Why the UK is falling out of love with fashion: M&S, Debenhams and Ted Baker offer solutions to the high street clothing crisis January 24, 2017 In 2016, Britons were focused less on fashion, and more on enjoying themselves. We ate out and drank more, but spent less on clothes. In other words, we “shifted towards the experience economy”, according to Richard Lim, chief executive of Retail Economics. “Since Brexit, the components within the economy holding up well have been consumer expenditure [...]
This is the most popular brand in the UK (and it’s not even from here) January 19, 2017 Aldi and Lidl have topped YouGov's ranking for the most popular British brands, beating well-heeled rivals John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. Every week last year YouGov asked a group of consumers whether they had heard good or bad news about the biggest brands in Britain – and the German immigrants came out on top. Read more: Aldi bags [...]
A Merry Lidl Christmas: Lidl doubles Prosecco sales in record Christmas trading January 11, 2017 Lidl has bagged its best ever Christmas sales figures as it doubled its Prosecco sales in December. The discount grocer celebrated a 10 per cent sales increase year-on-year in December, but shoppers weren't just reaching for the booze – sales of carrots parsnips, Brussel sprouts and potatoes jumped 60 per cent. Turkey sales increased by 40 per [...]
Supermarkets had a record Christmas – but prices are rising January 10, 2017 Supermarkets had a record Christmas period in 2016, with sales growing at their fastest rate since June 2014, but prices are finally starting to rise following the Brexit vote. The latest figures from Kantar Woldpanel show that sales were up 1.8 per cent for the 12 weeks ending 1 January. Consumers spent nearly half a billion pounds [...]
Consumer spending cooled in December after post-Brexit spending spree January 10, 2017 Consumer spending cooled towards the end of 2016, pointing to a slowdown in Britain's spending spree following the Brexit vote. In October and November, consumer spending growth hit 5.5 per cent and 5.1 per cent respectively, according to Barclaycard. But this figure fell to four per cent growth year-on-year in December. Read more: Aldi bags [...]
Manufacturing giant Premier Foods to increase prices due to Brexit vote January 10, 2017 Premier Foods, the supplier of iconic brands such as Mr Kipling cakes and Bisto gravy, is in talks with its major retail customers about lifting prices due to a double whammy of weaker sterling and higher commodity costs. City A.M. can reveal that the listed food manufacturer last month opened discussions with the likes of [...]
Aldi bags record Christmas sales after a year of store openings January 9, 2017 Aldi boosted its Christmas sales in 2016 after a bumper year of store openings. The discount supermarket opened seventy new stores throughout the year, leading it to 15 per cent year-on-year sales growth in December – its highest growth since landing in the UK in 1990. Aldi did not disclose its like-for-like sales growth for the [...]
Solid fare expected from the UK’s listed supermarkets this week, including Tesco and Morrison’s, as a raft of retailers reveal their seasonal sales results January 8, 2017 The UK's three major listed supermarkets are expected to report solid Christmas trading this week, although investor focus will be on the outlook given this year's expected squeeze on consumer spending. On 10 January, Morrison's is expected to report underlying sales growth of 1.1 per cent for the nine weeks to 1 January according to [...]
Christmas spending splurge fails to push high street sales into positive territory January 6, 2017 High street shops ended a disappointing year with a dismal performance during the festive season, failing to land positive sales despite bumper spending in the week before Christmas. Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, meaning shoppers had an extra day to spend, but like-for-like sales growth on the high street still came in at [...]
A Lidl competition: Aldi becomes the highest-paying supermarket in the UK January 5, 2017 Aldi has given its employees a late Christmas present as it unveiled new pay rates this morning – and boasted that the new deal will make it the highest-paying employer in the supermarket sector. The supermarket is known for offering the cheapest groceries in the UK, but is now insisting it won't settle for a [...]