Nurofen is the most overpriced over-the-counter medicine, while branded drugs are three times more expensive than their generic counterparts June 29, 2016 It's enough to give you a headache. If you thought you'd been short-changed by the cost of painkillers last time you had a cold, or by hayfever tablets as soon as spring came, you were probably right. Branded medication costs on average nearly three times as much as generic equivalents that do exactly the same [...]
Here’s how the supermarkets were doing just before the Brexit vote June 28, 2016 In the immediate run-up to the EU referendum, supermarket sales were strong, according to data released today, but in the three month period before the vote, sales slipped. The figures from Nielsen show that in the four weeks ending 18 June, UK supermarkets had their first increase in year-on-year takings since July 2015. Sales were up 0.4 [...]
Asda Income Tracker shows average UK household’s discretionary income rose to record level in May 2016 June 21, 2016 UK households had more money at their disposal in May than any other month over the last eight years, according to new data from Asda – but the supermarket warned that uncertainty around this week's EU referendum makes it hard to predict how income will fare in future. Discretionary income was up to £201 per week in [...]
Convenience store openings up by a fifth as the big four try to match our changing shopping habits June 17, 2016 Convenience stores are popping up all over the country as people do fewer weekly shops and opt for fewer, more frequent trips instead. The number of convenience stores has risen by 21 per cent in the past five years. The big four supermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons – opened the stop-off shops at the [...]
Asda swaps Clarke for Clarke as chief exec says he’ll step down next month June 13, 2016 Well, that was sudden: we knew Asda chief executive Andy Clarke was planning on going – but now the supermarket's owner has said Clarke will step down next month. In a statement this morning Asda confirmed reports Clarke, who has been at the company for more than 20 years – six of which have been [...]
This £5 supermarket Malbec has been named the world’s best red wine June 13, 2016 It looks like it's officially time to embrace supermarket plonk, after Asda rode to a surprise victory with one of the world's best red wines at the Decanter World Wine Awards. The supermarket toasted the success this weekend of its Chilean La Moneda Reserva Malbec after it won the top prize in the single-varietal red under £15 category at the awards, [...]
Walmart’s China boss Sean Clarke set to become Asda’s next CEO June 12, 2016 Walmart is set to name Sean Clarke, the retailer's boss of its Chinese operations, as Asda's new CEO. The Big Four supermarket chain's parent company could make an announcement as early as this week, Sky News reported. The news comes after current boss Andy Clarke confirmed in an interview with Retail week last week that he's going to [...]
Walmart Canada to stop accepting Visa payments from July over “unacceptably high” fees June 12, 2016 Walmart's Canadian arm has said it will no longer accept Visa cards in its stores after the retail giant failed to reach a deal with the company over its "unacceptably high" fees. Following an evaluation of credit card transaction fees in both Canada and the rest of the world, the charges applied to Visa transactions [...]
City Moves for 10 June 2016 | Who’s switching jobs June 10, 2016 Whistl Whistl, the second largest postal company in the UK, has announced the completion of the management team for its packets and parcels offer with the appointment of Steve Vass as development director. He will continue the development of Whistl’s carrier management interface, its relationships with carriers and advising on the most appropriate solution and [...]
Sainsbury’s share price rises despite first quarter sales fall June 8, 2016 UK supermarkets' problems are still lingering in the new financial year, after Sainsbury's reported a fall in like-for-like sales over the last three months and warned of challenging times ahead. With total sales looking steady and investors fearing worse, however, shares jumped 2.6 per cent to 253p in early trading. The figures Total retail sales excluding fuel were up 0.3 per cent in [...]