Mothercare speeds up its foreign plans December 9, 2010 MOTHER and baby products retailer Mothercare is accelerating its expansion overseas, particularly in India, and has raised its profitability target for international stores. Mothercare, which is taking analysts on a tour of its operations in India, said yesterday it expected total overseas network sales to double to £1bn by 2014. As well as expansion in [...]
Chains boosted by festive spending on crisps and drink December 7, 2010 SALES of groceries at the major supermarket chains jumped in the final weeks of November, in a boost for the retail sector. J Sainsbury was the strongest performer with 6.8 per cent growth. There was 4.8 per cent growth on average across the board, according to the figures from retail analysts Nielsen. Chains outside the [...]
ANGER OVER COST OF SNOW FIASCO December 2, 2010 THE COST to the UK economy of the mounting chaos bought by the snow and unseasonally cold temperatures could be as much as £1.2bn a day, it was claimed yesterday. As the seventh day of the cold snap saw the disruption reach the south-east of England, with more than six inches of snow falling overnight, [...]
Asda sales up as it creates 7,500 UK jobs November 16, 2010 ASDA, owned by Wal-Mart, yesterday reported a return to underlying sales growth in its fiscal third quarter, helped by a focus on low prices and the relaunch of its core own-brand grocery range. The country’s second-biggest supermarket chain behind Tesco also said yesterday it would create more than 7,500 jobs next year by opening new [...]
J Sainsbury outpaces rivals as it sees its market share inch higher November 9, 2010 UK SUPERMARKET sales are rising slightly more than food price inflation, with the third largest grocer J Sainsbury outpacing its major rivals, market researchers Kantar Worldpanel said yesterday. Grocery sales climbed four per cent in the 12 weeks ended 31 October, helped by a three per cent rise in inflation — little changed from the [...]
Morrison sluggish as hard times bite November 4, 2010 WM MORRISON supermarkets said yesterday it expected shoppers to remain under pressure into the second half of next year, as it met forecasts with a 1.3 per cent rise in third-quarter underlying sales. However, the fourth-biggest grocer played down fears of a surge in food prices, saying it did not see big inflationary pressures and [...]
Morrison sales in slim rise November 4, 2010 Wm Morrison Supermarkets met forecasts with a modest rise in third-quarter underlying sales as the benefits from a small rise in food price inflation were held back by subdued consumer spending. Britain’s fourth-biggest grocer said sales at stores open over a year rose 1.3 per cent, excluding petrol and VAT sales tax, in the 13 [...]
ASDA appoints new top exec November 1, 2010 Asda yesterday announced that experienced retailer Simon King will join the WalMart-owned supermarket business as its new chief operating officer in January 2011. He is currently the chief executive of supermarket and hypermarket operator Panda Retail, a subsidiary of The Savola Group, based in Saudi Arabia. Until 2009 he was chief of Tesco Kipa in [...]
Keep control of your car insurance October 21, 2010 CAR insurers have hit drivers with the biggest annual price hike on record, and premiums are expected to continue rising into 2011. The cost of annual comprehensive car insurance soared 39.3 per cent in the 12 months to the end of September – the biggest annual jump recorded since the benchmark AA British Insurance Premium [...]
Keep control of your car insurance October 21, 2010 CAR insurers have hit drivers with the biggest annual price hike on record, and premiums are expected to continue rising into 2011. The cost of annual comprehensive car insurance soared 39.3 per cent in the 12 months to the end of September – the biggest annual jump recorded since the benchmark AA British Insurance Premium [...]