New Boots UK boss named after Seb James’ departure and aborted IPO September 12, 2024 Anthony Hemmerdinger has been appointed managing director of Boots UK and Ireland only months after the high street pharmacy chain’s US parent company once again shelved plans to sell or list the business. Current managing director Seb James, who has run the company since 2018, will pursue a new role in the healthcare sector. Hemmerdinger [...]
Grocery inflation stabilises, but Brits still concerned about shopping costs September 10, 2024 Grocery inflation has returned to its downward trend but nearly two thirds of Brits remain worried about the rising cost of their shopping, according to fresh data. Annual grocery price inflation in the four weeks to 1 September fell to 1.7 per cent, down from 1.8 per cent in the previous four-week period, according to [...]
Asda: Huge equal pay court case starts amid demonstrations September 9, 2024 A court case over equal pay involving more than 60,000 Asda workers has started amid demonstrations being staged in Brighton and Manchester. The GMB union, which has said the case is the biggest ever in the private sector, is arguing that the predominantly female retail workforce is paid up to £3.74 an hour less than [...]
Government must fix ‘antiquated’ business rates, firms and CBI urge September 6, 2024 The government must fix the “antiquated” business rates system which is dampening productivity and growth, firms and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has urged. A cross-sector panel including retail and manufacturing firms met to develop proposals to improve the current system in a bid to boost investment and supercharge the economy. CBI chief executive [...]
What’s Next: Retailer seeking appeal but does it stand a chance? August 28, 2024 Next lost a major equal pay case this week, resulting in an estimated £30m bill to foot but what does this mean for businesses? Lawyers tell City A.M. that the ruling is a "worrying precedent for employers"
Asda, Tesco and UK retailers face anxious wait after Next loses £30m equal pay claim August 27, 2024 Britain's supermarkets face an anxious wait after fashion retailer Next lost a major legal battle today over unequal pay in its UK operations.
Why are convenience stores all the rage? August 22, 2024 Earlier this week, Waitrose became the latest UK grocer to announce a big push into the convenience store market. The supermarket giant will open 100 stores in the next five years as part of a $1bn investment plan. Waitrose follows Asda, Morrisons (with its McColl’s estate), Tesco, Sainsbury’s and the Co-op in ploughing ahead with [...]
Asda continues to lose market share while grocery inflation rises for first time since March 2023 August 13, 2024 Asda and the Co-op have continued to lose market share while a rise in grocery inflation has led to overall sales increasing significantly for Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Lidl. Take-home sales at the grocers rose by 3.8 per cent in the four weeks to August 4, 2024, compared with the same period a year ago, according [...]
Who is Asda’s chair and why does he want Mohsin Issa to step away? August 12, 2024 Depending on your age and your attention span towards the in and outs of the UK retail scene, you may or may not have heard of Lord Stuart Rose. Knighted in 2008 for his services to the retail industry, he has spent twenty years running some of the biggest names in UK retail: Argos, Marks [...]
Inside Asda’s turnaround plan to win back customers from supermarket rivals August 9, 2024 It’s a difficult time to be at Asda’s helm – with sales down as well as competitors eating into its market share, the supermarket giant has announced an ambitious three-point turnaround plan to stave off further declines. Without a permanent CEO – the position has been empty since 2021 and filled on an interim basis [...]