Lidl’s Lidl Surprises Christmas advert helps to keep discounter ahead of the game – Brand Index December 9, 2014 Budget supermarkets, and specifically Aldi and Lidl, have taken the British high street by storm, with consumers warmly embracing the German retailers’ “low price but high quality” message. All supermarkets have ramped up their advertising efforts in time for Christmas. However, Lidl’s Lidl Surprises displays a confidence that they can challenge the big brands not [...]
PwC, Uber and Zoopla win big at the 2014 City A.M. Awards November 13, 2014 From Legal & General boss Nigel Wilson to WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell, you could barely move at the fifth annual City A.M. Awards – held last night at the Grange St Paul's Hotel – without bashing elbows with a few City grandees. The ceremony celebrated the brightest and best of the nation's money-makers – [...]
Retail rebounds as shops shrug off growth fears November 20, 2014 SALES on the high street saw a rebound in October after a sharp September dip. Retail sales volumes were 0.8 per cent higher in October than in September, according to figures published yesterday by the Office for National Statistics. “Given recent concerns that the UK economy has been losing momentum and the importance of consumer [...]
Last of the Miller family Keith retires as Miller Group’s boss February 5, 2015 Keith Miller announced yesterday he will step down as chief executive of Miller Group, ending 81 years of family leadership at the UK’s biggest privately-owned housebuilder. The Edinburgh-based company, which has operations across the UK but outside of London, was founded by Miller’s father and his uncles in 1934. The 65-year-old sailing enthusiast joined [...]
Our awards are here – dig out those gladrags November 12, 2014 FROM top hats to Louboutins, the City is dusting off its finest this morning for tonight’s hugely anticipated City A.M. awards at Grange St Paul’s Hotel. With 14 awards to hand over, we’re looking forward to loading up the mantelpieces of the City’s most hard-working and successful names. In the running we’ve got well-known City [...]
Morrisons’ sales slump begins to slow down November 6, 2014 SALES at WM Morrison fell again in the third quarter, but yesterday investors were pleased at promising individual sales figures. The supermarket’s sales fell 6.3 per cent on the year, on a like-for-like basis – an improvement on the 7.6 per cent fall in the previous quarter. Its shares jumped by 6.22 per cent on figures [...]
Sainsbury’s to slash prices as profits plunge November 12, 2014 SAINSBURY’S boss Mike Coupe said yesterday that the retailer was “taking the fight to the enemy” as he unveiled plans to cut costs and its dividend to fund a £150m price offensive against its discount supermarket rivals. The grocer’s nine-year run of uninterrupted sales growth came to a grinding halt this year as changing shopping [...]
Tesco quarterly sales show sign of turn around following profit warning December 16, 2014 Tesco has enjoyed its best quarterly sales performance since June, according to the latest industry data, giving investors in the troubled supermarket chain some reason to cheer following last week’s profit warning. Sales fell by 2.7 per cent in the 12 weeks to 7 December, a slowdown on the 3.7 per cent decline recorded in [...]
Poundland sits pretty after new make-up launch November 27, 2014 THE ECONOMY may be improving, but Poundland’s booming popularity is proof shoppers are sticking to recession-born habits of seeking out a bargain, the company said as it posted a jump in first-half profits. The value retailer enjoyed a 34.2 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to £12.6m in the six months to 28 September, beating [...]
Christmas just got tougher for Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons: Lidl adds “discount” oysters to its deluxe range November 21, 2014 In a year dominated by the rise of the discount grocer, it's perhaps no surprise that Lidl and Aldi will be pulling out all the stops to bring consumers a bit of low-cost luxury. Lidl, which launched a £5 lobster in 2009, has a track record of doing exactly that but this year it's pulling [...]