John Lewis revamps marketing approach as it tackles losses July 28, 2023 John Lewis has created a ‘customer planning team’ to make the most out of its marketing budget in stores and online, as it struggles with huge losses. The upmarket British retailer, famed for its annual tearjerker Christmas ad, has appointed Andreas Nicolaides to lead the new team from October. John Lewis, which owns Waitrose, said [...]
Beverly Hills, 9021: Oh! Checking into the Beverly Hills Hotel for its centenary year July 27, 2023 The Beverly Hills Hotel, aka The Pink Palace is still the place to be seen in Hollywood, says Siobhan Grogan. From celeb-spotting to relaxing, this is still a rare paradise at 100 years old Within a few short hours of arriving in Los Angeles, I’m sitting metres away from two of the most famous women [...]
Revolution Bars: Clubbers scaling back makes for a ‘challenging’ year ahead July 26, 2023 Revolution Bars Group said that it expects trading for the rest of the year to be “challenging”, as young clubbers are scaling back nights out due to the cost of living crisis. In its full year results the group said like-for-like sales were down 8.7 per cent against pre-covid levels, as it warned that trading [...]
Food promotions now make up 22.5 per cent of grocery sales – and it’s up a fifth from last year July 25, 2023 Promotions on food and other items now account for 22.5 per cent of grocery sales, as Brits continue to seek out bargains amid the cost of living crisis. The figure has risen from 20 per cent last year in the same period last year and is the highest over the past 12 months excluding Christmas and [...]
Cities are ecosystems and we need to constantly refresh them July 19, 2023 Oxford Street is, despite the fact that most Londoners venture their only under the most extreme of Christmas present pressures, a literal shop window for the capital. That it has been recently taken over by garish American candy stores and knock-off vape shops is, therefore, less than ideal. The steps Westminster Council are taking, then, [...]
Superdrug profits soar 71 per cent as budget beauty buys boost sales July 12, 2023 Superdrug has reported a surge in profits in its full year results thanks to a jump in sales of its own-brand products on top of strong Christmas trading. The medicine-to-beauty seller recorded pre-tax profits of £77.8m, up 71.1 per cent compared to the same period the previous year, as the retailer welcomed its first full [...]
Interview: Businesses need to get their ‘pound of flesh’ from home workers, says Addison Lee chief July 12, 2023 “We are a real barometer for the London economy,” Liam Griffin, the boss of Addison Lee, says as we chat in the firms’ Paddington offices. The private hire taxi firm has been a stalwart of London for nearly 45 years now, ferrying customers through the boom of the early 2000s, the financial crash of 2008 [...]
Train union boss threatens 10 or 20 years of strife: ‘We’ll keep taking action until someone listens’ July 3, 2023 The boss of the train drivers’ union has threatened further industrial action, ahead of another week of disruption on the railways – which is set to impact Wimbledon too. Rail passengers have been warned of disruption across six days between Monday and Saturday, as the Aslef Union, headed by Mick Whelan, initiates a nationwide ban [...]
Crucial low draw can ensure Yip’s Fire leads punters to a Sha Tin Ball July 2, 2023 WITH only a handful of fixtures remaining before the end of the Hong Kong season, and connections in the territory desperate to get a win before their horses earn a welcome summer break, it may be worth looking beyond the obvious for potential winners. Former champion trainer Dennis Yip has had a season to forget [...]
Moonpig sales boosted by higher prices despite pre-tax profit dip after Royal Mail strikes June 29, 2023 Moonpig Group has revealed a jump in sales as it upped the prices of its greetings cards, but said consumers were buying fewer cards and sending cheaper gifts. The online greetings cards and gifts giant saw its profits decline as it notched up higher costs. It reported a 5.2 per cent increase in its group [...]