M&S’s FTSE exit is a symbol of its terminal decline September 6, 2019 Archie Norman, the Marks & Spencer chairman, put a brave face this week on the retailer’s demotion from the FTSE 100. Nothing to see here, he said: the business was exactly the same on the day after its relegation. Focusing on it was the reddest of herrings. In a sense, he is right – but [...]
Mike Pence: The minute the UK is out of the EU, the US is in September 5, 2019 The US Vice President has tonight pledged a free trade deal with the UK “immediately upon the completion of Brexit”, saying Donald Trump stands “shoulder-to-shoulder” with the new Prime Minister. Speaking at a black-tie dinner at Guildhall in the City of London this evening, Mike Pence told business chiefs the country was like a phoenix [...]
FTSE 100 reshuffle: What has gone wrong for M&S? September 2, 2019 High street stalwart Marks & Spencer looks almost certain to fall out of the FTSE 100 after markets close today. The retailer’s shares have lost about 40 per cent of their value since January last year, despite management attempts to turn its fortunes around. Read more: Ocado and M&S share prices drop as they complete [...]
Consumer group warns shoppers could be ripped off by supermarket deals August 28, 2019 Shoppers are at risk of being ripped off, a consumer watchdog has warned, after an investigation uncovered misleading discounts and special offers at major UK supermarkets. The probe revealed that some supermarkets offer multi-buy deals that cost more, discounts that refer to a price that is not the most recent and offers in which items [...]
Firefighters put out blaze at another Ocado warehouse August 22, 2019 Firefighters were called to put out a small fire at an Ocado warehouse last night, just months after a fire at one of its flagship sites caused nearly £100m in damage. A waste packaging container caught fire, the company said in a statement this morning. Read more: Losses deepen as Ocado reveals cost of Andover [...]
Sainsbury’s shares lifted by strong performance but hottest day fails to revive flagging grocery sales August 20, 2019 Sainsbury’s led FTSE 100 risers this morning following the news the supermarket had put in its strongest performance since November 2017. The supermarket put in the strongest performance of all the big four grocers, but still saw its market share slip 0.6 per cent over the past 12 weeks, according to Kantar data released this [...]
Ocado reveals fire-fighting robot after robot factory blaze August 8, 2019 Online supermarket Ocado has filed a patent for a fire-fighting robot as the grocer seeks to improve fire safety at its distribution hubs. The design will allow the device to work within the grid system at the firm’s robotics distribution centres and will include a spraying mechanism to put out fires. Read more: Ocado bags [...]
Tesco Metro prepares to slash 4,500 jobs August 5, 2019 Tesco is set to slash around 4,500 jobs across all of its 153 Metro stores, the company announced today as it battles with a tough retail environment. The cutbacks will reduce processes and administrative tasks across the stores, it said. Read more: Ocado and M&S share prices drop as they complete £750m online delivery deal [...]
Ocado and M&S share prices drop as they complete £750m online delivery deal August 5, 2019 Investors battered Ocado and Marks & Spencer’s shares this morning as the supermarkets finalised details of a £1.25bn partnership. M&S’s share price fell 4.5 per cent while Ocado’s share price dropped as much as 4.4 per cent as M&S completed the £750m purchase of a 50 per cent stake in Ocado’s online delivery platform. Read [...]
Co-op follows in footsteps of Amazon Go with ‘pay-in-aisle’ service July 31, 2019 The Co-op is trialling a new ‘pay-in-aisle’ plan that will allow customers to scan and buy for their products as they shop. The supermarket chain has teamed up with payment software firm ACI Worldwide to bring in the new system across 30 Co-op food stores in England, Scotland and Wales by early next month. Customers [...]