The kids heading back to school drove sales at John Lewis as the warmer weather continued to help Waitrose September 13, 2016 The John Lewis Partnership's sales have been boosted by the summer sun and families stocking up for the start of the school year. In the week to 10 September, sales at John Lewis were up 9.1 per cent on the same period last year, reaching £82.7m. Fashion sales did particularly well, up by 6.8 per cent. Children's [...]
John Lewis looks to boost footfall with £9m investment in its beauty halls August 23, 2016 John Lewis is investing £9bn in its beauty halls to bring new brands to customers and increase footfall. The Cambridge, Cribbs Causeway and Bluewater John Lewis stores will be refurbished and the company hopes to increase footfall in these locations by around 50 per cent. The retailer also plans to invest in its Peter Jones department [...]
Waitrose’s sales were boosted by the summer sun last week – but John Lewis stayed in the shade August 31, 2016 The warm weather boosted Waitrose's sales last week – but sister shop John Lewis failed to cash in on the summer sun. Excluding fuel, total sales at Waitrose were up 8.2 per cent on last year. The retailer said both the good weather and generous promotions were responsible for the sales lift – barbeque product [...]
Wireless headphone sales have soared at John Lewis after the launch of Apple’s iPhone 7 September 8, 2016 Sales of wireless headphones at John Lewis have soared after Apple's recent unveiling of its wireless Airpod headphones. Wireless headphone sales were up 60 per cent week-on-week, John Lewis said, as "tech savvy customers are ready for a change" on the announcement that the next iPhone will not have a headphone jack. Katrina Mills, buyer [...]
Fears of a nightmare before Christmas for UK retailers as footfall and spending dip November 13, 2017 Retail analysts fear a nightmare before Christmas for British shops as figures published today show weakness ahead of the crucial holiday spending spree. Footfall in UK retailers fell by two per cent year-on-year in October, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard. The decline in the number of shop visits was [...]
Capitalism needs a makeover – and employee ownership can help December 20, 2017 As the leader of the Liberal Democrats, one of my aims is to address the falling social mobility and high levels of inequality that are fuelling public discontent and frustration in twenty-first century Britain. But this doesn’t simply mean taxing the incomes of high earners, as Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party would have it. High-earners are [...]
Silverstone chiefs admit next year’s British Grand Prix could be the last for the foreseeable future October 4, 2018 The owners of Silverstone have revealed that next year’s British Grand Prix is on track to be the last as they have still not signed a new deal after more than a year of negotiating. The admission is made in a letter sent last month by John Grant, chairman of Silverstone’s owner, the British Racing [...]
Last Week in the City: Trump signs order for tariffs March 9, 2018 This week US President Donald Trump signed off on new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, Trinity Mirror revealed plans to rebrand, and the European Central Bank took a further step towards ending stimulus measures. The FTSE 100 rose 1.9 per cent over the week by mid-session on Friday. Economics China will pursue annual growth [...]
No confidence: This is how Tory MPs plan to vote in tonight’s crucial contest over Theresa May’s future as Prime Minister December 12, 2018 The number of MPs who have declared themselves either in support of or against the leadership of Prime Minister Theresa May is growing. Here's who has said what so far. A vote of no confidence was triggered this morning, after more than 48 MPs sent in letters to Sir Graham Brady who controls the process. The [...]
We must turn the page on the public perceptions of finance November 1, 2018 A company needs to stand for something more than making money. Sustainability matters more than profit. The mission should be a lasting contribution to society that finds a balance between all stakeholders. Those aren’t the words of a pious left-wing hand-wringer but of John McFarlane, chairman of Barclays, in an anthology of writing published this week [...]