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 [...]
In for a pound: Sainsbury’s just poached the chief executive of Poundland November 7, 2016 Sainsbury's has gone bargain hunting for its new chief financial officer, after it announced this morning it has appointed Kevin O'Byrne, currently chief executive of Poundland, to the role. O'Byrne has been chief executive of B&Q UK and Ireland, as well as being its group finance director. He's also previously been group finance director at [...]
Sainsbury’s to reveal how much its pension scheme has grown over the last six months November 6, 2016 Sainsbury's pension scheme deficit is expected to have ballooned by up to £900m over the last six months when the company releases its interim results on Wednesday. The supermarket's pension hole stood at £390m in March but analysts are predicting that a chasm will have developed. Market expectations are that the deficit will be between £900m and £1.3bn. Read [...]
NHS trusts eye £5bn savings in supply chain deal October 24, 2016 The NHS Shelford Group of 10 trusts has inked a deal with software firm Virtualstock to use its supply chain management software. It’s thought the deal will help the group surpass NHS targets of £5bn in savings by 2020. A February report estimated that £5bn is lost in the NHS through waste and price variations every [...]
Amazon wants to bag 120,000 temporary workers for Christmas October 13, 2016 E-commerce giant Amazon is looking for more than 120,000 workers in the United States to tide it over during the busy Christmas period. Thousands of the temporary workers will be kept on beyond the holiday season, Amazon said. The announcement from Amazon comes shortly after it said it would be opening a new warehouse in [...]
Sainsbury’s plans Argos presence in all larger stores October 11, 2016 Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe has confirmed plans to put an Argos in every one of its large stores. The supermarket completed a £1.4bn takeover of Home Retail group, which owns retailers including Argos and Habitat, in September in a deal that it hoped would expand its online offering and increase its footprint in the UK. Read more: Sainsbury's [...]
Argos is creating 10,000 jobs for Christmas September 29, 2016 Argos is looking to recruit 10,000 workers for the Christmas season. The retailer wants customer advisors and stock assistants to work in its 840 Argos stores during a period of high demand for its products. Argos also wants to employ some "Fast Track" drivers for the festive season who will be responsible for distributing Argos' [...]
Sales drop at Sainsbury’s in second quarter – but Argos is growing September 28, 2016 Sainsbury's reported at drop in sales during the 16 weeks to 24 September, despite transaction growth and flat fuel sales – but Argos posted a strong performance for its second quarter. The company's share price had fallen by 3.03 per cent in mid-morning trading. The supermarket posted a 1.1 per cent decline in like-for-like sales, [...]
Tips from business, suppliers and buyers on getting your product noticed September 22, 2016 If there's one thing we’ve learned since Brexit, it’s that the UK’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) always have big ambitions. No one ever said it was easy. Some of Britain’s largest and most influential businesses started out with nothing but an idea. Often, the most successful had very little initial investment, but made up [...]