When the going’s tough, the City goes shopping June 28, 2009 SIR Stuart Rose has recently waived more than £1m worth of Marks & Spencers share options, and could come under more pressure at this week’s annual meeting. Discount retailers like Aldi and Lidl have just announced a slowdown in growth, while on TV Mary Portas has moved from advising high street stores to charity shops. [...]
Aldi and Lidl’s growth rate falling behind June 23, 2009 DISCOUNTERS like Aldi and Lidl are now growing less quickly than British stalwarts such as J Sainsbury and Morrisons in a sign that the traditional supermarkets’ fight-back is succeeding, a survey showed yesterday. Britain’s grocery market grew by a recession-beating 6.5 per cent in the 12 weeks to 14 June compared to the same period [...]
CITY VIEWS: how well are the supermarkets coping with the recession? June 23, 2009 ORRAINE NAYLER ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND“I don’t really go to big supermarkets and prefer to shop in my local stores. But I think the budget supermarkets are benefiting from the downturn – the stigma attached to Aldi and Lidl is probably disappearing and people are looking beyond packaging to non-branded goods if they are cheaper.” [...]
Premium food brands are staging a comeback June 2, 2009 AFTER the extensive coverage that the ascent of the discounter retailers received throughout 2008, it may come as a surprise to hear that the trend has been reversing for the past six months. From the beginning of January 2008 through to mid-November, the value-brand supermarkets of Aldi, Lidl, Netto and Somerfield achieved an average uplift [...]
THE TIPSTER AVOID THE DASH FOR TRASH May 31, 2009 AN economic recovery still remains uncertain so avoid the “dash for trash” and look for stocks that have intrinsic value. The banks have been having a tough time but one that’s stood out is Standard Chartered, which has been making a series of senior appointments to its capital markets team in recent months. The bank’s [...]
J Sainsbury in bullish mood May 13, 2009 J SAINSBURY has pledged to dominate the grocery sector over the next decade, after reporting a stellar 11.3 per cent pre-tax profit hike to £543m in the year to 21 March. Chief executive Justin King said the group now has “the greatest growth potential of any grocery retailer in the next ten years”. Sainsbury’s has [...]
The firms the credit crunch has favoured August 11, 2008 The news about the worsening economy seems relentless and yet it is not all bad. As the credit crunch celebrates its first birthday, it’s clear that some companies are benefiting from a trend towards trading down. Consumers might be feeling the the pinch but budget options are becoming more appealing and companies such as Dominos, [...]