Matalan chief Jason Hargreaves makes retailer a family affair May 14, 2015 Jason Hargreaves made a trip to Oxford Street earlier this year with his four-year-old daughter in tow. The managing director of Matalan, the out-of-town value fashion and homeware chain founded by his father, John Hargreaves, 30 years ago, came to view its first ever central London store at the east end of on Oxford [...]
St Modwen on track to hit profit targets thanks to New Covent Garden Market boost and regional revival December 1, 2015 St Modwen said it is on track hit full-year profit forecasts, spurred on the by ongoing recovery in the regions, strong investor demand, and a massive valuation gain from its New Covent Garden market scheme. The FTSE 250 company, which is redeveloping Britain’s biggest flower and vegetable market, said occupational demand for its offices in the [...]
Marks & Spencer share price falls as retailer records 14th consecutive quarter of clothing woes January 8, 2015 Marks & Spencer's share price fell more than 2.2 per cent in early trading, after the struggling retailer revealed below-expectations results. Online delivery delays and "unseasonal conditions" proved to be a nightmare before Christmas for Marks & Spencer, as general merchandise sales slumped for the 14th consecutive quarter. Like-for-like sales in general merchandise – which [...]
John Lewis’ Monty the Penguin beats Sainsbury’s, Harvey Nichols, Lidl to be crowned most compelling Christmas 2014 advert October 29, 2015 By now you will have met John Lewis' Monty, unwrapped Lidl's little present and cried over Sainsbury's wartime sharing. But which of these adverts is most likely to make you spend money? Despite the debate around whether Sainsbury's might have stolen John Lewis' crown for creating festive ads guaranteed to get you blubbing, it [...]
Marks & Spencer’s half year results – here’s what to look out for November 4, 2014 Marks & Spencer is due to report its first half results tomorrow morning, and the consensus is that it will be another gloomy one for the venerable British retailer. Analysts are saying the 770-store retailer will have racked up a 3.7 per cent decline in general merchandising like-for-likes during its second quarter. If [...]
Marks & Spencer opens across Finland and Norway as part of European expansion September 17, 2014 Marks and Spencer is set to open its first shop in Scandanavia next month as it marches ahead with its European expansion. The high street retailer said yesterday it will open 15 franchise stores across Finland and Norway, with the first shop set to open in Helsinki next month. The 32,000 square feet store will [...]
UBS teams up with Annie Leibovitz for multimillion pound global rebrand as bank seeks to become more “human” September 1, 2015 The banking group UBS partnered with the world-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz for its multimillion pound rebranding project, which will span TV, digital and print media. The project will also run at high-footfall airports. Leibovitz, who was behind Marks & Spencer's recent high profile campaign, has created a series of photographs for the group's new campaign. [...]
Christmas adverts 2015: John Lewis, Burberry, Duracell, Sky Movies and Asda are the most popular festive ads so far this year November 9, 2015 It's been just four days since John Lewis unveiled its festive advert for Christmas 2015 – but the department store chain is already head and shoulders in front of the competition when it comes to online impact. Tear-jerker quite possibly, but John Lewis' Man on the Moon advert has already been shared nearly 478,000 times [...]
What M&S’s new boss Steve Rowe can learn from Sir Alex Ferguson about crafting a winning business January 11, 2016 "It's a bit like being asked to be England football manager… you don’t turn it down.” These were the words of one analyst when Marc Bolland, soon to be former Marks & Spencer chief executive, took the retail hot seat back in 2009. Now, like so many England managers, he departs with a sense that adversity [...]
Brown Thursday, Black Friday, Super Sunday, Cyber Monday 2015: When are the best deals going to be on offer? November 27, 2015 The UK has finally woken up to the pre-Christmas sales bonanza that has been building in the US for many years. Cyber Monday was the first to hit our shores, and, since 2009, has been the biggest single online sales day in the UK. But this year other US imports are gaining traction. What [...]