big supermarkets each week. “[Morrisons' soon-to-depart chief exec] Dalton Phillips, you took far too long to introduce smaller convenience stores, ecommerce and a delivery service. The other supermarkets have had these things for years. Honestly, man. What [...]