Sainsbury’s share price rises despite first quarter sales fall June 8, 2016 UK supermarkets' problems are still lingering in the new financial year, after Sainsbury's reported a fall in like-for-like sales over the last three months and warned of challenging times ahead. With total sales looking steady and investors fearing worse, however, shares jumped 2.6 per cent to 253p in early trading. The figures Total retail sales excluding fuel were up 0.3 per cent in [...]
Whole Foods teams up with startup Quiqup to deliver groceries on demand across London June 3, 2016 US import Whole Foods Market has entered the online grocery game – and stepped it up a notch, promising to start delivering to Londoners within a two-hour timeframe. The upmarket grocer has partnered with startup delivery firm Quiqup to provide an online shopping service from its Kensington, Piccadilly, Fulham, Clapham Junction and Camden stores. The Stoke Newington and [...]
End of an era: thousands of jobs to go at BHS stores to close as administrators call time on sale June 2, 2016 BHS is being wound down today after administrators revealed no deal was found to rescue the store, likely putting 11,000 staff out of work. In a statement this afternoon, administrators Duff & Phelps said it had "not been possible to agree a sale of the business". BHS is now being “wound down” because no buyer would [...]
Putting the super back into the supermarkets: What the Co-op rebrand tells us about the current state of the sector June 1, 2016 The unveiling of the Co-op rebrand last week was the latest sign of a major shift in the supermarket arena. The brand’s decision to revert back to its origins, resurrecting – albeit also modernising – its 1968 logo, was a clear attempt to spark an emotional connection with an audience for whom loyalty is meaning [...]
The supermarket squeeze: Big four supermarkets outperformed by discounters and premium competitors June 1, 2016 The big four food retailers – Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons – are suffering in the supermarket squeeze today as both discount and premium challengers boasted the strongest sales growth. Tesco had the smallest drop in sales of the big four, at 0.1 per cent, and Asda the biggest, with a 5.1 per cent decline in sales. Discounters Aldi and [...]
For Asda boss Andy Clarke, the nadir may be yet to come May 20, 2016 It takes a brave man to call the bottom. It's just so easy to get it wrong. Asda boss Andy Clarke certainly appears to have jumped the gun when he said last August that the Walmart-owned supermarket had reached its “nadir”. At the time, his words were meant to give reassurance that, although the business [...]
Watch out Tesco, now Amazon’s creating its own-brand range May 16, 2016 Is Amazon trying to eat even more of Tesco and the rest of the supermarkets' lunch? Not satisfied with muscling in on the grocery world with speedy deliveries straight to your door, the retailer-slash-tech giant is now planning on selling its own-label range of food and other sundries, according to reports. A new line of products that [...]
Morrisons sales nudge up again as management “simplifies and speeds up” business May 5, 2016 Morrisons' like-for-likes have risen again, continuing the signs of green shoots emerging from the troubled supermarket. The figures Like-for-likes excluding fuel rose 0.7 per cent in the 13 weeks to 1 May. That follows on from growth registered in its Christmas trading update in January, which was the first time the supermarket had been in [...]
Sales at Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s all drop for the first time in a year May 4, 2016 The supermarket sector has suffered yet another setback, with sales at all of the Big Four declining in the last quarter, while – you guessed it – Aldi and Lidl posted double-digit growth. Asda was the poorest performer of the biggest supermarkets, with sales dropping 5.1 per cent according to Kantar Worldpanel, followed by Morrisons, which dropped 2.6 per cent. Sales at Tesco [...]
Sainsbury’s beats forecasts on results, but profits and sales still slide as Mike Coupe warns of tough road ahead May 4, 2016 Sainsbury's share price fell this morning as full year profits came in ahead of analyst forecasts – but still show a hefty year-on-year decline as the price wars continue to take their toll. The figures The supermarket reported group sales of £25.8bn for the 12 months to 12 March – down 1.1 per cent on the same period last [...]