Morrisons in £70m deal to join web war February 15, 2011 WM MORRISON yesterday announced that it had finally taken the plunge into online retail, splashing out £70m on baby goods firm Kiddicare. The supermarket giant has so far resisted the move to the web while rivals like Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda see online sales as vital to their financial health. But the purchase of Kiddicare [...]
Morrisons buys baby care website for £70m February 15, 2011 Wm Morrison Supermarkets, the country’s fourth-biggest grocer, is buying online baby products retailer Kiddicare for £70m to kick-start an online business selling non-food goods. Morrison said the deal would give it a technology platform and distribution centre to develop an online non-food business, launching its first products in 2012. The move is part of chief [...]
Morrisons plans Davies range February 6, 2011 Morrisons plans to launch a fashion range in partnership with designer George Davies, founder of Next. Advanced talks between Morrisons and Davies are expected to conclude this month, clearing the way for a range to be launched as early as the autumn. Davies created rival retailer Asda’s successful George clothing range.
Advertising body rebukes Asda February 2, 2011 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled Asda must make changes to the way it presents its price guarantee, a key plank of the grocery chain’s marketing, following complaints from rivals. The watchdog said adverts run by Asda following the introduction of its price guarantee in April must not appear again in their current form. [...]
Asda to sell 47 of Netto UK shops to rivals January 12, 2011 ASDA, owned by Wal-Mart, has agreed to sell 47 of the stores it plans to buy from Netto UK to rivals including Morrisons and Iceland in order to win regulatory clearance for the deal. Asda has already lined up buyers for 25 of the stores, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said yesterday. The OFT [...]
Sainsbury’s sees record festive sales January 12, 2011 J SAINSBURY reported its best ever Christmas sales as customers splashed out on more expensive ranges over the festive period. The supermarket group, which this month overtook Asda as the second largest supermarket in the four week run-up to Christmas, said in a trading statement yesterday that like-for like sales for the 14 weeks to [...]
Hobbs bags £14m of new investment from backer 3i January 12, 2011 FASHION retailer Hobbs has received a new £14m investment from 3i, its majority shareholder, and appointed former Maximuscle chairman Iain MacRitchie as its new chair. The retailer said that total sales since February 2010 have increased by 12 per cent. The move will also see former Asda executive Tony Campbell step down from Hobbs after [...]
Sainsbury’s sales beat Christmas forecasts January 12, 2011 Strong sales of premium groceries and non-food ranges like clothing helped J Sainsbury to report a rise in Christmas sales which analysts expect will be the best among the top four grocers. Britain’s third-biggest supermarket group, which trails market leader Tesco and Wal-Mart’s Asda in terms of annual sales, said on Wednesday sales at stores [...]
M&S sales rise but year ahead set to be harsh January 11, 2011 MARKS & SPENCER saw sales rise in the key Christmas period but the retailer warned that 2011 would be tough, with austerity measures and the spectre of inflation rises to take their toll. Same-store sales rose 2.8 per cent in the UK in the 13 weeks to 1 January despite the impact of the snow. [...]
Morrisons sees slim Xmas lift January 10, 2011 WM MORRISON Supermarkets posted a modest rise in Christmas sales yesterday, held back by disruption from severe weather and a tough consumer backdrop. Britain’s fourth-biggest grocer behind market leaders Tesco, Asda and J Sainsbury said sales at stores open at least a year rose one per cent, excluding fuel and VAT, in the six weeks [...]