David vs Goliath? Why Tesco’s “Every Little Helps” is losing the battle for supermarket supremacy October 3, 2014 Like most of us, I’ve been watching the differing fortunes of Tesco and Aldi play out over the past few days. And it’s compulsive viewing, not least of all because we love the underdog. Plucky little Aldi with just 500 stores, takes on the might of Tesco and gives the goliath a bloody nose. Great [...]
UK supermarkets vs German discounters: Morrisons gets tough as Buffett attacks Tesco October 2, 2014 Britain’s embattled supermarkets have finally begun their fight back against German discounters Aldi and Lidl who have been eating their lunch in recent months with double-digit growth in the sector. Morrison, the UK’s fourth biggest supermarket, will launch its first customer loyalty card today, along with a price-matching scheme that its chief executive has labelled [...]
Sainsbury’s needs to shore up the shop – Bottom Line October 1, 2014 In business, timing is everything, and retail moves faster than most businesses. Justin King, Sainsbury’s ex-kingpin, seems to have grasped this better than most when he sailed off into the sunset earlier this year, just as the storm clouds were gathering over the supermarket. Under King’s helm, Sainsbury’s reported a 2.1 per cent rise in [...]
Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons: Have investors given up on supermarkets? October 1, 2014 Tesco's share price has fallen 3.4 per cent today. Wm Morrison's has declined by 5 per cent. Sainsbury's share price tumbled 6.6 per cent. Although they operate in the same sector, each of these three supermarkets is suffering its own problem. So what is happening? Tesco's well documented £250m black hole in its [...]
Sainsbury’s share price falls following drop in sales October 1, 2014 Shares in Sainsbury's fell 2.97 per cent to £2.44 this morning, following an announcement by the supermarket its sales have fallen for the third quarter in a row. In its second-quarter trading statement for the three months to the end of September, it reported like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, were down 2.8 per cent during [...]
Aldi undaunted by price war as profits surge September 29, 2014 GERMAN discounter Aldi said yesterday that the supermarket price war was helping to drive more customers into its shops as it reported a 65 per cent jump in full-year profits. The retailer, together with its German peer Lidl, has been stealing market share from the big four supermarkets as it ramps up its presence in [...]
Aldi UK profits jump nearly 66 per cent September 29, 2014 Group turnover at budget supermarket Aldi rocketed more than 35 per cent in the UK and Ireland during 2013, while pre-tax profits soared by nearly two-thirds, it said today. Sales at the discount grocer rose to £5.27bn for the year to December 31, 2013, up from £3.89bn the preceding year. Pre-tax profits, meanwhile, jumped [...]
Ukip party conference 2014: Three reasons Ukip might have the best brand in politics September 26, 2014 After Ed Miliband’s much-maligned slip-ups, this weekend it’s Nigel Farage’s turn to show the world he’s a man of the people, at the Ukip party conference. Farage may be mocked by some – but during his tenure as its leader, he has transformed it from a party on the margins of the political system [...]
Listen to Peter Thiel: Politicians must embrace the fact there’s no money left September 25, 2014 MORE must cost less. In his new book Zero to One, entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel observes that the dream of globalisation – expanding the affluent consumption habits of the western middle class to more and more of the world – demands we also commit to radical technological innovation in order to reduce that lifestyle’s [...]
Tesco loses more market share as supermarket sector slows to record low September 23, 2014 Growth in the supermarket sector has slowed to an all-time low, with Tesco once again losing market share to Asda, Aldi and Lidl. The troubled supermarket, which yesterday revealed a £250m black hole in its profits, saw its market share drop 4.5 per cent in the 12 weeks to September 14. During the [...]