UK High Street sees slight increase in December sales January 4, 2020 UK shops saw a marginal increase in December sales year-on-year driven by widespread discounting, a new survey revealed on Saturday. Sales in British shops were up 0.7 per cent for the month compared with 2018, according to the accountancy and business advisory firm BDO’s monthly High Street Sales Tracker. Read more: Next raises forecast after [...]
China denies forced labour accusations after Tesco Christmas card discovery December 23, 2019 China has denied accusations of forced labour at a prison in Shanghai after a Christmas card sold at Tesco was reportedly found containing a message from an inmate. Six-year-old Florence Widdicombe in London discovered a note in charity card sold at the supermarket saying “We are foreign prisoners in Shanghai Qingpu Prison China”. Read more: [...]
Five people sentenced to death for Jamal Khashoggi killing December 23, 2019 Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October 2018. The kingdom’s public prosecutor also handed out three people jail terms totalling 24 years over the killing of the journalist. Read more: China to cut tariffs on hundreds of products Khashoggi was a US [...]
Tesco withdraws Christmas cards from sale over forced labour claims December 22, 2019 Tesco has suspended a Chinese Christmas card supplier following reports a customer found a message written inside a card saying it had been packed by foreign prisoners who were victims of forced labour. “We abhor the use of prison labour and would never allow it in our supply chain,” a Tesco spokesperson said on Sunday. Read more: Tesco [...]
City Moves for 19 December – Who’s switching jobs at Turley, Johns & Co and Ashtead? December 19, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes Turley, Johns & Co and Ashtead. Turley Catriona Fraser has been promoted to director in the London team at national planning and development consultancy Turley. Catriona has been involved in several high-profile projects for Turley across London. She has advised on a number of key London development sites for mixed-use alternative [...]
Ofcom to ban firms from selling ‘locked’ mobile phones December 17, 2019 Communications regulator Ofcom has proposed a new set of plans which would prevent phone companies from selling ‘locked’ handsets. BT/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone still sell mobile phones that cannot be used on other networks without being unlocked first, which can cost £10. Read more: MPs say hands-free phones should be banned while driving The [...]
Takeover interest mounts over Sainsbury’s £1.9bn mortgage book December 12, 2019 Grocery giant Sainsbury’s has reportedly received several offers for its £1.9bn mortgage book. The Big Four supermarket chain has attracted a number of bidders as it looks to quit the home-loans market, according to Sky News. The broadcaster said that Lloyds Banking Group is understood to be among the interested parties in the auction, which [...]
Amazon strengthens dominance of UK e-commerce market December 10, 2019 Online retail giant Amazon increased its dominance of the UK e-commerce market this year, according to the latest research. Amazon boosted its market share from 28.8 per cent in 2018 to 30.1 per cent this year, accounting for $30bn in sales. Read more: Amazon nets Champions League rights The next largest player in the UK, [...]
Lidl sales help it hit record stake in UK supermarket sector December 10, 2019 The biggest supermarkets shed yet more market share to discounters Aldi and Lidl in the three months to the start of December, new data out today reveals. The big four grocers saw their collective market share drop by over one per cent to 67.7 per cent as people delayed their Christmas shopping and Black Friday [...]
Tesco leads FTSE 100 risers as it weighs up Asia sale December 9, 2019 Shares in Tesco rose more than five per cent in early trading today, as investors welcomed reports that the company is exploring a sale of its Asian businesses. The supermarket giant has confirmed that it will launch a strategic review of options for its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia, including a potential sale. Read more: [...]