Walmart faces challenge over executive pay and harassment policy May 27, 2019 Asda owner Walmart is facing pressure to make changes to its executive pay and sexual harassment policy as two proxy advisers recommended shareholders vote against the company at its annual meeting next week. Glass Lewis has recommended that shareholders vote against the retail giant’s executive pay proposals, saying “overall, the company paid more than its [...]
Morrisons fails to convince despite Ocado deal May 16, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. It talks the talk, and a 6 per cent dividend yield is attractive, but can this £50 billion grocer walk the walk? Morrisons (LSE:MRW) offered more evidence of its "ever-improving shape" after a robust trading update and intriguing deal to re-write its online partnership with Ocado. While the supermarket's shares [...]
Walmart mulls Asda IPO after Sainsbury’s merger blocked May 15, 2019 Retail giant Walmart has said it is considering a stock market listing for Asda, just weeks after the supermarket’s failed attempt to merge with rival Sainsbury’s. Walmart International boss Judith McKenna said the US chain is considering an initial public offering (IPO) for its UK subsidiary, but said it was “not rushing into anything”. Read [...]
Why bombed-out Sainsbury’s leads the FTSE 100 May 10, 2019 | City Talk Hammered since the Asda merger was blocked, our head of markets explains the surge to a three-week high. Rather than fight the decision of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Sainsbury (LSE:SBRY) and Asda decided to call off the wedding. This leaves a huge strategic question mark over where Sainsbury's goes next. Not surprisingly, the [...]
Joules lures in top Asda director as new chief executive May 8, 2019 Fashion group Joules has poached retail veteran Nick Jones to take over as chief executive, it announced this morning. A former top director at Marks & Spencer and Asda, Jones has spent 25 years working within the retail industry. Read more: Prime retail rents slip for embattled high street landlords After 15 years with M&S, latterly [...]
Is it time for Mike Coupe to check out as Sainsbury’s boss? May 1, 2019 Mike Coupe was met with rapturous applause from his fellow directors when he stepped up to the microphone this morning, as he hailed the coming of an era in Sainsbury’s history that would see it thrive having merged with long-time rival, Asda. Coupe spoke boldly about price cuts and cost savings, and finished with a [...]
Sainsbury’s profit plummets after spending £46m on failed Asda merger May 1, 2019 Sainsbury’s profits tumbled 42 per cent last year as the supermarket giant spent £46m on its failed merger with Asda, it revealed this morning. Read more: Watchdog kills Sainsbury's-Asda merger: What went wrong? The supermarket suffered a body blow last week when the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) banned the proposed merger “in its entirety”, a [...]
Sainsbury’s slips behind supermarket rivals after Asda merger blocked April 30, 2019 Sainsbury's sales fell behind those of rivals in the three months to the end of April, according to data released just a week after the supermarket's £7.3bn Asda merger was blocked. Sainsbury’s suffered a 1.2 per cent fall in sales compared to the same period last year, data group Kantar's statistics showed, while Aldi and Lidl [...]
Can Just Eat deliver the City what it wants? April 29, 2019 On Wednesday morning most eyes in the City will be on Mike Coupe, the Sainsbury’s chief executive battling to keep his job. In the firm’s Holborn HQ the grocery veteran will set out his Plan B after the UK competition watchdog crushed his dreams of a merger with Asda. Read more: Shortsellers increase bets against [...]
MPs to ramp up pressure on Asda over ‘appalling’ wage shake-up plans April 29, 2019 Asda is set to face fresh pressure from politicians this week amid accusations that new pay proposals could leave thousands of workers financially worse off. Read more: Watchdog kills Sainsbury's-Asda merger: What went wrong? A campaign addressed to Asda demanding the grocery giant rows back on "unscrupulous contract changes" is set to be backed by a [...]