The dubious rise of the Energy Man November 14, 2011 AN advert on the Tube recently caught my eye. It was for an energy drink with two versions: a his and hers. His was called Wellman; her’s Wellwoman. The Boots logo on the bottom told me that this is a humdrum, mainstream product. The ad was striking for one big reason: its extremely traditional idea [...]
UK’s plan to cut sick bills November 13, 2011 WHITEHALL Mandarins are understood to be close to finalising a deal aimed at cutting the UK’s £13bn sickness absence bill. Officials hope to have new rules ready by the end of the month to discourage sick leave, including enrolling workers on a health insurance scheme. The plan could see workers – as well as employers [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: HOW HAS MORRISONS FARED COMPARED TO ITS RIVALS? November 10, 2011 CLIVE BLACK | SHORE CAPITAL Morrison’s provides the market with the first official indication of supermarket trading momentum since Tesco UK introduced its ‘Big Price Drop’. Total sales from the Bradford based group…seem to have weathered the price cutting storm reasonably well with ex-fuel, ex-VAT sales up by 4.6 per cent. DAVE MCCARTHY | EVOLUTION [...]
Morrisons sales at top end of forecasts November 10, 2011 Wm Morrison confirmed its position as the fastest-growing of Britain’s top four supermarket groups on Thursday with a rise in third-quarter sales driven by a focus on fresh foods and low prices. The fourth-biggest grocer behind J Sainsbury, Wal-Mart’s Asda and market leader Tesco said sales at stores open a year rose 2.4 per cent [...]
Sainsbury’s in profits boost from new stores November 9, 2011 New stores and demand for online and convenience shopping helped grocer J Sainsbury to meet forecasts with a rise in first-half profit in a tough trading environment that the group said was set to continue. Britain’s third-biggest supermarket group behind Wal-Mart’s Asda and industry leader Tesco said profits before tax and one-off items rose 6.6 [...]
Prices tumble at UK’s stores November 8, 2011 PRICE wars between supermarkets are driving down the cost of food and other items, as stores fight for the attention of increasingly squeezed shoppers. Food was half a per cent cheaper last month than in September, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) revealed this morning. Tesco has been pushing its “Big Price Drop”, while Asda’s “Price [...]
Here is the Next step for Marks & Spencer to take November 8, 2011 TWENTY years ago, the UK was in recession and Marks & Spencer had just changed its boss: some things never change. Under Rick Greenbury, M&S went on to have a good 1990s, before over-expansion led to the inevitable and painful correction, under a new management team. Twenty years on, the competition is much tougher and [...]
Leahy outfit considers bid for Greencore November 6, 2011 THE mystery investor considering a bid for Irish food company Greencore is understood to be private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), the new employer of former Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy. Greencore confirmed on 25 October that an unidentified party had made an approach that could lead to an offer. The company, [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 1, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BIG AREAS STILL LACK 3G, SAYS OFCOM Nearly 90 per cent of the UK’s land mass and a quarter of buildings are unable to receive all five 3G phone networks a decade after the introduction of the mobile licences, according to the telecoms regulator. In its first report on the UK’s communications infrastructure, [...]
Supermarkets vie to promote value for money November 1, 2011 WITH the economic outlook still looking bleak and consumers (as shown by YouGov’s Household Economic Activity Tracker) increasingly price conscious it is not surprising that a number of big supermarkets are keen to emphasise their value. Sainsbury’s launched its “live well for less” advertisements on 15 September and Tesco’s “Big Price Drop” campaign came out [...]