Tesco share price: The rise and fall of a retail empire in one chart October 23, 2014 We knew it was bleak for Tesco, we were just waiting to put a figure to the despair. Now we know: the profit overstatement was understated by £13m (the final figure was £263m) and a 91.9 per cent plunge in pre-tax profits to £112 million for the first half of the year. The results are [...]
Tesco firefighter Dave Lewis has no time to pause as results come in October 22, 2014 It's day 53 for Dave Lewis as chief executive of Tesco. Ordinarily, that might be a time for a new boss to pause for breath, but the firefighting engulfing him since his arrival looks like the first act of a much longer-term drama. The word emerging from Tesco’s Cheshunt HQ is that there will [...]
Is Waitrose boss Mark Price right that the Big Four supermarkets are “20 years out of date”? October 22, 2014 James McGregor, director of Retail Remedy, says Yes. Mark Price is correct that structural shifts in retail are a far bigger threat to the Big Four (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons) than Aldi and Lidl. Yes, the discounters are a problem, but they’re not the big problem. The main issue is that people’s grocery shopping [...]
Tesco share price wobbles ahead of results: Here’s how the last four weeks unfolded after that profit overstatement October 22, 2014 Tesco’s share price opened slightly higher this morning but then dipped 1.3 per cent after a two day rally. It's a slight waiver after the supermarket made steady gains this week, with a 2.7 per cent rise on Monday and 3.5 per cent on Tuesday. It signals a positive start to the week in which [...]
Three things to look out for from Tesco’s results tomorrow – other than the numbers October 22, 2014 When Tesco publishes its first-half results tomorrow, including an update on its investigation into an expected £250m profit black hole, all eyes will be on the numbers. Initially, investors will look for the specifics of exactly how much profits were "overestimated" by, and what effect it has on the supermarket's previously reported profits and future [...]
Warren Buffett’s hat-trick of woe: Billionaire loses $1bn as Coca-Cola, IBM and Tesco share prices crash October 21, 2014 Billionaire investor Warren Buffett lost $1bn yesterday after shares in his second biggest investment Coca-Cola crashed to a six-year low, capping a torrid week for the 84-year old after similar misfortunes with IBM and Tesco. Buffett’s 400m shares in the soft drinks firm fell $2.61 each, reducing the value of his holding by $1.1bn after [...]
One door closes, while others open – Editor’s letter October 21, 2014 Investment bankers are a bit like accountants. They see opportunities from every eventuality. Accountants thrive in the good times and the bad, with the big firms’ restructuring departments jumping into action when the economy turns sour. Yesterday as BCA Marketplace, owner of the webuyanycar.com website, pulled its stock market flotation in London, I asked one [...]
Tesco suffers worst decline in grocery sector October 21, 2014 TESCO emerged as the biggest loser in the grocery sector over the past three months, despite sales showing signs of recovery, as the supermarket price war and fierce competition continued to take its toll on the troubled retailer. The company, which stunned the City last month with revelations of a £250m black hole in its [...]
Supermarket woes deepen over price wars October 21, 2014 THE UK food industry’s troubles were laid bare today after a report revealed the sector had suffered the sharpest rise in financial distress compared with other UK industries. According to Begbies Traynor’s latest Red Flag update, which monitors the health of UK companies, levels of “significant” financial distress among UK food retailers rose by 11 [...]
Tesco share price rises as declines in its market share slows, while Waitrose reaches record high October 21, 2014 Tesco shares rose 2.2 percent in mid-morning trading after new figures showed while it has lost yet more market share, its rate of decline is slowing. while Waitrose has climbed to a record high, doing just enough to keep it ahead of German challengers Aldi and Lidl. The figures, by Kantar Worldpanel, also showed [...]