Prices will go up: Retail bosses issue Brexit “catastrophe” warning May 22, 2016 Retail heavyweights have come out against Brexit, warning that leaving the European Union would be a "catastrophe" for Britain and a "massive shock to the system". The former bosses of four of Britain's biggest retailers – Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S and B&Q – have warned Brexit will cause prices to rocket, a spike in inflation, job losses and the pound [...]
For Asda boss Andy Clarke, the nadir may be yet to come May 20, 2016 It takes a brave man to call the bottom. It's just so easy to get it wrong. Asda boss Andy Clarke certainly appears to have jumped the gun when he said last August that the Walmart-owned supermarket had reached its “nadir”. At the time, his words were meant to give reassurance that, although the business [...]
Five challenges Amazon faces plotting its own-brand products May 17, 2016 Reports that Amazon is branching out into private-label groceries make sense for the retail giant. In a sluggish market own label is one of the few healthy areas, growing by 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2016. Retailers aren’t seen as credible without an own label range, but developing a strong offer takes time and Amazon will [...]
Aerobics in the aisles: How supermarkets could solve the obesity crisis, according to Oliver Wyman May 16, 2016 Are the UK's Big Four supermarkets responsible for the obesity crisis? Global management consultancy Oliver Wyman seems to think so. In a report released today, Oliver Wyman has said the Big Four "hold the answer" to the crisis should be using their "considerable influence" to save one million people from being obese and 1.5mn from being [...]
Watch out Tesco, now Amazon’s creating its own-brand range May 16, 2016 Is Amazon trying to eat even more of Tesco and the rest of the supermarkets' lunch? Not satisfied with muscling in on the grocery world with speedy deliveries straight to your door, the retailer-slash-tech giant is now planning on selling its own-label range of food and other sundries, according to reports. A new line of products that [...]
Lloyds Bank leads the London financial sector in British LGBT Awards May 15, 2016 Bravo to bankers at Lloyds – the firm has been crowned the top employer for promoting diversity in this year's LGBT Awards. Lloyds Banking Group, which has a professional LGBT Network of over 3000, was named LGBT Network Group of the Year. The bank saw off stiff competition from the likes of Tesco and PwC. Dubbed [...]
Have Asda execs been stress eating with James Martin ahead of first quarter results? May 15, 2016 Has Asda chief Andy Clarke been eating his feelings? The Big Four retail giant has struck up a delicious partnership with former Saturday Kitchen star James Martin. Last month the Yorkshire foodie figure rustled up a strawberry gateau with Asda boss Andy Clarke at the InterContinental Hotel on Park Lane in London, marking the start of a new marketing partnership [...]
FTSE 100 narrowly avoids fourth consecutive week of decline May 13, 2016 The FTSE 100 reversed early losses on Friday, but was held back by losses at Inmarsat and Coca Cola HBC. That's not bad for a Friday 13th. The FTSE 100 before today had closed lower on eight out of the past 11 of them. The UK's benchmark index closed at 6,138 points, with Inmarsat one of the largest fallers. While the FTSE [...]
Every little helps: Tesco chief executive to grab £3m bonus May 13, 2016 Tesco’s chief executive has been awarded an annual bonus of nearly £3m, the company's annual report, published this morning, revealed. The award, which represents 96 per cent of Lewis's maxmimum payout, comes after Tesco moved back into pre-tax profit last year following a record £6.4bn annual loss in 2014. Read more: Is Tesco ringing up the changes? Lewis [...]
Sports Direct has extended its Debenhams put option May 12, 2016 Sports Direct International has extended its Debenhams put option by a year – meaning shareholders in Mike Ashley's retailer will continue to be concerned with the fate of the department store, whether they like it or not. Sports Direct entered into the original agreement with Goldman Sachs in 2014. The stake was built up to 16.6 [...]