London Report: Supermarket slump sees FTSE fall again after Monday’s lift December 17, 2013 BRITAIN’S main equity index fell yesterday, with big supermarket groups hit by fresh signs of a loss of market share, while uncertainty over future US monetary policy also weighed on the market. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down by 0.6 per cent, or 36.01 points, at 6,486.19 points, retreating after a 1.3 per cent [...]
Supermarket shares slide as customers move to discounters December 17, 2013 More than half of us shopped at Aldi or Lidl in the last 12 weeks for the first time, according to Kantar Worldpanel data. That's seen more premium supermarkets take a hit – Sainsbury's are down by over 2.8 per cent, Tesco by nearly 1.5 per cent, and Morrison has seen a fall of 1.4 [...]
Supermarkets grow ahead of shopping malls December 8, 2013 THE AMOUNT of space being added by UK supermarkets has overtaken that being added by shopping centres for the first time, despite some retailers calling an end to the space race as consumers shift to shopping online. The pipeline of grocery developments has grown by 67 per cent, or 19.24m square feet (sq ft) since [...]
Bottom Line: Despite the convenience boom, UK grocers are still thinking big December 8, 2013 IF YOU need reminding of the grocery sector’s continuing ambition, all you have to do is step outside your office to the nearest supermarket convenience store. These compact ventures have sprung up across city centres, going from 2,000 branches in 1998 to 14,000 and climbing today, a rate of increase that may seem to put [...]
Tesco says £1bn plan on track as troubles mount December 4, 2013 TESCO boss Philip Clarke insisted yesterday that his £1bn investment plan to turn the retailer around was “firmly on track” despite posting a slump in trading across all of its markets. UK like-for-like sales fell 1.5 per cent in the third quarter to 23 November compared with flat sales in the second quarter and in [...]
Lidl boss eyes 600 new stores December 1, 2013 LIDL’s UK managing director has announced plans to double the discount chain’s number of stores over the coming years. On the growth of Lidl’s 600 current stores Ronny Gottschlich said “If I could have the 1,200 in the next three years, then I would have it in the next three years. But it is clear [...]
Maidstone Mums: The new Holy Grail December 1, 2013 RONNY Gottschlich, managing director of Lidl UK, described the discount retailer’s growing number of core shoppers as Maidstone Mums. “The Maidstone Mum is someone who probably previously would have thought, I can’t be seen in a Lidl store. Those Maidstone Mums are no longer afraid of being seen in a Lidl store,” he said. But [...]
Bottom Line: Tesco results to show the rise of discounters December 1, 2013 TAKE note, Tesco. Britain’s biggest supermarket, which is expected to post a drop in like-for-like sales of around 1.5 per cent on Wednesday, has been caught napping by Lidl and its discount peers in recent months. Tesco has rolled out extra price cuts and special offers as it tries to win back the market share [...]
Analysts spread gloom ahead of Tesco numbers November 26, 2013 TESCO received an unwelcome early Christmas message from City analysts yesterday, as predictions of a further decline in third quarter like-for-like sales sent its shares down 2.5 per cent. Barclays predicted yesterday that the UK’s largest supermarket will report a 1.8 per cent fall in UK like-for-like sales next week compared with flat sales in [...]
Asda promises to invest £1bn in lower prices November 14, 2013 ASDA pledged yesterday to invest £1bn in lowering prices of some of its products over the next five years and expand its UK presence, as the supermarket reported a slowdown in third quarter sales. The Walmart-owned group, which is vying with Sainsbury’s to be the UK’s second largest supermarket, said the move will help it [...]