Any Other Business – 16/08 August 15, 2013 ■ Jessica Ennis-Hill is boring under the streets of London, as the namesake for Crossrail’s seventh tunnelling machine. The 1,000 tonne boring machine, whose name was picked by local primary school children, will start building a new 1.7 mile Crossrail tunnel from Pudding Mill Lane to Stepney Green. She will soon by joined by a [...]
Walmart revises down earnings forecast as US comparable sales miss August 15, 2013 Asda owner Walmart has reported same-store sales in the US fell by 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of the year – missing analyst expectations of a one per cent rise (release). Walmart revised down its full-year earnings per share (EPS) expectation to a range of $5.10 to $5.30 from the previous range of [...]
Asda launches honours degree scheme for staff August 12, 2013 ASDA employees will this year be able to study for an undergraduate degree under a three-year scheme in partnership with Middlesex University. The supermarket giant said it will offer 30 Asda staff the chance to study for a BA (Hons) degree in either distribution or retail operations while retaining a salaried position in the store, [...]
Supermarket contract wins lift Cranswick sales July 29, 2013 Sausage-maker Cranswick posted a 10 per cent rise in underlying sales in the first quarter of the year after winning fresh pork contracts in the period with supermarkets Asda and M&S.The company said total sales in the three months to 30 June were up 12 per cent when taking into account contributions from two recent [...]
Kate Bostock to quit Asos after seven months July 16, 2013 KATE Bostock, the former head of clothing at Marks and Spencer, has quit her new employer Asos after just seven months at the online retailer. In a surprise statement yesterday, Bostock, who was executive director for product and trading, said she had concluded that “Asos isn’t the right place for me”. Nick Robertson, the founder [...]
UK retail growth crawls ahead February 26, 2013 The Confederation of British Industry has released its quarterly Distributive Trades Survey (release). Expectations of 16 per cent growth were dashed as figures showed growth of a mere 8 per cent, the lowest since September and down from 17 in the last quarter. This marks the third consecutive period in which retail growth has slowed. While [...]
Asda to expand George abroad as UK sales slow February 22, 2013 ASDA is to expand its fast-growing clothing brand George into Europe, Britain’s second largest supermarket revealed yesterday, as it reported a slowdown in fourth quarter sales. The Walmart-owned group said it will launch the brand’s UK website in 24 countries by September after George enjoyed “a record year”. It also plans to open more stores [...]
Tesco voted worst supermarket in survey of 11,000 UK shoppers February 21, 2013 TESCO has been voted the worst of Britain’s nine major supermarkets in a poll carried out by one of the leading consumer groups. More than 11,000 Which? members rated the supermarkets with customer scores based on customer satisfaction and the likelihood they would recommend it to a friend. Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket group, came [...]
Suppliers back quarterly tests for horsemeat February 18, 2013 ENVIRONMENT minister Owen Paterson last night said food retailers will conduct tests for horse- meat in processed beef products every three months, in an attempt to restore consumer confidence in the industry. “There was absolute determination in the industry to restore confidence in their products, and I’m pleased to say we look forward to meeting [...]
Greencore rises on proof of no contamination February 18, 2013 IRISH food group Greencore’s shares bounced back by eight per cent yesterday after it said that tests had found no other traces of horsemeat in its products or at its convenience food sites. Shares in the company sunk more than 12 per cent at the end of last week when Asda withdrew its own- brand [...]