Amazon strengthens dominance of UK e-commerce market December 10, 2019 Online retail giant Amazon increased its dominance of the UK e-commerce market this year, according to the latest research. Amazon boosted its market share from 28.8 per cent in 2018 to 30.1 per cent this year, accounting for $30bn in sales. Read more: Amazon nets Champions League rights The next largest player in the UK, [...]
Lidl sales help it hit record stake in UK supermarket sector December 10, 2019 The biggest supermarkets shed yet more market share to discounters Aldi and Lidl in the three months to the start of December, new data out today reveals. The big four grocers saw their collective market share drop by over one per cent to 67.7 per cent as people delayed their Christmas shopping and Black Friday [...]
Petrol prices fall for the fourth consecutive month in November December 4, 2019 Petrol prices fell for the fourth month in a row in November, with the average price of a litre of unleaded now 3.3p less than at the beginning of August. The average price for unleaded fell 0.48p to 125.93p, with diesel showing a similar drop in price from 130.27p to 129.83p, according to the RAC’s [...]
General Election 2019: Businesses hit back as Labour ‘names and shames’ UK’s five worst bosses December 2, 2019 Businesses have hit back against Labour’s renewed attack, after the party “named and shamed” some of the biggest firms in the country. Retailers Amazon, Asda and Sports Direct, taxi app Uber and outsourcer ISS have all come under attack from Jeremy Corbyn, as part of Labour’s campaign promise to deliver “the biggest extension of workers’ [...]
UK supermarkets further increase plastic footprint despite pledges November 28, 2019 Seven out of the UK’s top 10 supermarkets increased their plastic footprint , as the total amount of plastic packaging used rose to 900,000 tonnes a year. Out of the UK’s 10 largest supermarkets, only Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s achieved marginal reductions over the past 12 months. Read more: Unilever pledges to cut plastic use [...]
Tesco chief resigns after turning the brand around November 27, 2019 Tesco’s chief executive Dave Lewis will leave the Big 4 retailer next summer, an announcement that sent shock waves across the industry. Tesco is currently the highest-ranking retailer in the FTSE 100 thanks to Lewis’ turnaround plan implemented shortly after his arrival in 2014. At the time Tesco was facing a crisis following the million-pound [...]
Concerns mount over councils buying struggling retail properties November 24, 2019 The Treasury has attempted to guide local authorities away from a strategy of buying struggling retail properties over fears that the investments could force councils into bankruptcy. The rate at which local councils are able to borrow to invest was raised by one percentage point last week, as concerns mount over borrowing levels. Read more: [...]
Founder of fashion delivery firm Clipper tables £300m takeover bid November 19, 2019 The founder of Clipper Logistics, which provides delivery services for online retailers such as Asos and John Lewis, is said to be preparing a £300m bid to take the company private. Read more: Asos to boost Black Friday offers after poor trading last year Steve Parkin, who founded Clipper in 1992, has approached fellow board [...]
Asda blames sales slump on Brexit uncertainty November 14, 2019 Asda said Brexit uncertainty is negatively affecting consumer spending as the supermarket giant reported a dip in sales in the third quarter. Like-for-like sales, excluding petrol, fell 0.5 per cent in the third quarter as Brexit and the upcoming general election ramped up the levels of uncertainty. Read more: Asda gives hundreds of employees extra [...]
Lidl sales soar as big four supermarkets struggle November 12, 2019 Budget supermarket Lidl enjoyed soaring sales this autumn, as the big four grocers struggled to keep up with the German discount stores in the lead up to the crucial Christmas trading period. Lidl was the fastest growing bricks and mortar supermarket in the 12 weeks to 3 November with a sales increase of 8.8 per [...]