Viognier once dwindled to just eight acres of vines; thankfully now this varied wine is getting the props it deserves August 2, 2016 Viognier is one of my favourite summer whites and one that grows on me with every bottle. It has a complexity, a range of floral scents and flavours and even a slight muskiness that demands attention. It’s a sobering thought that we almost lost this harlequin grape completely. Viognier is a pain to grow, prone [...]
Oil prices: UK supermarkets Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s in petrol price war as they match crude oil price decline September 24, 2015 The UK’s supermarkets kicked off yet another price war yesterday, with Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s all slashing petrol prices by up to 2p per litre (ppl). Morrisons, which has 336 petrol stations in the UK, announced that it was making its third petrol price cut in four weeks. “The falling wholesale price of [...]
Supermarket wars: Big Four in big trouble as Tesco, Asda and Morrisons register more declines August 25, 2015 Tesco is still struggling to shrug off competition from the discount supermarkets, as data released this morning reveals yet more declines. While consumer spend within the grocery sector rose 0.9 per cent for the 12 weeks to 16 August, at Tesco it dropped by the same proportion. The price of a comparable basket of [...]
Supermarkets brace for fresh CMA criticism in latest phase of pricing super-complaint investigation April 26, 2016 The competition watchdog is expected to crack down on pricing in the UK’s supermarkets tomorrow morning. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is set to publish the latest phase of its response to a so-called super-complaint raised last year about predatory pricing tactics by major grocers. Earlier it was reported by Sky News that Asda has been [...]
Sainsbury’s beats Tesco, Asda and Morrisons as only top supermarket in growth while Kantar warns of impact Amazon Fresh will have on sector September 22, 2015 Yet more bad data for the Big Four was released today – plus a hint that there could be a fresh problem facing the UK's supermarket sector, in the form of Amazon Fresh. Sainsbury was the only supermarket among the Big Four to keep pace with the sector's growth over the last quarter, with Asda's [...]
Aldi is launching online shopping in 2016, taking on Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons in e-commerce, as discount supermarket reports record UK sales September 28, 2015 Aldi will venture into online shopping for the first time with plans to sell wine online from early 2016, taking on rivals Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons on new territory. Further non-food "special buys" will follow, and customers will have the choice of having items delivered to their homes or picking them up from third-party [...]
Walmart Canada to stop accepting Visa payments from July over “unacceptably high” fees June 12, 2016 Walmart's Canadian arm has said it will no longer accept Visa cards in its stores after the retail giant failed to reach a deal with the company over its "unacceptably high" fees. Following an evaluation of credit card transaction fees in both Canada and the rest of the world, the charges applied to Visa transactions [...]
You might need to sit down: An English rosé wine just won an international competition outright June 29, 2016 We've finally done it. An English wine just won an international wine competition outright for the first time. An East Sussex born and bred wine from Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard won the only "Top Gold" medal awarded for rosé at the International Organic Wine Awards. The 2015 Regent Rosé beat 61 other wine from eight, more established [...]
Walgreens Boots Alliance posts a 15 per cent slide in net earnings, sending its share price lower despite beating expectations July 6, 2016 Walgreens Boots Alliance, the company that has controlled UK high street pharmacy chain Boots since 2014, has reported analyst estimate beating results but has failed to stop a share sell off. Shares were down by over three per cent in New York following the results announcement. For the third quarter the company reported earnings per share [...]
Walmart’s Asda has reached its “nadir” says chief Andy Clarke as supermarket chalks up more declines August 19, 2015 Asda boss Andy Clarke has said the troubled supermarket's “nadir” has been reached, as the Walmart-owned retailer revealed yet another slump in sales. Second quarter like-for-likes were down 4.7 per cent, while profits were flat. Clarke described the figures as “disappointing, but a short-term picture”. “We've hit our nadir,” Clarke said insisting there was [...]