John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, or M&S? Whose Christmas ad was best this year November 20, 2018 So this is Christmas. And what have you done? Another year over, and the festive ads just begun. Yes, ’tis the season for brands to splash the cash on fancy holiday-themed adverts in hope of attracting that sweet Christmas shopping revenue. Retailer John Lewis has been the reigning champion of the season for the past [...]
Iceland’s banned palm oil advert could win over middle class shoppers as supermarkets prepare for Christmas November 13, 2018 Iceland could get a shot in the arm from its banned Christmas advert by appealing to middle class shoppers, according to consumer research firm Kantar Worldpanel. The supermarket's advert, which caused a storm on social media when it was deemed “too political” to be aired by Clearcast, could be exactly what the store needs to reach out to [...]
Iceland’s Christmas advert was cute, but it still broke broadcasting rules around politics November 13, 2018 LAST week, supermarket chain Iceland made headlines with its latest Christmas advert. The cartoon features an orangutan trashing a child’s bedroom, before taking a dark twist to show the ape’s rainforest home being destroyed for palm oil – a controversial ingredient that appears in practically every consumer item, from biscuits to beauty products. It’s an [...]
Iceland’s palm oil Christmas ad banned for being ‘too political’ November 9, 2018 Iceland has had to pull its eagerly-anticipated Christmas advert from the nation’s TV screens for breaching political advertising rules. The festive clip, which tells the story of deforestation caused by palm oil production through an animated short film about an orangutan, was made in a deal that Iceland struck with campaign group Greenpeace. However, the [...]
Icelandair stocks skyrocket as it announces Wow Air purchase November 5, 2018 Icelandair closed up more than 39 per cent today after the airline announced plans to buy fellow Icelandic carrier Wow Air. The deal, which is subject to approval by Icelandair’s shareholders and the country’s competition authorities, will see Wow Air shareholders receive 5.4 per cent of Icelandair’s shares. Icelandair said the companies will continue to operate as [...]
Out with the old, in with the new UK high street September 26, 2018 A tale of two retailers dominated the high street yesterday – Next’s shares jumped nearly eight per cent after the fashion giant lifted its full-year profit guidance while Card Factory’s shares lost a tenth of their value after profits were off-message. Read more: Next nudges up profit guidance after blistering summer The diverging fortunes [...]
Poundland warns landlords over costs as it moves into 20 former Poundworld stores September 20, 2018 Poundland has warned landlords about the "new realities of retail" as it announced the take over of former Poundworld stores after the rival discount brand collapsed into administration. Poundland will open in 20 large sites previously occupied by Poundworld in October, in a move that could create more than 400 jobs. Read more: Iceland to take over a handful of former Poundworld stores More than 5,000 [...]
Supermarket sweep: Industry benefits from World Cup shopping spree September 18, 2018 The World Cup and sunny weather led consumers to spend almost £500m more at supermarkets over summer than they did the year before, according to new data released today. Alcohol spending grew by £228m, while people spent £178m more on fizzy drinks and £74m more on ice cream during one of the hottest summers on record, [...]
Iceland boss Malcolm Walker: Which? supercomplaint over supermarket offers was “b*****ks” July 17, 2015 Iceland boss Malcolm Walker – the supermarket sector's answer to Michael O'Leary – has blasted the Which? supercomplaint over misleading deals as “bollocks”. The consumer group took a petition signed by more than 100,000 to the Competition and Markets Authority earlier this year, claiming it had found examples of “dodgy special offers” that led [...]
Malcolm Walker’s many lives: How Iceland hopes to fight off profit slump June 10, 2015 Malcolm Walker has more business lives than a cat. He built his frozen food empire Iceland from a humble shop in Shropshire in 1970 into a £2bn turnover business 30 years later, before hitting a financial iceberg. Walker was forced to step down as chairman in 2001 after the Financial Services Authority launched an [...]