Record grocery deflation hurts sales at Tesco, Asda and Morrisons and Sainsbury’s May 6, 2015 All four of Britain’s major supermarkets saw sales fall over the last 12 weeks, while the discounters continued to slow, as grocery price deflation reached another record low, figures released yesterday show. Sainsbury’s was the strongest performer among the big four despite a 0.2 per cent fall in sales thanks to its increased focus on [...]
Sainsbury’s share price falls after it posts first loss in a decade May 6, 2015 Nine years of uninterrupted sales growth came to a halt today as Sainsbury's reported a pre-tax loss of £72m. Investors were not impressed, and the grocer's shares were down 3.6 per cent to 264.8 pence this afternoon. The figures Sainsbury's said underlying profit before tax had fallen by 14.7 per cent to £681m in the year [...]
How Sainsbury’s, Tesco and even discounters Aldi and Lidl reined in property expansion plans and ended the supermarket turf wars May 6, 2015 In the never-ending quest for growth, for decades supermarkets held a major arsenal in their weaponry – land. But not any more. Sainsbury's today revealed it took a £682m writedown on its property portfolio in another sign the decades-long land grab by supermarkets has failed to pay off. Tesco's property writedowns run into the billions [...]
Best of the Brokers for 06 May 2015 May 5, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com WHITBREAD Berenberg has kept its “buy” rating after the surprise retirement of chief executive Andy Harrison last month. The broker said the underlying fundamentals remain strong and the new milestones “increase its confidence about the potential for Whitbread to unlock value”. MORRISONS Shore [...]
Aldi and Lidl expansion plans speed ahead of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda in supermarket wars with five times as many planning applications May 5, 2015 Rival German discounters continue to outpace the UK's "big four" in the supermarket wars with ambitious plans for expansion five times the rate of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Asda combined. While Tesco and Morrisons have been forced to shutter stores in the midst of declining sales and squeezed margins, Aldi and Lidl have submitted plans [...]
Cost of the weekly shop declines as supermarket price war rages on May 5, 2015 The cost of the average weekly grocery shop plunged by eight per cent year-on-year in May as fierce competition between the grocers continues to impact the market. Research by mySupermarket’s Groceries Tracker showed that a basket of 35 staple products across all major grocers cost a total of £86.69 in May, down from £93.87 12 [...]
Sainsbury’s braced for first loss in a decade as supermarkets move to downsize May 5, 2015 Battling with excess space and a revival at Tesco, Sainsbury’s is having to fight harder than ever. It is early on a weekday morning, and the first wave of customers are yet to arrive at Sainsbury’s revamped store in Wandsworth – its aisles stacked high with everything from garden furniture to Le Creuset-style saucepans [...]
Investors await the result of General Election – London Report May 4, 2015 ALL EYES will be on the political polls this week, as the nation gears up for the General Election on Thursday. With little to separate the popularity of the leading parties, the Conservatives and Labour, many expect no party will gain a majority, while many investors and property buyers are holding off from making decisions [...]
Alliance Trust gets a year to show results as Elliott Advisors gives 12 months’ notice April 28, 2015 Investment firm Alliance Trust has been put on 12-months’ notice by activist investor Elliott Advisors to show results or be forced to change its strategy. In a vicious battle over the past month, both sides have been rallying support among shareholders, with Elliott pushing for three new directors to join the board, and Alliance [...]
Ex Morrisons chief Dalton Philips pockets £1m bonus April 28, 2015 Former Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips, whose last year in the role saw the supermarket cut its dividend amid large losses, is being given a £1m bonus for 2014/15. This comes on top of his base salary of £850,000, and other benefits including his pension. In total, Philips will take home almost £2.1m. [...]