Fever Tree profit margins impacted by shipping and inflationary pressures September 13, 2022 Fever Tree has said price increases on its soft drinks only partially helped to off-set cost pressures caused by heightened shipping costs. The tonic-water seller said its gross margins had been hit by “inflationary cost pressures and continued exposure to elevated Trans-Atlantic freight costs,” in interim results published on Tuesday. A gross margin of 37.4 [...]
Sports Direct owner Frasers makes re-entry into FTSE 100 September 13, 2022 Sports Direct owner Frasers has made a return to the London Stock Exchange’s FTSE 100. The retailer re-joined the blue-chip index on Tuesday, according to its new chief executive officer Michael Murray. In a LinkedIn post, the CEO said the “significant milestone reflects the strength of our strategy and the strong performance that Frasers Group [...]
Ocado shoppers sent to cut back on spending at online grocer September 13, 2022 Ocado has warned its grocery shoppers will cut back on spending as they turn to cheaper supermarkets and add less to their baskets. In a trading update, the London-listed firm noted “accelerating trading down and smaller baskets, particularly over the last few weeks” and said it now expected to see “a small sales decline” in [...]
Lidl joins Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Primark to shut shops for Queen’s funeral September 12, 2022 Top supermarkets and retailers including Lidl, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s are set to shut their UK stores on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. Major retailers B&Q and Primark will also close shops for the bank holiday to mark the Queen’s state-funeral next Monday. Some supermarkets are also working on plans to cut some of [...]
Michael Murray: Frasers ‘increasing efforts’ to reach out to City investors September 12, 2022 The new boss of Frasers has pledged to repair relations between the retailer and the City. In an interview with The Financial Times, Michael Murray said the Sports Direct owner was “definitely going to be increasing its efforts” to reach out to investors. The retailer was presently recruiting for an investor relations manager, as well [...]
Gaucho boss: Restaurant menus featuring more seasonal produce could be ‘silver lining’ of high inflation September 12, 2022 Restaurants shifting to more seasonal menus may be the “silver lining” of sky-rocketing food prices, Gaucho boss Martin Williams has said. Hospitality venues have been forced to grapple with heightened prices for vegetables and proteins this year, in addition to energy bill increases that bosses say pose an existential threat to the sector. However, the [...]
Retailers including Cadbury and Unilever will have to re-apply to use Royal Arms imagery under new King September 12, 2022 Retailers including Cadbury and Selfridges will have to re-apply for permission to use the Royal Arms in association with their products. More than 100 food and drink brands have had a Royal Warrant of Appointment, providing them with permission to use the imagery on their packaging. After Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday last week, [...]
Tim Martin: Pubs should not subsidise supermarkets, JD Wetherspoon boss says September 12, 2022 JD Wetherspoon’s chair has called on ministers to slash VAT for pubs and make the taxes “fair and equitable” between retail and hospitality. The budget pub chain is to cut the price of food and drink in its venues by 7.5 per cent on Thursday this week, in a call for a return to the [...]
Tussle over Iceland: Supermarket’s trademark row with country continues September 11, 2022 Retailer Iceland is back in court with the country Iceland as the trademark row over its name continues.
Wilko shakes up rent payments as it eyes cashflow ahead of Christmas September 11, 2022 High street giant Wilko is shaking up its rent payments schedule in a bid to conserve cash in the run up to Christmas. The garden and home retailer told landlords that it would now unilaterally pay its quarterly rent bill in monthly instalments to manage the firm’s cashflow: heralding a difficult time moving forward for [...]