Tesco results: Three things you need to know after today’s annual loss announcement April 22, 2015 Tesco's results are out and there's a lot to take in – market reaction had been mixed this morning, initially up and now largely flat. Here are the three key things you need to know about Tesco this morning after shock losses at the supermarket. 1. How huge? This huge To put Tesco's £6.38bn loss [...]
Debenhams bolsters board with appointment of Terry Duddy as a non-executive director April 10, 2015 Debenhams is looking to bolster its board by appointing veteran retailer Terry Duddy as a non-executive director, as it tries to improve its fortunes after years of underperformance. Duddy was chief executive of the Home Retail group until March last year and is chair of the retail trust. Until 2006 he was chief of Argos, [...]
Have brands “hijacked” Easter? I’d say it’s an egg-cellent idea April 5, 2015 It’s funny how we so often link food to religious events: hot-cross buns on Good Friday; Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and Simnel cake during Lent. So who could blame brands trying to do the same thing: Coco-Cola’s land-grab for the Christmas holidays – and, more relevant to this time of year, Cadburys' chocolate egg-gifting [...]
Theatre review: The Broken Heart ensnares gut and mind March 20, 2015 Sam Wanamaker Playhouse | ★★★☆☆ What a piece of work the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is. In little over a year, it has become a priceless gem in London’s theatre crown. While the Globe deftly cycles through crowd-pleasing Shakespeare, the Playhouse breathes life into his relatively neglected contemporaries and successors, writers who often vocalise present day concerns [...]
DIY group Homebase shops at Tesco to pick new boss Echo Lu March 19, 2015 HOMEBASE has poached Tesco director Echo Lu to be its new managing director and lead a turnaround at the retailer that will see it close a quarter of its shops. Lu, who was previously head of group business planning and insight at Tesco, will join on 20 April, replacing its longstanding boss Paul Loft, the [...]
Argos suffers a post-festive depression March 12, 2015 Argos had little cause for post-festive cheer after sales at the catalogue retailer slumped in the eight weeks to 28 February, it announced yesterday. The retailer experienced weak trading in consumer electronics and said its ongoing programme aimed at improving customer experiences had impacted on footfall. Argos outlined its five-year transformation plan in 2012 with [...]
Oscars 2015: Birdman box office could get a boost from best picture triumph February 23, 2015 At the 87th Academy Awards it was Birdman that stole the show, beating favourite Boyhood to both best picture and best director gongs. The film, starring Michael Keaton and directed by Mexican Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, is one of the worst box office performers to take home the treasured best picture award in recent years. If you [...]
Argos owner warns of Black Friday blues January 15, 2015 THE CHIEF executive of Home Retail Group warned yesterday against the risk of chasing sales over Black Friday week at the expense of profit after the Argos owner reported weaker-than-expected results for the festive period. John Walden said it had decided to take a much more cautious approach to discounting in the run-up to Christmas [...]
Black Friday UK 2014: Retailers return to black after a frenzied day of spending December 8, 2014 The shopping frenzy created by Black Friday last week helped push retail sales back into growth in November as shoppers flocked online and into stores to snap up a bargain. Like-for-like retail sales rose by 0.9 per cent compared with November last year, when they increased by 0.6 per cent. This was also an improvement [...]
Retail watchdog for consumers’ shop complaints December 7, 2014 A RETAIL watchdog has been set up to resolve consumer complaints between shops and customers. The Retail Ombudsman is aimed at helping consumers if they have made a complaint to a company and the issue is not resolved. Barrister Dean Dunham, who starts work as ombudsman on 1 January, said the service will aid shoppers [...]