At the close: FTSE 100 closes marginally up despite losses from Sainsbury, housebuilders and miners November 11, 2015 The FTSE 100 rose marginally on Wednesday, despite by falls in Supermarkets, miners and housebuilders. The UK's top blue-chip index rose 0.35 per cent to 6,297 points. The largest casualty, by some way, was Sainsbury, which today reported profits had slumped 18 per cent and slashed its interim dividend by a third. Sainsbury's group sales were down two per [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: After Asda pulled out of the big deals day, will it fade to grey? November 11, 2015 Asda’s decision to opt-out of the US-imported shopping holiday begs one question: Could this be Britain’s last Black Friday? With high-street retailers like Primark and Oasis also deciding to pull out of the Black Friday race, this is a huge sign that perhaps this one-day shopping bonanza could be abandoned by the majority of the [...]
Sainsbury’s share price falls as profits plummet 18 per cent, dividend slashed in going price war November 11, 2015 Update: Sainsbury's share price has fallen six per cent so far today, after revealing a nearly 18 per cent fall in profit, despite slashing its interim dividend by a third. The figures Sainsbury's group sales were down two per cent to £13.6bn for the 28 weeks to 26 September, while retail sales were down 0.1 per cent excluding fuel. Like-for-likes dropped [...]
Black Friday UK 2015: John Lewis prepares for biggest deals day yet as Andy Street bids to “win” Christmas for seventh year in a row November 11, 2015 John Lewis is pulling all the stops out for Black Friday 2015, which it expects to be bigger than last year, as the department store aims to "win" Christmas again. Last year, Black Friday pulled in the biggest sales in John Lewis' 150-year history. But managing director Andy Street said this year's Black Friday – which [...]
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos becomes the fourth richest person in the world, overtaking Carlos Slim November 11, 2015 Important news for billionaire watchers: last night Amazon founder Jeff Bezos became the fourth-richest person in the world, after a rally in the online retailer caused him to breeze past Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim. Amazon shares finished yesterday 0.64 per cent up, at $4.19. According to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, that pushes his fortune up to $58.2bn [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Police asks retailers to extend bargains day to a week in a bid to stave off the chaos of last year at stores like Tesco and Asda November 11, 2015 Perhaps Asda was right to step back from Black Friday. Police have called on retailers to put into place a better strategy for dealing with the huge numbers of shoppers expected to storm high streets and supermarkets on 27 November. The National Police Chiefs' Council has urged retailers to deploy more staff and security to help [...]
Fast food chains Domino’s and McDonald’s could have lessons for other retailers November 11, 2015 How do you get stuff to people? This seemingly straightforward question poses a dilemma that continues to bamboozle retail executives throughout the world. While many of us are fascinated by products of the future – driverless cars, 3D printers, the internet of things – an equally significant challenge lies in how to bring today’s goods [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Asda’s move to ditch the bargains bonanza on 27 November means the supermarket stays true to its brand November 10, 2015 Black Friday is now an integral part of our shopping calendar in the UK, with the annual event is expected to break the £1bn barrier this year. However, while it enjoys significant hype, the event isn’t right for every retailer. This year Asda – one of the first big retailers to imitate the American tradition, is [...]
New Look on trend and first half sales jump November 10, 2015 New Look has hailed a jump in first half sales and profits, as the fast fashion chain stepped up its expansion in China and launched its first standalone menswear stores in the UK. The retailer, which was snapped up by South African retail mogul Christo Wiese in June, said sales at stores open more than [...]
Black Friday UK 2015: Asda might be right to scale back its bargains on 27 November – but shoppers will still expect the deals November 10, 2015 Last year Black Friday broke the internet. Well, not quite; but it did break the websites of many UK retailers which struggled to cope with demand. In stores the occasion created Walking Dead type scenes, with hoards of shoppers frantically clawing for the best bargains. Given that these are sure signs that the event – [...]