Knowingly undersold? John Lewis profits fall 15 per cent – but not because of Brexit September 15, 2016 You know things are bad when the chattering classes stop spending: today John Lewis admitted things had gone downhill in the first half as market conditions worsened. The figures Profit before tax and exceptional items fell 14.7 per cent to £81.9m in the six months to the end of July, despite a 3.1 per cent rise in gross sales, to £5.27bn. Although [...]
The kids heading back to school drove sales at John Lewis as the warmer weather continued to help Waitrose September 13, 2016 The John Lewis Partnership's sales have been boosted by the summer sun and families stocking up for the start of the school year. In the week to 10 September, sales at John Lewis were up 9.1 per cent on the same period last year, reaching £82.7m. Fashion sales did particularly well, up by 6.8 per cent. Children's [...]
Rosé wine: Move over red, white and sparkling – this summer belonged to pink booze September 13, 2016 Sparkling wine has been stealing the show in the UK's drinks scene as the new high-flier, but rosé wine has been the true winner of this summer's heatwave as sales of the pink stuff doubled. Marks and Spencer has reported a 100 per cent increase in its sales of English-produced rosé offerings, with its Chapel Down [...]
Here’s why Ocado’s share price has slumped this morning September 13, 2016 Ocado's share price fell more than 10 per cent in early trading this morning, despite the company announcing retail sales growth of over 13 per cent. The stock had dipped by almost 15 per cent before noon, in a sell-off sparked by comments from the delivery service's chief executive Tim Steiner, who said the company is facing continued margin [...]
John Lewis boss confirms he is standing for Mayor of the West Midlands September 9, 2016 John Lewis' boss Andy Street has unmasked his ambition to become the mayor of the West Midlands. The retail head will stand as a Conservative candidate – in an area where all but one of the local authorities are run by Labour – and has said he will step down as the John Lewis chief if [...]
Waitrose’s sales were boosted by the summer sun last week – but John Lewis stayed in the shade August 31, 2016 The warm weather boosted Waitrose's sales last week – but sister shop John Lewis failed to cash in on the summer sun. Excluding fuel, total sales at Waitrose were up 8.2 per cent on last year. The retailer said both the good weather and generous promotions were responsible for the sales lift – barbeque product [...]
Here’s why Edinburgh is the perfect place to launch a gin brand August 14, 2016 Fancy a tipple with a twist? With the growth of fashionable speak-easy style gin bars, Edinburgh has witnessed a renaissance of gin distilling within the city. Premium brands such as Pickering’s Gin and Edinburgh Gin have been at the heart of a global explosion in Scottish gin sales, with the latter recently opening a new [...]
Here’s why Edinburgh is the perfect place to launch a gin brand August 14, 2016 Fancy a tipple with a twist? With the growth of fashionable speak-easy style gin bars, Edinburgh has witnessed a renaissance of gin distilling within the city. Premium brands such as Pickering’s Gin and Edinburgh Gin have been at the heart of a global explosion in Scottish gin sales, with the latter recently opening a new [...]
Viognier once dwindled to just eight acres of vines; thankfully now this varied wine is getting the props it deserves August 2, 2016 Viognier is one of my favourite summer whites and one that grows on me with every bottle. It has a complexity, a range of floral scents and flavours and even a slight muskiness that demands attention. It’s a sobering thought that we almost lost this harlequin grape completely. Viognier is a pain to grow, prone [...]
Yeo Valley-manufactured yoghurts sold at Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury’s and The Co-Operative in rubber scare recall August 1, 2016 Five supermarkets have been advised to recall thousands of own-brand yoghurts manufactured by Yeo Valley as they may contain small pieces of rubber. Asda, the Co-Operative, Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose have all been affected by the recall of the yoghurts. The rubber was found in a fruit conserve made by a supplier, Yeo Valley said [...]