Walmart results: Asda third quarter sales drop as parent company’s performance improves November 17, 2015 Asda's chief executive Andy Clarke will be coming under greater pressure, as the troubled supermarket reveals another drop in sales. Back in August, Clarke said the supermarket had reached its nadir – but today it appears to have fallen further. Like-for-likes at the Walmart-owned grocer fell 4.5 per cent for the 13 weeks to 30 September. That [...]
Discounters Aldi and Lidl pick up the space race left by Big Four supermarkets November 15, 2015 The big four supermarkets may have called an end to the space race. But for Aldi and Lidl the race has just begun, after new figures show the discounters have submitted plans for nearly five times as many stores. The latest data from construction data firm ABI Barbour shows that Aldi has submitted 93 planning [...]
Amazon launches Pantry as it seeks a bigger slice of UK grocery market November 13, 2015 A week after it launched its first physical bookshop, Amazon is taking its retro approach further with the opening of its 'Pantry' service in the UK tomorrow. In a bid to take home a bigger slice of the £177.5bn UK grocery market, Pantry will offer Amazon Prime customers next-day delivery on over 4,000 "everyday essentials", including major food and drink brands, household supplies, child [...]
Marks and Spencer, Carlsberg, Young & Co Brewery: Best of the Brokers for 13 November 2015 November 13, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com MARKS AND SPENCER RBC Capital Markets liked what they saw at Marks & Spencer’s summer season 2016 clothing preview so much, they made the retailer RBC’s “top pick” with a target price of 700p. The broker said he was encouraged M&S was [...]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit: A new glorious chapter in UK-India relations is beginning November 12, 2015 The visit of India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is the second landmark trip to the UK in a month, following the successful state visit by President Xi of China. Today, Modi meets the Queen and this evening he will be greeted in a manner that is normally the preserve of rock stars, by over 60,000 [...]
FTSE closes up despite losses from Sainsbury – London Report November 12, 2015 FALLS in supermarket, miner and housebuilders’ shares yesterday did not prevent the FTSE 100 rising marginally. The UK’s blue-chip index rose 0.35 per cent to 6,297 points. The largest casualty, by some way, was Sainsbury, which reported profits had slumped 18 per cent and slashed its interim dividend by a third. Sainsbury’s group sales were down [...]
Federation of Small Businesses calls on London councils and TfL to offer free festive parking November 11, 2015 Business lobby group the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is calling on London councils and Transport for London to offer free parking for Christmas shoppers over the festive period. With Small Business Saturday on 5 December, the FSB hopes that the organisations will nix the car parking charges. Half of the FSB’s members said that the [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 closes marginally up despite losses from Sainsbury, housebuilders and miners November 11, 2015 The FTSE 100 rose marginally on Wednesday, despite by falls in Supermarkets, miners and housebuilders. The UK's top blue-chip index rose 0.35 per cent to 6,297 points. The largest casualty, by some way, was Sainsbury, which today reported profits had slumped 18 per cent and slashed its interim dividend by a third. Sainsbury's group sales were down two per [...]
Sunday trading: Liberalising retail laws is a win-win for staff, shoppers and business November 11, 2015 Yesterday saw – amidst what is best described as confusion – the Government enact a classic reverse ferret on plans to devolve the regulation of Sunday trading hours to Local Authorities, after members of the SNP joined Labour and some Tory dissenters in registering their opposition to the plans. It is deeply disappointing. It is, [...]
With reform of Sunday trading laws put on hold, is England showing the world it’s closed for business? November 10, 2015 Adrian Pepper, managing director of Pepper Media and the founder of consumer group Open Sundays, says Yes You can now shop on the Champs-Elysees in Paris all day on a Sunday. But you can only spend six hours in the supermarkets and tourist emporiums of Knightsbridge, Oxford Street or Westfield. As things stand in the [...]