Asda says disposable income is up for first time in two years August 21, 2012 BRITISH households were £1 a week better off in July compared to the same month a year earlier, the largest annual increase in more than two years, according to the latest figures from Asda’s income tracker. Families had £151 a week left over last month after paying bills, up 0.6 per cent on the previous [...]
Supermarkets hold talks with government on Sunday trading August 19, 2012 RETAILERS have been holding discussions with the government and trade bodies over the permanent relaxation of Sunday trading rules, it was revealed yesterday. Current rules limit large shops to six hours of trading between 10am and 6pm on a Sunday. This has been temporarily relaxed during the Olympics and it is thought communities secretary Eric [...]
Supermarkets enjoy a rare lift during summer September 3, 2012 THE RETURN of the warmer summer weather together with the Olympics and the use of vouchers helped grocers enjoy their best trading performance of the year last month, in a rare bright spot amid the gloom across the rest of the retail industry. According to the latest figures from Nielsen, grocery sales in the four [...]
Morrisons profit rises in tough market September 6, 2012 Britain’s fourth-largest supermarket Morrisons posted first-half profit towards the top end of forecasts and said it was on track to meet its expectations for the year even though it anticipated no let-up in pressure on the consumer. Morrisons, which trails Tesco, Wal-Mart’s Asda and J Sainsbury by annual sales, said today it made an underlying [...]
Asda boss says yes to relaxing Sunday trading August 16, 2012 THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE of Asda yesterday came out in support of Sunday opening hours being extended on a permanent basis, as the debate over Sunday trading continues to divide retailers. Andy Clark said it was too early to say what the impact of the extra trading hours has had on sales but shoppers had welcomed [...]
Tesco continues to shed market share as Asda hits record high March 27, 2012 TESCO has continued to shed market share in the first three months of 2012, latest figures showed yesterday, while number two supermarket Asda has seen its slice of the pie jump to a record high. According to Kantar data released yesterday, Tesco’s year-on-year growth lagged behind the rest of the sector at just 2.7 per [...]
What the other papers say this morning August 19, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Call to limit China’s UK nuclear stake Chinese companies competing for one of the UK’s biggest nuclear projects are unlikely to end up with a majority stake in any winning consortium in an attempt to allay concerns about Beijing gaining control of the Horizon reactor programme. Olympics effect on Scottish vote in debate [...]
Budget grocers up market slice July 17, 2012 BUDGET supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl have raised their market share again, new figures showed yesterday. The latest Kantar Worldpanel survey revealed that Lidl and Aldi have 2.9 per cent each of the UK market, a record for the budget chains, which have been catching their rivals as austerity bites. Among the big four grocers, [...]
Supermarkets cut fuel prices as battle at the pumps intensifies June 11, 2012 SAINSBURY’S and Asda yesterday fired the latest salvo in a fuel price war among supermarket giants. A fall in global oil prices has triggered the price drops, which have seen the big four supermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons – fight it out to offer the best deal. Asda said that from today it [...]
Amazon keeps lion’s share of UK market July 23, 2012 ONLINE retail giant Amazon has built up its spot at the top of the UK entertainment market, largely at the expense of supermarket rivals and specialists like HMV, according to research published yesterday. Kantar Worldpanel figures for the 12 weeks to 10 June show that Amazon strengthened its market share by 3.2 percentage points, boosted [...]