Tesco has unveiled its Black Friday 2016 deals: Laptops and tablets and bikes, oh my November 24, 2016 The supermarkets may be suffering from competition from discounters, but on Black Friday that all goes out of the window as they come over all Aldi and go berserk for deals. Tesco is no exception – it's so keen it's already launched some deals. Check out the best ones for Black Friday itself. Read more: [...]
What heatwave? M&S is already filming its Christmas advert August 7, 2016 It may be a sweltering weekend of sunshine and clear blue skies, but one street in London has already seen snowfall – albeit the fake kind – after one high street favourite started shooting its Christmas advert. Yep, you heard that right. It may be the height of summer, but the Marks & Spencer is getting [...]
Boxing day sales 2015: UK shoppers expected to spend over £3bn as John Lewis and Selfridges enjoy strong starts December 26, 2015 British shoppers are expected to spend heavily in this year's Christmas sales, with stores such as John Lewis already boasting of strong trading figures. According to figures from the Centre for Retail Research and vouchercodes.co.uk, around 22m shoppers will spend £3.74bn in sales this festive period – a six per cent increase on last year. Department [...]
Now Heathrow Airport’s trying to swoop in on the Christmas ad battle with this tear-jearker featuring two teddy bears November 17, 2016 First it was John Lewis that routinely took the crown for best Christmas ad. But in recent years other retailers have been upping the ante – from Sainsbury's to M&S to Waitrose's adorable robin. And now, not content with winning the battle over airport expansion (for now), Heathrow Airport has unveiled its very first Christmas ad [...]
Midlands Engine shifts up a gear as Highways England announces progress on major regional schemes November 16, 2016 Don't get too excited, but it looks like it could just be full steam ahead for the Midlands Engine after Highways England announced major progress on multi-million pound projects. The plan to invest in the region's infrastructure and businesses has been boosted by Highways England chief executive Jim O'Sullivan announcing significant developments on a number of projects. He also [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: John Lewis staff banned from using discounts on sales items November 27, 2015 John Lewis has banned employees from using their staff discounts on its Black Friday promotions online. Although staff are allowed to make use of their partner discount – 12 per cent off electricals and 25 per cent on other goods – in store, they have been blocked from using it online. The department store told This [...]
Advertising expenditure forecast up despite Brexit uncertainty November 14, 2016 A WPP-owned group has upgraded its UK advertising growth forecasts for this year and next despite uncertainty around the UK’s Brexit vote. Expenditure is expected to grow 7.2 per cent in 2016, up from a previous estimate of 6.3 per cent. The same level of growth is forecast by GroupM for 2017, up from 5.8 per cent. [...]
City A.M.’s Devilishly Difficult 2017 Sports Quiz Part 2: The odd and business stories from the sporting year December 21, 2017 It has been another vintage year of sporting drama, from the triumphs of Anthony Joshua and Lewis Hamilton to the disappointments of England’s failed Ashes defence and Usain Bolt’s anticlimactic farewell. But as the dust settles on 2017, how much have you remembered about those defining moments, or the storylines playing out off the field, [...]
John Lewis Partnership bonus scheme 2015: Three charts showing just how generous it is historically despite it being cut this year December 22, 2015 The bonus pot for staff working at Waitrose and middle England's favourite department store John Lewis has shrunk by 22 per cent compared to 2013, its largest cut in at least five years. Some 93,800 partners will share a total payout of £156.2m, the equivalent of 11 per cent of each person’s annual salary, or an additional [...]
John Lewis and Argos Christmas adverts 2015: Sentimental or rational? The Christmas campaign conundrum November 8, 2015 Brands have long used sentimentality to draw custom at Christmas. John Lewis has been a standard-bearer for emotional Christmas placements, and this year's offering, which encourages donations to Age UK, is no different. Last year's "Monty the Penguin" spot has received 24m YouTube views, and the retailer's like for like sales grew by 4.8 per [...]