Legendary Morrisons chairman Sir Ken Morrison has died February 1, 2017 Sir Ken Morrison, who made his father's Morrisons grocery chain into a supermarket giant, has died, the Press Association reported this morning. He passed away aged 85 after a short illness, his family said. Morrison took over his father's Bradford egg and butter stall, turning it into one of the UK's big four supermarkets within [...]
Spending on essentials soars as inflation starts to bite consumers February 1, 2017 Consumer spending on essentials has increased at its highest rate since September 2013 as inflation started to bite in December. Essential spending grew 1.8 per cent in December, rising for the fourth month in a row, according to Lloyds Bank. Grocery spending jumped 2.9 per cent year-on-year, the highest growth rate since July 2013. Read [...]
When it comes to public perception it pays not to short-change staff February 1, 2017 Towards the end of December, there was a row involving luxury department store Harrods. Waiting and kitchen staff took industrial action because they alleged that the business’s owners retained up to 75 per cent of service charge, which reduced pay by up to £5,000 a year. Harrods has subsequently vowed to let staff keep 100 [...]
Why Tesco could be better off leaving Booker on the shelf February 1, 2017 The stock market’s initial reaction to takeover deals can often be a poor indicator of how those deals work out. Just look at the market’s sceptical response to Sainsbury’s purchase of Argos owner Home Retail Group as a recent example. Now we have another unexpected deal in the supermarket sector with Tesco bidding to take [...]
Shop prices drop at the beginning of January as retailers clear Christmas stock February 1, 2017 Shop prices fell at the beginning of January as retailers cut prices to clear leftover Christmas stock. Overall, shop prices fell by 1.7 per cent year-on-year between 3 January and 9 January, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen. Price cuts were particularly dramatic in clothing and footwear, with prices falling [...]
Chinese tourist spending soars in London’s West End as Brexit fall in sterling leaves more bang for the yuan January 31, 2017 WEST END sales to Chinese shoppers rose by a whopping 154 per cent year-on-year last week as visitors from the country took advantage of the cheap pound to celebrate the Chinese New Year in London’s key shopping district. Jace Tyrrell, chief executive of New West End Company which represents businesses around Oxford Street said: “The [...]
£3.5m share bonus for outgoing Burberry CEO January 31, 2017 Outgoing Burberry CEO, Christopher Bailey, has received 215,000 shares in the business, with a total value of £3.5m. Bailey is one of a number of Burberry executives that have been awarded performance-contingent share packages in 2017, after the fashion retailer postponed its rewards scheme last year. Burberry’s sales are believed to have benefited from the [...]
MasterCard profits up six per cent in Q4 January 31, 2017 MasterCard, the world’s second largest payments processor, saw revenues decline but profits increase during the final quarter of last year. Net income rose by 4.8 per cent to $933m, compared to $890m 12 months ago. Revenue fell slightly short of analysts’ estimates of $2.79bn, coming in at $2.76bn. Quarterly profits for the three months to [...]
MPs’ gambling report criticised by bookies January 31, 2017 A report into fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) has been criticised by bookmakers as a biased inquiry and a threat to jobs. Backed by a cross-party group of MPs, the report has recommended that the maximum stake on FOBTs be reduced from £100 to £2 in a bid to reduce addiction to gambling and antisocial [...]
Diageo investing €25m in new Irish whiskey brand January 31, 2017 The world’s largest spirits producer will launch a new whiskey brand “Roe & Co” in March with bottles expected to retail at around £30. Until a new facility is completed at the company’s Guinness HQ in Dublin, Roe & Co will be produced from whiskies sourced across the firm’s Irish distilleries. The investment marks a [...]