London Report: Miners and Tesco drag on the FTSE December 2, 2013 WEAK miners dented top UK shares yesterday, tracking copper prices lower as traders bet on more falls for the broader market, while Tesco dropped on analyst downgrades ahead of a trading update this week. Miners shed two per cent, hit by a lower copper price as concerns over swelling supplies overshadowed improved manufacturing data from [...]
Lidl boss eyes 600 new stores December 1, 2013 LIDL’s UK managing director has announced plans to double the discount chain’s number of stores over the coming years. On the growth of Lidl’s 600 current stores Ronny Gottschlich said “If I could have the 1,200 in the next three years, then I would have it in the next three years. But it is clear [...]
Bottom Line: Tesco results to show the rise of discounters December 1, 2013 TAKE note, Tesco. Britain’s biggest supermarket, which is expected to post a drop in like-for-like sales of around 1.5 per cent on Wednesday, has been caught napping by Lidl and its discount peers in recent months. Tesco has rolled out extra price cuts and special offers as it tries to win back the market share [...]
Barclays cracks top five FTSE broker rankings December 1, 2013 BARCLAYS broke into the top five FTSE 100 stockbroker rankings last month, overtaking Deutsche Bank, fresh figures released today show. The British bank added two new blue chips to its roster of clients – supermarket giant Tesco and engineering firm Amec – to place it joint fifth in a list of the top brokers, ranked [...]
London Report: Under pressure Tesco to reveal crunch results December 1, 2013 TESCO’S quarterly results on Wednesday form the centrepiece of a full calendar of corporate results dominated by high street names. The supermarket, which recently saw its market share fall under 30 per cent for the first time over the last 18 months, is set to deliver disappointing numbers, according to analysts, who predict a like-for-like [...]
Sale of Fresh & Easy puts end to Tesco US dream November 27, 2013 TESCO yesterday shut the door on its loss-making move into the US after completing the sale of its Fresh & Easy business to American billionaire Ron Burkle’s investment firm Yucaipa. The sale of 150 Fresh & Easy stores to Burkle’s Yucaipa cost Tesco £150m – including an £80m loan to the new business and £70m [...]
Tesco confirms completion of Fresh & Easy sale November 27, 2013 Tesco has confirmed the completion of the sale of most of its Fresh & Easy grocery business to YFE Holdings. YFE is an affiliate of Yucaipa, which said in a statement that customers can expect to see "many exciting changes in the coming weeks" when it comes to the stores. The sale was initially announced on [...]
Analysts spread gloom ahead of Tesco numbers November 26, 2013 TESCO received an unwelcome early Christmas message from City analysts yesterday, as predictions of a further decline in third quarter like-for-like sales sent its shares down 2.5 per cent. Barclays predicted yesterday that the UK’s largest supermarket will report a 1.8 per cent fall in UK like-for-like sales next week compared with flat sales in [...]
Asda hires new finance chief as Richard Mayfield joins Walmart November 26, 2013 ASDA has appointed a new chief financial officer after announcing yesterday that Richard Mayfield is to leave the retailer after just a year in the role to join parent company Walmart. The grocery chain said Alex Russo will join the group in January from Peruvian restaurant franchise specialist Delosi, which works with brands including Starbucks, [...]
Cranswick’s pork and bacon in demand as half-year profits rise November 25, 2013 PORK processor Cranswick posted a 16 per cent rise in pre-tax profits yesterday thanks to strong demand for its bacon and fresh pork. The FTSE 250 firm, which makes upmarket sausages, bacon, and cooked meats for supermarkets including Sainsbury’s and Tesco, reported pre-tax profits of £26.1m in the six months to 30 September, up from [...]