Tesco launches “immediate” price match guarantee against Sainsbury, Asda and Morrisons October 12, 2015 Tesco has launched a new "immediate" price match service, promising to give money back to customers if they could have bought branded goods cheaper elsewhere. Tesco's Brand Guarantee will enable customers to receive money off their bill at the checkout – both in person and online – if the overall cost of their branded grocery shop [...]
Tesco share price rises as bosses dip into their pockets and buy stake in troubled supermarket chain October 8, 2015 Tesco's board have thrown their support behind the embattled supermarket group by buying nearly half a million pounds worth of shares. Chief executive Dave Lewis has spent £200,000 of his own cash to buy his first 99,950 shares in the grocer. Non-executive directors Richard Cousins and Mikael Olsson have also invested in the business for the [...]
National Living Wage: Lidl and Morrisons have boosted perception by adopting salary rises ahead of time October 7, 2015 From a reluctant starting point, British retailers are now falling over themselves to make the most of Living Wage goodwill, announcing wage rises ahead of next year's obligatory rise. Initially there was much gnashing of teeth over George Osborne's ruling that firms must pay staff above the £7.20 minimum for over-25s from April. Wetherspoon's founder [...]
FTSE 100 index ends up as commodities and energy rally – London Report October 7, 2015 Energy and mining stocks yesterday advanced on the back of stronger commodity prices as Britain’s top shares index extended gains from Monday’s session. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index, which surged 2.8 per cent on Monday, ended 0.4 per cent higher at 6,326.16 points. The index, however, is still down about 3.5 per cent this year [...]
Tesco share price closes up ahead of first half results on Wednesday October 6, 2015 Shares in troubled supermarket Tesco closed up three per cent to 192.10p per share this afternoon, ahead of its full-year results which are due out tomorrow morning. Tesco's shares inched up at the open, and added about one per cent over the course of the morning, and continued to make gains throughout the afternoon. Shares [...]
Shore Capital posts 92 per cent jump in profit during 30th year in business October 6, 2015 Stockbrokers Shore Capital announced a 92.4 per cent increase in interim pre-tax profit in their 30th year of doing business, up from £5m in the first half of 2014 to £9.5m. The company saw revenues increase by 15.1 per cent, to £25.9m and earnings per share up 67.7 per cent, to 20.8p. Boosted by the [...]
New York and fuel trim FTSE – London Report October 2, 2015 UK SHARES outperformed their European counterparts yesterday as mining and oil and gas companies rose, although weakness on Wall Street trimmed the gains. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed just 10.86 points higher, up 0.2 per cent at 6,072.47 points, having been up by more than one per cent for most of the session. Mining [...]
UK workers get a pay rise as minimum wage raised to £6.70 ahead of National Living Wage introduction October 1, 2015 One million UK workers are getting a pay rise today, as the national minimum wage has gone up by 20p. This sets the new adult rate at £6.70 per hour. Youth rates are up too, as 18 to 20-year-olds will get £5.30 and under-18s get £3.87. Another pay rise is on the way for at [...]
Sainsbury’s and Glencore give FTSE 100 a three-digit lift – London Report October 1, 2015 The FTSE 100 enjoyed strong gains yesterday, helped by Sainsbury’s after the supermarket group lifted its full-year profit outlook. The blue-chip index climbed 152.37 points, or 2.6 per cent, to close at 6,061.61. Despite reporting a seventh straight quarter of falling sales, Sainsbury’s shares soared 13.8 per cent. Other supermarkets were also lifted, with Morrisons [...]
Whitbread’s Costa coffee chain to pay baristas above National Living Wage September 30, 2015 First it was Starbucks. Now coffee chain Costa has also followed suit by announcing a pay hike for its staff ahead of the government’s national living wage. From tomorrow Costa baristas in London (of all ages) will earn a minimum of £8.20 an hour, rising to over £9, the Whitbread-owned chain said. Meanwhile staff working [...]