Marks & Spencer poaches John Lewis finance chief Helen Weir November 17, 2014 MARKS & Spencer has poached Helen Weir from John Lewis to become its news finance director. Weir will succeed Alan Stewart, who quit M&S in July to join Tesco, and was fast-tracked into the job in September, when Tesco discovered a black hole in its accounts. Weir has been CFO at John Lewis since 2012 [...]
M&S poaches John Lewis finance director Helen Weir November 17, 2014 Marks & Spencer has appointed John Lewis finance director Helen Weir as its own chief financial officer. In a statement posted this afternoon, the retailer said Weir has yet to confirm a start date. M&S' previous finance director, Alan Stewart, left suddenly in September to take up his new role at Tesco several months earlier [...]
Sainsbury’s vs John Lewis Christmas advert 2014 battle: Which is better? November 14, 2014 Sainsbury’s has come out of nowhere to apparently topple John Lewis from its position as annual bearer of Christmas tidings and try to take its festive advertising crown. Traditionally feted for creating the best Christmas ad of the year, the retailer – and viewers – have been blindsided by darkhorse Sainsbury’s which earlier this week [...]
Sainsbury’s and John Lewis unveil 2014 Christmas adverts, but before Monty the penguin there was Ronald McDonald. A short history of the festive ad November 14, 2014 * Christmas comes but once a year, but the advertising that goes around it lasts much, much longer, with some brands seeing fit to launch their festive offerings at the beginning of November. This week saw the unveiling of Sainsbury’s festive offering. The supermarket giant partnered with the Royal British Legion to tell the story [...]
Sainsbury’s Christmas advert 2014: Surprise WWI centenary themed TV ad steals John Lewis festive video crown November 13, 2014 Has Sainsbury's managed to steal John Lewis's crown for best Christmas advert of the year? The supermarket has created a Christmas ad just as touching, heartfelt, and beautifully told as John Lewis’ Monty the penguin, but with a far deeper sentiment. The three minute video, created with ad agency AMV BBDO, eschews Christmas trees and [...]
Monty the Penguin buoys John Lewis sales November 11, 2014 John Lewis’ sales jumped 5.1 per cent to £95.7m in the week to Saturday 8 November, buoyed by the launch of its Christmas campaign featuring Monty the penguin. Week-on-week sales rose 3.9 per cent. Online sales were up 17 per cent, with “Monty” the most searched term on its website. The advert featuring a boy and his [...]
John Lewis advert 2014: This is why Monty is the perfect name for John Lewis’ cuddly penguin November 8, 2014 Monty is such a John Lewis name. It just has the right ring to it. A little bit posh, a little bit nostalgic, just like its ads and the John Lewis brand itself. It's the perfect name for the retailer's penguin character, who isn't just starring on TV screens in this year's Christmas advert, but [...]
From overtime holiday pay and immigration to the EU bill and John Lewis’ Christmas advert: 10 things we learned this week November 8, 2014 1. Businesses are going to have to start giving workers holiday pay for overtime. But it's quite complicated and likely to be subject to a few appeals so it's still a bit up in the air. 2. John Lewis is the king of Christmas adverts. That's not just our view, but the view of [...]
John Lewis, M&S, Debenhams – the best Christmas TV adverts of 2014 November 7, 2014 Alright, so there's still a month and a half until the big day – but settle in, because Christmas ads have begun to grace our screens, and they're going to be around for the next 47 evenings in. You might as well become acquainted. First up, we had the big one: John Lewis' much-awaited Christmas [...]
How does John Lewis’s Christmas 2014 Monty the Penguin advert compare with previous years? November 7, 2014 It’s already spawned parodies and has yet to air on TV, but the John Lewis Christmas advert is already on track to surpass the success of last year’s Bear and Hare ad. The cuddly penguin called Monty has worked his magic, garnering the video more than seven million views on YouTube and Facebook in the [...]