‘Bond market tantrum risks’: Gilt traders brace for Labour leftward pivot as Starmer future uncertain
London to lead UK growth for years to come May 27, 2014 THE CAPITAL will keep on booming over the next five years, economists predicted today, leading the UK’s spreading recovery. The positive forecast came amid a raft of strong data, with a survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) which showed services firms are more upbeat than at any time since 1998. Households are now [...]
Asda returns to sales growth as price cuts kick in May 15, 2014 SUPERMARKET giant Asda said yesterday it had returned to underlying sales growth in its first quarter as price-cuts started to attract thrifty shoppers. Asda, which trails market leader Tesco by annual sales and is vying with Sainsbury’s to be the UK’s no2 grocer, said like-for-like sales rose 0.1 per cent in the 15 weeks to [...]
CollectPlus plots growth plans to rival Post Office May 12, 2014 COLLECTPLUS launched a fresh assault on the Post Office today after announcing plans to expand its parcel returns and delivery service to 7,500 stores over the next 12 months. The company was launched in 2009 and has grown rapidly thanks to the boom in online shopping, click and collect, and consumers demanding more convenient ways [...]
The week in brief May 11, 2014 Publicis Group and Omnicom merger falls apart Publicis and Omicom, two of the world’s biggest advertising firms, have called off ther proposed merger. The $35bn (£22.8bn) deal would have formed the world’s largest ad agency. It was claimed last July that the merger would enable the two giants to compete more effectively in the digital [...]
Clipper Logistics plans London float as it eyes European growth May 6, 2014 LOGISTICS firm Clipper yesterday unveiled its plans to float on the London Stock Exchange, as it looks to accelerate its European expansion drive and take advantage of the growing online retail market. The company provides tailor-made logistics solutions for pure-play online retailers such as Asos and traditional high street retailers adopting multichannel strategies such as [...]
Analysts predict price cuts at Sainsbury’s April 29, 2014 Analysts at Deutsche Bank issued a positive note on Sainbury’s today ahead of its full-year results next week, arguing that the supermarket group could be a relative winner in the sector compared to its rivals but warning that it will have to join them in slashing prices to stay ahead of the game. The [...]
Retailers’ confidence for future sales at highest in three years April 24, 2014 RETAILERS are bullish about the months ahead, according to a survey which shows the strongest expectations for growth in nearly three and a half years. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) shows that 48 per cent of retail firms responding to their poll believe that sales volumes will grow during May, while only five per [...]
Set-top box maker Pace on track April 24, 2014 SET-TOP box maker Pace yesterday announced that it is on target to reach its forecasted $2.7bn (£1.61bn) in revenue and 8.5 per cent operating margin by the end of this year. Chairman Allan Leighton, who is also the former chief executive of Asda, said that first quarter revenues were lower than in 2013 due to [...]
London spending growing slowly April 23, 2014 Household spending is rising in every part of the country, but the high cost of living is holding down growth in spending power for London, according to research by Asda. The supermarket’s income tracker shows discretionary incomes are rising fastest in the north east of England, up by 5.5 per cent during the 12 months [...]
Tesco steps up assault with more price cuts April 22, 2014 TESCO yesterday launched a fresh round of price cuts and slashed its online shopping charges as it steps up its efforts to stop customers defecting to its discount rivals. The retailer dropped prices on over 30 products yesterday including bacon, sugar, broccoli and some of its bread ranges. The price of six Tesco free-range medium [...]