Brand Index: Never mind the hare and bear – Brits are going budget December 17, 2013 OUR RECENT online focus group of people from the so-called “squeezed middle” revealed that they are not feeling the benefits of the economic recovery and also have virtually no faith in politicians (from any political party) to help improve their lot. This week I will delve into which brands the squeezed middle are warming to this [...]
City Moves for 18 December 2013 | Who’s switching jobs December 17, 2013 Arbuthnot Latham The private bank has appointed Clara Gandelman Vila as a senior private banker in its executives team. She was most recently at UBS Wealth Management, where she was a client adviser in its key clients and high net worth divisions, focusing on UK and international private clients. Debevoise & Plimpton The law firm has recruited Tony [...]
London Report: Supermarket slump sees FTSE fall again after Monday’s lift December 17, 2013 BRITAIN’S main equity index fell yesterday, with big supermarket groups hit by fresh signs of a loss of market share, while uncertainty over future US monetary policy also weighed on the market. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down by 0.6 per cent, or 36.01 points, at 6,486.19 points, retreating after a 1.3 per cent [...]
Supermarket shares slide as customers move to discounters December 17, 2013 More than half of us shopped at Aldi or Lidl in the last 12 weeks for the first time, according to Kantar Worldpanel data. That's seen more premium supermarkets take a hit – Sainsbury's are down by over 2.8 per cent, Tesco by nearly 1.5 per cent, and Morrison has seen a fall of 1.4 [...]
Supermarkets grow ahead of shopping malls December 8, 2013 THE AMOUNT of space being added by UK supermarkets has overtaken that being added by shopping centres for the first time, despite some retailers calling an end to the space race as consumers shift to shopping online. The pipeline of grocery developments has grown by 67 per cent, or 19.24m square feet (sq ft) since [...]
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. [...]