Online shoppers abandon Tesco and Asda as website traffic drops at Britain’s biggest grocers November 23, 2015 Tesco and Asda have seen a sharp drop in traffic to their websites over the last year, new research shows, in a sign that supermarkets are facing fierce competition online as well as on the shop floor. Visits to Tesco’s website through desktop computers and mobile devices dropped to 35m in November from 49m the [...]
Bonmarche shares out of fashion with investors despite sales defying mild autumn weather November 23, 2015 Bonmarche's share price fell almost five per cent this morning despite the women's clothing retailer posting a jump in sales as efforts to revamp its stores and make its product ranges more fashionable paid off. The retailer, which has 300 stores but also sells online, through mail-order catalogues and a TV channel, said total revenue increased by [...]
City A.M. Awards 2015: Why this week’s event will get the City talking November 23, 2015 The wait is almost over. After all the build up, meetings, solicited and unsolicited input, the calculations, debate and analysis, one of the most important events of the political, financial and business calendar will be upon us. The City will be watching this traditional event on Wednesday, poring over the details in an effort to [...]
EU referendum: new CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn puts pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron over in/out vote November 23, 2015 Britain’s biggest business group is urging Prime Minister David Cameron to accelerate plans for the European Union referendum, warning that investment is beginning to suffer at the hands of a protracted renegotiation. Carolyn Fairbairn, who took over as director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) last week, has told City A.M. that uncertainty [...]
EU referendum: new CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn puts pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron over in/out vote November 23, 2015 Britain’s biggest business group is urging Prime Minister David Cameron to accelerate plans for the European Union referendum, warning that investment is beginning to suffer at the hands of a protracted renegotiation. Carolyn Fairbairn, who took over as director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) last week, has told City A.M. that uncertainty [...]
Small food suppliers hit the hardest by supermarket price wars November 23, 2015 Britain's small food manufacturers have emerged as the biggest casualties of the supermarket price wars, according to new research out today that reveals how the gap between the profit margins of the suppliers and their bigger competitors is widening. According to law firm EMW, profit margins at small to medium-sized manufacturers – those with less [...]
Christmas spending to hit £16.5bn as 60pc of Brits head to discounters for their festive food shop November 23, 2015 Britons are feeling a bit more generous this Christmas than they were last year thanks to improved economic conditions and higher wages, new figures show, with spending set to reach £16.5bn over the festive season. Travelodge’s annual Christmas report, which surveyed the spending habits of over 3,000 people, found that households expect to spend an average of [...]
Christmas markets London 2015: Guildhall in the City gears up for the season November 22, 2015 Want to know something depressing? Christmas is only 33 days away. But don’t worry, the folks at Guildhall are here to help, as the British Red Cross Christmas market hits the historic plaza next week. Packed with everything from basket-weaving to haute couture from British designers like Amanda Wakeley, this year City dwellers need only pop [...]
Mothercare more than doubles profits as UK turnaround plan pays off November 19, 2015 Baby goods chain Mothercare more than doubled profits in the first half of the year, in a sign that a revamp of its struggling domestic business is on track. Underlying pre-tax profits rose by 112 per cent to £7m in the six months to 10 October, thanks to a pick-up in trading at its UK [...]