Over half of chickens sold by UK supermarkets are contaminated with bacteria, and the problem is worst at Asda November 27, 2014 Most chickens sold by UK supermarkets contain the bacterium campylobacter – the country's biggest cause of food poisoning. An investigation published today by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) revealed that over the last three months, 70 per cent of all fresh chickens sold by the nation's retailers tested positive for the micro-organism, and 18 [...]
In charts: Spending on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Manic Monday to peak at £470k per minute November 26, 2014 Retailers including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Amazon and Currys PC World are gearing up for what are tipped to be some of the biggest shopping days of the year. The retailers have unveiled a whole range of deals on everything from electricals like TVs, tablets and other gadgets to designer watches, clothing and [...]
Tesco director and former Food Standards Agency head Tim Smith lobbied government over report into dirty chicken – Guardian November 25, 2014 Tim Smith, the Tesco technical director and former head of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), lobbied the government over a report into the food poisoning contamination rates for chicken in supermarkets, according to a report in the Guardian. The Guardian claims Smith told the Department of Health that publishing the results of the contamination tests [...]
Bard criticism? Tesco replies to popcorn complaint with a sonnet November 25, 2014 We've all experienced the frustration of a retailer discontiuing a line – but St Andrews University students Isabelle Bousquette and Tomi Baikie felt so emotional when their local Tesco stopped selling their favourite salted popcorn, they felt moved to write a sonnet, a sort of ode to popocorn. Then they sent it to Tesco chairman [...]
Black Friday UK 2014: Where are the best bargains for must-have Christmas toys? November 25, 2014 As the countdown to Black Friday – November 28 if you're wondering – continues, the big question is exactly which items will be going on sale. Luckily for you, the Toy Retailers Association has today unveiled its DreamToys, the gifts that the industry has judged “must have” Christmas crackers. The list has pedigree [...]
Argos rolls out eReceipts in bid to become a top digital retailer November 24, 2014 Argos has announced the introduction of eReceipts across its 750 UK and Ireland stores. The scheme gives Argos’ customers the option to have a receipt emailed to them to keep a record of purchases and warranties and has already been trialled this year. The technology has been developed by eReceipts, which is chaired by the [...]
Tesco: Black Friday will beat Boxing Day sales November 24, 2014 Tesco is betting the farm on Black Friday. The troubled supermarket, whose share price has plummeted more than 15 per cent since it admitted to having “overstated” its profits in September, is going all out for the sales bonanza day, which falls on November 28. To ensure some of the multi-billion-pound spend goes in [...]
Black Friday to kick off £42bn Christmas spree November 23, 2014 Britons are expected to splurge £42.4bn in the run-up to Christmas – £1.5bn more than last year – as retailers brace themselves for an American-style Black Friday shopping frenzy set to take over their websites and stores this week. Sales are forecast to rise by four per cent year-on-year in the period starting from today [...]
Christmas just got tougher for Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons: Lidl adds “discount” oysters to its deluxe range November 21, 2014 In a year dominated by the rise of the discount grocer, it's perhaps no surprise that Lidl and Aldi will be pulling out all the stops to bring consumers a bit of low-cost luxury. Lidl, which launched a £5 lobster in 2009, has a track record of doing exactly that but this year it's pulling [...]
Baby goods retailer Mothercare sees UK turnaround plan pay off November 20, 2014 MOTHERCARE posted a small rise in first-half profit and said lower losses and improving sales in the UK provided early encouragement for its new turnaround plan. While Mothercare’s overseas business is profitable, fierce competition from supermarkets such as Tesco and internet retailers like Amazon has hit it hard at home. This has left the baby [...]