ITV reaps the benefits of controversial Diversity performance September 30, 2020 TV’s Britain’s Got Talent has restarted its 14th series after taking a three-month break during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kicking off the semi-finals, judge Ashley Banjo and his dance group Diversity gave a special performance retelling the events of 2020, including references to coronavirus and the death of George Floyd prompting global Black Lives Matter protests. [...]
Shakespeare: Fever-Tree’s a hit with the drink-from-home consumer during lockdown September 23, 2020 This month Fever-Tree, a producer of high quality drink mixers, announced that they are expecting a very gradual recovery as consumers return to restaurants and pubs now that they are reopening following coronavirus. Fever-Tree has managed to limit the hit to its sales as consumers shifted to at-home drinking, helped by the brand’s first national [...]
Shakespeare: New fees and negative interest rates dent Starling’s public perception September 16, 2020 On 4 September, media reports revealed that Starling Bank would be introducing a “new charging structure” for certain services. Customers will now pay £5 for replacing lost cards, a £2 monthly fee for users who wish to open additional current accounts, and £20 for any payment made through the CHAPS payment system. It was also [...]
Shakespeare: Pret A Manger launches coffee subscription service September 9, 2020 On-the-go lunch seller Pret A Manger has made no secret of the difficult time it’s had as a result of thecoronavirus crisis. After lockdown, and as Britons continued to work from home and avoid city centres, it announced store closures and job losses after sales tumbled 74% year-on-year. In order for the business to survive [...]
Shakespeare: Poundland set to cash in on luxury homeware September 2, 2020 Homeware retailers reported record sales throughout lockdown, as Britons spent more time at home than ever, and decided to make their homes and gardens nicer. Previous YouGov data from April showed that one in ten households had ordered indoor furniture or homeware products online since lockdown began (10%) while 16% had bought outdoor furniture or [...]
Shakespeare: Just Eat could deliver on promise thanks to Covid-19 August 26, 2020 Many assumed that food delivery companies would actually benefit from the COVID-19 crisis, as nobody was allowed to eat in restaurants, but some of the biggest players in the market have been struggling during the pandemic. Just Eat has been an exception. The company, which acquired Grubhub in the United States this year, recently reported [...]
YouGov: Halfords healthy after lockdown shift to two wheels August 19, 2020 The coronavirus lockdown closed down public transport for all but essential journeys from mid-March, leading thousands of Brits to buy a new bike, according to the UK’s Bicycle Association. Bike sales increased by 63% year-on-year between April and June 2020. Similarly, the DfT found cycling levels increased by 300% during lockdown. Halfords has been among [...]
Shakespeare: Zara’s customers return as consumers regain confidence August 12, 2020 The real estate arm of high street fashion retailer Zara, Pontegadea, was this week accused of “bullying tactics” to deny rent reduction requests from other high street stores in the UK. An anonymous retail chain reported that Zara’s investment company has tried to add an extra year to one retail chain’s lease for every month [...]
YouGov: Xbox marks the spot with well-received launch August 6, 2020 On July 23, Microsoft hosted a digital games showcase to promote the Xbox Series X ahead of the console’s official launch later this year. Expectations were high following Sony’s well-received PlayStation 5 reveal in June, but data from YouGov BrandIndex indicates that the event had a different reception. Buzz scores (which measure whether people have [...]
Shakespeare: M&S loyalty scheme gives new spark July 31, 2020 High street retailer Marks and Spencer launched their loyalty scheme ‘Sparks’ in 2015, but customer feedback branded it confusing and hard to use. Even CEO Steve Rowe himself admitted it needed “substantial improvement”. Sparks has now been relaunched as a digital-first loyalty scheme offering members instant rewards. For example, one customer at every store will [...]
