FTSE 100 climbs as Experian and utility stocks boost index November 12, 2019 The FTSE 100 today bounced back after sinking into the red yesterday, with mainstay utility stocks and Experian and Vodafone’s pushing up the index. London’s blue-chip index climbed by almost a third – 0.29 per cent – to stand 21 points higher at 7,349.9 in early trading. Read more: Vodafone improves 2020 guidance but lowers [...]
Lidl sales soar as big four supermarkets struggle November 12, 2019 Budget supermarket Lidl enjoyed soaring sales this autumn, as the big four grocers struggled to keep up with the German discount stores in the lead up to the crucial Christmas trading period. Lidl was the fastest growing bricks and mortar supermarket in the 12 weeks to 3 November with a sales increase of 8.8 per [...]
Sainsbury’s signs wholesale deal with Australia’s Coles November 11, 2019 Sainsbury’s has agreed a deal to provide Australian supermarket Coles with own-brand products as the UK grocery giant seeks to strengthen its wholesale business. The range, which will be labelled under the Coles brand, will include packaged groceries and household products. Read more: Sainsbury’s half-year profits slide Through the deal, Sainsbury’s will also analyse which [...]
Retailers are hoping for a Christmas miracle November 11, 2019 The crucial Christmas trading season was once relished by high street bosses hoping to fatten their profits before the New Year. But so troubled is the sector that the once ‘Golden Quarter’ of retail has lost much of its shine, being viewed today by many executives as a way of raking in just enough cash [...]
Lidl ramps up expansion plan with 230 new stores November 10, 2019 Lidl’s expansion spree is set to accelerate, with the German discounter planning 230 extra store openings. The new store plan, first reported today in the Sunday Times, is the latest in a string of bullish moves from Lidl and Aldi, which have been snapping up an increasing share of the grocery market. In a bid [...]
Petrol price falls for third consecutive month in October November 6, 2019 The price of petrol fell for the third month in a row in October, according to data from RAC fuel watch, with a litre of unleaded nearly 3p cheaper than it was at the beginning of August. The average price of a litre of unleaded dropped 1.57p to 126.42p at the end of the month, [...]
O2 steps into 5G driverless car testing in London as it grows mobile customer base November 5, 2019 O2 will have a hand in an ambitious project to trial driverless cars on London roads, using its 5G network to help test the vehicles in Greenwich. The mobile phone network, which this morning announced it had hit 34m customers following its 5G rollout last month, said using the technology on the roads could reduce [...]
Asda gives hundreds of employees extra week to sign new contracts before facing sack November 2, 2019 Asda will give employees an extra week to sign new employment contracts before dismissing them with the original deadline set for today. The supermarket said workers who had yet to sign the new so-called Contract 6 would be given a seven-day “cooling-off period” to change their mind before losing their jobs. Read more: Asda rejects [...]
Tesco investigates technical issues affecting Monzo card payments November 1, 2019 Supermarket giant Tesco is investigating a technical issue affecting customers with Monzo debit cards after cardholders complained they were being charged twice for transactions. Monzo customers have complained on Twitter about issues using their cards in Tesco, prompting the supermarket chain to put up signs at some of its stores saying it could not accept [...]
EDF Energy in talks to buy electric vehicle chargers Pod Point October 31, 2019 The French energy supplier EDF is in talks about the acquisition of electric vehicle-charging start-up Pod Point. The company is the latest utilities supplier to branch out into the global automotive sector. Read more: Fiat Chrysler and PSA set to enter 50-50 share swap in $50bn merger Talks about a deal are understood to have [...]