Bottom Line: Despite the convenience boom, UK grocers are still thinking big December 8, 2013 IF YOU need reminding of the grocery sector’s continuing ambition, all you have to do is step outside your office to the nearest supermarket convenience store. These compact ventures have sprung up across city centres, going from 2,000 branches in 1998 to 14,000 and climbing today, a rate of increase that may seem to put [...]
Tesco says £1bn plan on track as troubles mount December 4, 2013 TESCO boss Philip Clarke insisted yesterday that his £1bn investment plan to turn the retailer around was “firmly on track” despite posting a slump in trading across all of its markets. UK like-for-like sales fell 1.5 per cent in the third quarter to 23 November compared with flat sales in the second quarter and in [...]
Bottom Line: A shift at Tesco could change the whole market December 2, 2013 TESCO wasn’t the only supermarket moving downwards yesterday. As shares in the UK’s biggest grocer continued their downward trend, fellow retailers Sainsbury’s and Morrisons dipped in sympathy – despite the former recently topping profit forecasts and outshining its competitors. So why all the discontent in the aisles? HSBC’s note on Tesco yesterday, in which it [...]
Lidl boss eyes 600 new stores December 1, 2013 LIDL’s UK managing director has announced plans to double the discount chain’s number of stores over the coming years. On the growth of Lidl’s 600 current stores Ronny Gottschlich said “If I could have the 1,200 in the next three years, then I would have it in the next three years. But it is clear [...]
Morrisons sets date for online grocery service November 21, 2013 MORRISONS is to begin delivering groceries to online customers in Warwickshire from January before eventually reaching Londoners’ doorsteps this summer, as the supermarket plays catch-up with rivals. Speaking to investors yesterday at a salmon-packing factory in Stratford, chief executive Dalton Philips unveiled how it plans to lure customers away from competitors’ long established online businesses. [...]
Britain’s four leading supermarkets lose share to discounters November 19, 2013 BRITAIN’S big four supermarkets have all lost market share for the first time on record while discount retailer Aldi claimed another record share, new data shows. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons saw their sales growth dip below the market average of 3.2 per cent in the 12 weeks to 10 November, Kantar Worldpanel said yesterday. [...]
City Moves for 19 November 2013 | Who’s switching jobs November 18, 2013 Knight Frank The property company has hired Liz Crawford as an associate within its healthcare team. She was most recently at Humberts Leisure, where she was a director. Prior to that, Crawford was head of licenced and leisure at Lambert Smith Hampton. Axa Investment Management The investment management business has recruited Shajahan Alam as a solutions [...]
Bottom Line: Christmas comes early for King November 13, 2013 THEY say good things come to those who wait. Yesterday, almost a week after rival retailers Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Morrisons released their Christmas adverts, the UK’s fastest growing supermarket revealed its own tear-jerker – a three-and-a-half minute mini-film that aired during last night’s Coronation Street. The film, which shows clips of ordinary [...]
Morrisons boss insists sales will return to growth November 7, 2013 MORRISONS’ boss Dalton Philips has insisted that like-for-like sales will move back into the black over Christmas despite the supermarket chain suffering a further deterioration in trading in the third quarter. Sales at stores open more than a year fell 2.4 per cent in the 13 weeks to 3 November, at the bottom of analysts’ [...]
Communicator and Rhombus in perfect shape for November Handicap November 7, 2013 RICHARD Hughes will be doused with champagne by his fellow jockeys for the second year running at Doncaster tomorrow afternoon after another fantastic season. He takes the ride on Hughie Morrison’s Nearly Caught in the November Handicap (3.35pm), but he has plenty of weight for a three-year-old and I’m inclined to look elsewhere. John Gosden [...]