Computacenter in boost for full year January 11, 2011 IT firm Computacenter – which provides services for supermarket giant Morrisons – said full-year profit would be at the top end of market expectations. The continued growth in IT services and its customers resuming spending on new equipment has helped to fuel the improving figures. The company, which also counts Lloyds Banking Group as a [...]
Sainsbury’s to lead jobs rise January 10, 2011 SUPERMARKET giant Sainsbury’s will create 20,000 new jobs over the next three years, as part of a government backed drive for the private sector to boost employment. Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King said: “These new jobs will provide a huge boost to communities across the UK and as they are a mixture of full and [...]
Morrisons sees slim Xmas lift January 10, 2011 WM MORRISON Supermarkets posted a modest rise in Christmas sales yesterday, held back by disruption from severe weather and a tough consumer backdrop. Britain’s fourth-biggest grocer behind market leaders Tesco, Asda and J Sainsbury said sales at stores open at least a year rose one per cent, excluding fuel and VAT, in the six weeks [...]
Miners and debt concerns leave FTSE lower January 10, 2011 EXCITEMENT over takeover talks at joint replacement specialist Smith & Nephew was not enough to keep the FTSE in positive territory as miners weighed on the index today. The FTSE 100 closed down 37.39 points or 0.6 per cent at 5,946.94 as worries over demand for copper in China and the impact of floods in [...]
Ocado sales on track despite weather January 10, 2011 Online grocer Ocado reported a 26.7 per cent rise in December sales as the popularity of internet shopping and upmarket foods helped it to thrive despite disruption from severe winter weather. The loss-making group, whose shares have been on a roller-coaster ride since they floated in July, said the rise in December gross sales followed [...]
Morrisons in slim Xmas sales rise January 10, 2011 Wm Morrison Supermarkets posted a modest rise in Christmas sales – held back by disruption from severe weather and a tough consumer backdrop. Britain’s fourth-biggest grocer behind market leader Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s said sales at stores open at least a year rose one per cent excluding fuel and VAT sales tax in the six [...]
Leading firms to pledge jobs January 9, 2011 TOP British business leaders will today pledge to create thousands of jobs in the UK. The heads of leading British firms will meet today with Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street to discuss job creation in the private sector. Representatives from supermarket giants Asda, J Sainsbury, Tesco and Wm Morrison will join Marks and [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS January 9, 2011 Wm Morrison The supermarket giant has appointed Belinda Youngs to the role of own brand director, as part of four new additions to its senior management team. Youngs joins from Canadian food retailer Sobeys, where she was chief marketing officer, and is tasked with developing Morrisons’ own brand into a market leader. She is joined by [...]
Tesco and Sainsbury’s boost UK market share January 9, 2011 THREE of the UK’s big four supermarket chains are reporting Christmas figures this week, with analysts expecting Tesco and J Sainsbury to have boosted their market share. Research company Kantar suggests that Sainsbury’s advanced its share of the British grocery market by 0.3 per cent to 16.4 per cent while Tesco saw a lift of [...]
Analyst views: What is the outlook for retailers’ figures this week? January 9, 2011 NICK BUBB | ARDEN “The resilience of trading at the premium end of the High Street, as evidenced by John Lewis, is still striking. Investors can’t buy shares in John Lewis, but they can buy shares in M&S, which is the best proxy for the strength of middle-class spending on food and clothing.” KEITH BOWMAN [...]