VEC lands third British e-cigarette company as industry booms June 9, 2014 US Victory Electronic Cigarettes (VEC) has acquired its third British e-cigarette company in six months for $104m (£62m). Ten Motives, one of the largest and fastest growing e-cigarette companies in Europe, was founded in 2008 by former telecoms Art Devlin. Ten Motives has long term relationships with leading retailers, such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Bargain [...]
VEC lands third British ecigarette company as industry booms June 9, 2014 US Victory Electronic Cigarettes (VEC) has acquired its third British ecigarette company in six months for $104m (£62m). Ten Motives, one of the largest and fastest growing ecigarette companies in Europe, was founded in 2008 by former telecoms Art Devlin. Ten Motives has long term relationships with leading retailers, such as Sainsbury's, Tesco and Bargain [...]
The week in brief June 8, 2014 UK E&M market to be worth £64bn by 2018 According to PwC’s latest Global entertainment & media (E&M) outlook report, the UK E&M market is expected to grow by 3.1 per cent from 2013 to 2018 – to a value of £64bn in 2018. In 2013, Britain had the second largest E&M market in Europe, [...]
After share price crash Asos warns on profits and investors slam Morrisons June 5, 2014 SOME of Britain’s biggest retailers were left reeling yesterday after a profits warning from Asos spooked investors and supermarket bosses came under a fierce verbal attack from angry shareholders. Asos shares crashed 31 per cent, wiping £1.2bn off its market value, after the online fashion retailer warned that a strong pound and a rise in [...]
Bottom Line: Everyone loves a sale – and Asos shares are in middle of a big one June 5, 2014 ALMOST every other day, Asos customers are sent promo emails alerting them to the latest offer on the retailer’s vast fashion website: 25 per cent off dresses; save on festival fashion; free delivery on men’s hats. Yesterday, the tables were turned. Investors hit the sell button on Asos shares, sending them into freefall to end [...]
Best of the Brokers for 06 June 2014 June 5, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com POUNDLAND JP Morgan, which last month won the joint broking mandate for Poundland, has upgraded the retailer from “neutral” to “overweight” with an unchanged price target of 377p. The broker thinks the effects on Poundland of Tesco’s pound aisle trial are likely to [...]
Tesco chief Philip Clarke says he has no plans to step down June 4, 2014 TESCO boss Philip Clarke yesterday reiterated that he had no plans to step down despite admitting that the supermarket chain had suffered its worst quarterly sales performance in his forty years at the company. Clarke said a dramatic slowdown in the grocery market and deliberate efforts to win back shoppers by slashing prices were partly [...]
Bottom Line: Chop harder or prepare to face a descending axe June 4, 2014 HOW quickly a giant can start to resemble a dinosaur. Tesco’s likefor-like sales in the first quarter fell by a shocking 4 per cent if you exclude VAT, petrol and vouchers, its worst drop in years. Embattled chief executive Philip Clarke says he’s determined to cling to his position, but it looks less and less [...]
Inside Track: Tesco’s boss is out on a limb with a limp recovery plan June 4, 2014 PHILIP Clarke is beginning to sound like the corporate equivalent of Alastair Cook at the end of England’s disastrous Ashes defence. On yesterday’s conference call to discuss Tesco’s worst like-for-like sales performance in roughly 20 years, his insistence that his strategy is working sounded faintly ridiculous. “We are more competitive now than we have been [...]
Tesco loses finance director to New Look June 4, 2014 TESCO has lost a second senior director from its finance division after fashion retailer New Look said yesterday that it has hired Mike Iddon as its chief financial officer. Iddon, Tesco’s group finance director for planning, treasury and tax, will replace New Look’s interim chief financial officer Richard Collyer in the coming months. His departure [...]