Grocery sales surge in lockdown as shoppers go online June 23, 2020 Grocery sales in the UK grew 18.9 per cent in the four weeks up to 14 June, new data has shown, as online shopping and convenience stores continued to attract shoppers through the coronavirus lockdown period. According to data firm Kantar, online sales were the main driver of the rise, increasing 91 per cent over [...]
Now hiring: DPD bets big on online delivery market with 6,000 new workers and £200m spending spree June 18, 2020 Delivery giant DPD is hiring 6,000 new workers in order to keep up with demand from “the biggest boom in online retailing in the UK’s history” as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. The firm said it would also put £200m extra cash into its network, as part of an “unprecedented investment in our infrastructure [...]
Aldi extends Deliveroo online grocery trial to London store June 12, 2020 Discount supermarket Aldi will extend its trial of delivering groceries to people’s homes via Deliveroo to include a store in Camden, London. Aldi, Britain’s fifth largest supermarket, launched a trial of the delivery model last month over eight outlets in the Midlands. It said the initial trial had gone well, and that it would therefore [...]
US stocks and FTSE 100 plunge after Fed’s long recovery warning June 11, 2020 The FTSE 100 suffered its worst daily drop since late March, with US stocks plunging into the red after the Federal Reserve effectively crushed hopes of a quick recovery. London’s blue-chip index closed down 3.99 per cent after crashing as much as 2.66 per cent this morning. And US stocks also crashed, with the Dow [...]
Ocado shares slide on plans to raise £1bn amid coronavirus online boom June 11, 2020 Ocado shares fell this morning after the announcement that it plans to raise £1bn to help it capitalise on the online grocery market boom triggered by the coronavirus crisis. The British online supermarket and technology group said yesterday that it would raise about £657m through an equity placing and retail offer, and about £350m through [...]
Ocado to raise £1 billion to match demand from Covid-19 crisis June 10, 2020 Ocado, the British online supermarket and technology group, plans to raise 1 billion pounds, giving it more firepower to capitalise on the rapid growth of the online grocery market triggered by the coronavirus crisis. The group said on Wednesday it would raise about 657 million pounds through an equity placing and retail offer and about [...]
Audit watchdog closes investigation into Tesco accounting scandal June 8, 2020 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has announced the closure of its remaining investigation into accountants at Tesco, ending a six-year probe linked to an overstatement of profit by the supermarket chain. The FRC said this morning it was closing an investigation into Tesco’s announcement in 2014 that it had overstated profits by £263m, a figure [...]
Supermarket delivery slots: Which grocers offer home delivery amid UK coronavirus outbreak? June 3, 2020 UK supermarkets are racing to increase capacity as the demand for home delivery services soars amid the coronavirus pandemic. All UK supermarkets are prioritising home delivery slots for those who are vulnerable, elderly, disabled or self-isolating. Many have introduced special in-store shopping hours dedicated to key workers. The surge in demand following the coronavirus outbreak [...]
The impact of AI in a transformed world June 3, 2020 Artificial intelligence has entered the mainstream and the fourth industrial revolution is continuing apace, leading sceptics to question what this means for the average employee. As we look towards the re-opening of the economy, it is clear that AI offers huge potential for a new world of work that is safer, more productive and more [...]
Marks & Spencer shares rise on coronavirus revamp, despite blow to profit May 20, 2020 Marks & Spencer’s full-year profit sank 21 per cent as it took a £212m hit from coronavirus at the end of March, the retailer revealed today. However, investors pushed M&S’ share price up 4.6 per cent to 89.8p as the pandemic forced the British high street brand into an overhaul to save over £1bn. The [...]