Clear out the corporate cobwebs and think like a startup January 4, 2017 There is a cultural shift impacting many organisations across the globe – the idea that corporates should create a “hacking” culture and attitude to innovation. In other words, they need to act like startups. Whether an established company with hundreds of employees and many years’ experience, or a much younger startup, workplace environment is incredibly [...]
H&M’s share price falls after sales figures disappoint January 16, 2017 Swedish international clothing retailer H&M's share price fell 2.76 per cent in trading today after it reported disappointing Christmas sales figures. The group's total sales in December rose six per cent year-on-year in local currencies, but analysts had forecast a sales increase of eight per cent. Read more: Bow down, John Lewis – H&M drops a Christmas [...]
Titans of history: Lessons from the entrepreneurs who built Britain November 15, 2017 The history of the modern world is bound up with that of Britain. There are many theories of how and why we spawned the Industrial Revolution and had such an impact on international affairs, but none is complete without accounting for the British people, and the entrepreneurs who built Britain and changed the world. In [...]
All eyes on M&S clothing – and its chief executive Steve Rowe – as the retailer unveils its latest results collection later this week January 8, 2017 Marks & Spencer's beleaguered clothing division could finally be on the up, with sales growth expected by some analysts when the high street behemoth reveals its third quarter results this week. On 12 January, M&S will reveal its third quarter to 31 December. Analysts are on average forecasting like-for-like sales growth in its clothing and home [...]
Former Tesco commercial director Kevin Grace sues for unfair dismissal after 2014 accounting scandal November 12, 2017 Tesco is facing further fallout from its 2014 accounting scandal as a former director claims he was wrongly dismissed. Kevin Grace, the former commercial director, was removed from his job after it emerged that Tesco had overstated profit expectations. Grace maintains he was not responsible for the problem and last year the Serious Fraud Office [...]
Moneysupermarket.com reports 20 per cent revenue growth as it confirms Mark Lewis will replace Peter Plumb as boss January 19, 2017 Moneysupermarket.com said today that its expects to report revenue growth of 12 per cent when it announces its full year results on 28 February – and it has confirmed that Mark Lewis will replace Peter Plumb as chief executive. The figures The group said Moneysupermarket.com's revenue grew 19 per cent year-on-year in the three months [...]
The Waitrose Christmas advert is here: Move over Buster, there’s a plucky little Robin giving you all the feels November 13, 2016 The bouncing boxer dog of the John Lewis Christmas advert has a rival: a tiny Robin braving wild weather and perilous predators to return to a young girl's festive home. The Waitrose Christmas advert has been revealed, and while never quite matching up to the much-hyped John Lewis one before, this year that might just change with its [...]
The mattress startup battle’s heating up in the UK as Simba gets in bed with top City investors February 13, 2017 The battle to bring you the best night's sleep is heating up as one of several mattress startups spearheading innovation, in an industry apparently ripe for disruption, has landed new funding. Simba Sleep has tempted several top City investors into bed in a fresh £9m funding round, bringing total investment in the one-year-old startup to £17.5m. Henderson [...]
Moss Bros focuses on online sales and improving margins January 12, 2017 Menswear retailer Moss Bros scored a healthy sales growth in the second half of 2016 as it focussed on improving its margins and its online offering. In the 23 weeks from 31 July to 7 January, Moss Bros' like-for-like sales grew 6.1 per cent on the year before, with online sales jumping 24.9 per cent. [...]
Trouble in store: More pain on the way for UK retail April 10, 2017 A triple-blow of tax hikes, rising costs and a squeeze on consumer spending is threatening to wipe out thousands of British retailers, with a string of familiar high street names expected to fall into administration this year. Nearly 23,000 retailers were under significant financial stress at the end of the first quarter according to insolvency [...]