What the other papers say this morning – 18 December 2013 December 17, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES French seek EU defence fund Plunged into its second African military mission in under a year, France is showing increasing frustration at what it sees as a lack of spine among European partners on defence issues. In an effort to put its allies on the spot, President François Hollande is poised to demand, [...]
Supermarket fuel war reignites as Tesco and Asda drop prices December 17, 2013 THE SUPERMARKET fuel price war sparked off once again yesterday, after two major chains introduced new price cuts, effective from this morning. Tesco and Asda are both dropping the price of petrol by up to 2p per litre and diesel by 1p per litre. Spokespersons from Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s confirmed yesterday that they were not [...]
London Report: Supermarket slump sees FTSE fall again after Monday’s lift December 17, 2013 BRITAIN’S main equity index fell yesterday, with big supermarket groups hit by fresh signs of a loss of market share, while uncertainty over future US monetary policy also weighed on the market. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down by 0.6 per cent, or 36.01 points, at 6,486.19 points, retreating after a 1.3 per cent [...]
Mutuals will stay high street bit players for many Christmases yet December 17, 2013 MUTUALS and co-operatives have been promoted as the acceptable side of business by both arms of the coalition. Nick Clegg has lauded the Waitrose and John Lewis model. Advisers to David Cameron, as well as Vince Cable, have argued that the banking sector would be more stable if more companies followed the mutual model. But [...]
Supermarket shares slide as customers move to discounters December 17, 2013 More than half of us shopped at Aldi or Lidl in the last 12 weeks for the first time, according to Kantar Worldpanel data. That's seen more premium supermarkets take a hit – Sainsbury's are down by over 2.8 per cent, Tesco by nearly 1.5 per cent, and Morrison has seen a fall of 1.4 [...]
Ashley scores in the weird world of business tiffs December 15, 2013 MIKE Ashley is not happy with Adidas, after the German sports company refused from next season to let Ashley’s retail giant Sports Direct sell its replica Chelsea kits – incidentally one of Sports Direct’s bestsellers. Ashley is understandably miffed, and it has even been suggested the billionaire plans to build a hostile stake in Adidas [...]
Why Stagecoach is so successful in the US December 11, 2013 US MARKETS are often seen as the place British businesses go to die, which makes Stagecoach’s transatlantic success something of a surprise. The firm operates around 2,600 buses and coaches in the US and Canada, as well as offering commuter and school bus services. And while Stagecoach is already a key player in the UK, [...]
Stagecoach is uniquely successful in the US. Here’s why December 11, 2013 US markets are often seen as the place British businesses go to die. That makes Stagecoach's transatlantic success something of a surprise. The FTSE 250 listed company operates around 2,600 buses and coaches in the United States and Canada, linking roughly 100 locations, as well as offering commuter and school bus services. And while Stagecoach [...]
Bank goes on hire spree December 10, 2013 TESCO Bank yesterday revealed it is hiring 300 staff in preparation for the launch of its current account next year. The retailer hopes to take on the bigger lenders with its nationwide brand, large branch network and convenience. However, it has yet to detail how the accounts will work as well as their pricing. The [...]
Tesco hit by broker claims that prices rising faster than rivals December 10, 2013 TESCO’S share price faltered yesterday after the group suffered another downgrade from a major broker amid concerns that it has lost its differentiation with its rivals. In a damning note published yesterday, Bernstein analysts said that Tesco has raised prices faster than any of its supermarket competitors since 2010, losing its value credentials along the [...]