Supermarkets’ shares tumble September 29, 2014 BRITAIN’S struggling supermarkets continued their bad run as the worst performing stocks of the year through September, falling by as much as 20 per cent across the month. Ocado led the plunge, with its share price falling 19.5 per cent, followed by Tesco’s 16.7 per cent. But the shops are fighting to win customers and [...]
Morrisons ex-treasuer and head of tax Paul Gerard Coyle charged with insider trading over Ocado shares September 29, 2014 A former treasurer and head of tax for Morrisons has been charged with insider dealing in relation to Ocado share trading. Paul Gerard Coyle has been charged by the Financial Conduct Authority with two counts of insider dealing related to trading shares in the online grocery delivery service between February and May 2013. A £200m partnership between [...]
Cream of the crop: Gu founder James Averdieck talks Australia and rural fantasy September 28, 2014 It's the kind of story you wouldn’t necessarily believe: someone cooked up the idea of a chocolatey pudding company while sitting in a coffee shop in Belgium, eating brioche. But for James Averdieck, founder of Gu, that’s exactly what happened. Back in 2003, he was a marketer for dairy company St Ivel, working in Belgium [...]
Ocado dismisses concerns over Waitrose as sales beat forecasts September 11, 2014 SHARES in Ocado edged two per cent higher yesterday, after the online grocer surprised the City with a better-than-expected rise in sales. Ocado, which prides itself on its high-tech warehouses, said sales rose 15.5 per cent to £218.5m in the 12 weeks to 10 August, up from 13.4 per cent in the second quarter. Chief [...]
Analyst Views: What did you think of Ocado’s performance in the third quarter? September 11, 2014 JAMES GRZINIC | JEFFERIES Market was too concerned on slowing sales and the confirmation of an acceleration in third-quarter retail sales growth to 15.5 per cent was a relief. NICK BUBB | INDEPENDENT ANALYST The figures didn’t look too bad, although given the amount of extra capacity, it is hard to escape the feeling that [...]
Morrisons’ share price opens 4.2 per cent up, despite plummeting pre-tax profits September 11, 2014 Shares in Morrisons opened 4.25 per cent higher this morning, even though results published today showed pre-tax profit plummeted by just under a third for the six months ended 3 August, as the company struggles to rise above a slowdown in the grocery market. The struggling supermarket's half-year results revealed a pre-tax profit of £239m [...]
Ocado share price jumps 8.5 per cent as Morrisons tie-up pushes sales up September 11, 2014 Ocado shares opened 8.5 per cent higher this morning after it reported a 22.5 per cent rise in gross sales for the 12 weeks to 10 August 2014. The online grocer enjoyed £231.9m worth of group sales, compared to £189.2m during the same period last year. Average orders per week rose 17.4 per cent from [...]
London Report: Retailer data to reveal strength of UK recovery September 7, 2014 THE NEWLY-MERGED Dixons Carphone will report its maiden quarterly results tomorrow in a week containing a flurry of updates for retailers. Figures for the company, whose merger only completed a month ago, will be keenly watched by investors, who will be hoping the firm’s planned synergies are starting to take effect. Other retailers due to [...]
Ocado share price slumps as City analyst slashes forecast August 28, 2014 Shares in Ocado tumbled 19 per cent yesterday after equities broker Redburn Partners took a knife to its forecasts and claimed the online grocer’s technology was less valuable than previously thought. Redburn’s retail analyst James Tracey downgraded the company from “buy” to “sell” and cut its 2015 earnings forecast by 57 per cent to £17.1m [...]
London Report: Ukraine tension and ore prices weigh on FTSE August 28, 2014 A RATCHETING up of tension in Ukraine yesterday took its toll on Britain’s top share index, knocking it back from its highest closing level in nearly two months. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Russian forces had entered his country and the military conflict was worsening after Moscow-backed separatists swept into an eastern town. The blue-chip [...]