Argos drivers are striking on the days before Christmas December 13, 2016 Christmas deliveries are set to be disrupted by Argos drivers, who today announced they will go on strike in the 72 hours up to Christmas over pay disputes, the Unite union said. The drivers, who voted 83 per cent in favour of striking, work for Wincanton based at Argos' flagship national distribution centre. The union said services could be "seriously [...]
CHI & Partners boss named as advertising trade group leader December 2, 2016 The chief executive and partner of advertising agency CHI & Partners has been named as the new president of trade body the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA). Sarah Golding – who has worked with the likes of Orange, Reebok, British Gas, Argos and NewsUK during her career – has been nominated by IPA council members [...]
Here are the best Cyber Monday deals November 28, 2016 If you've been trying to bag a bargain on all your Christmas gifts over Black Weekend, but you haven't got everything you need quite yet, don't worry. There's still time: it's Cyber Monday. According to Nationwide, its customers have spent over £15.3m on Cyber Monday deals between midnight and 9am alone. During that period, more [...]
Cheap iPhones and Apple Watches? Here are the best Apple Black Friday deals November 25, 2016 Retailers always go big on tech and electronics for Black Friday, but Apple itself did not jump into the fray last year. In 2016, the company has changed its tune and will hold a "one day shopping event" on Black Friday. The exact deals have not yet been revealed, but will be available here, so [...]
Retail sales defy gloomy predictions ahead of a bumper Black Friday November 18, 2016 Retail sales have outperformed expectations ahead of the nation's biggest shopping spree – Black Friday. According to the Office for National Statistics, the volume of retail sales increased by 7.3 per cent in October compared to the same month in 2015 – the highest growth rate for fourteen years. The amount spent online grew by [...]
The Battle for Virality: How the advertising industry stole Christmas November 14, 2016 Consumer capitalism is like an annual balloon, pumping in steady increments throughout the year. It grows and grows, stretching and straining around November, taut before the Black Friday Pin; the pressure too much, one prick and the balloon explodes in a relentless cloud of Christmas advertising. But where has this volley come from? We can’t even [...]
Christmas adverts rated: Which retailer has made the best ad of 2016? November 12, 2016 Argos A gang of multicoloured yetis on ice skates stealing unattended electrical items from a pleasant-looking neighbourhood. Does anything say ‘come and visit our store’ less? ★☆☆☆☆ Aldi Good-looking food. But the poor carrot, Kevin, who we become attached to in this one-minute advert, is surely destined to meet an unfortunate ending. ★★★☆☆ Ebay Definitely [...]
Black Friday: Rumours, deals and speculation at retailers including Amazon, Argos and Tesco November 11, 2016 Ah, Black Friday. It may have started as an American tradition – but in recent years it's become more British than watching the Queen's speech while wearing a jauntily-angled Christmas cracker hat. This year, Black Friday falls on 25 November. But sharpen those elbows, people, because the Black Friday 'period' begins NEXT WEEK. Here's what retailers [...]
Lord Stuart Rose interview: Former M&S boss opens up on the ill-fated Stronger In campaign and his 10,000 bottles of wine November 9, 2016 Lord Rose of Monewden knows how to do things in style. In the space of a 45-year business career he managed to navigate his way through more boards, bids, bust-ups and blow-ups than seems possible in a single lifetime, collecting a knighthood, then a peerage and a comfortable fortune on the way. More to the [...]
Sainsbury’s like-for-like sales fell for its first half, but statutory profit is up November 9, 2016 Sainsbury's like-for-like sales excluding fuel fell by one per cent in the its first half as the supermarket faces an uphill struggle to entice customers through its doors. The company eked out more profit however. Sainsbury's share fell at the open, ditching almost five per cent after it warned second half underlying profit is expected [...]