CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS October 13, 2010 PwC The accountancy firm has appointed three new senior managers to its business continuity team, part of the risk assurance practice. Tom Buchanan, who previously worked at Barclays and Tesco, joins the crisis management team. James Cooke joins from Deloitte to focus on IT disaster and service recovery planning, while James Crask (pictured) will develop [...]
Waitrose director:sales growth will continue for years October 12, 2010 UPMARKET grocer Waitrose expects annual sales to rise by a double-digit percentage for years to come, despite a tough economic backdrop, driven by new store openings, its managing director said yesterday. Mark Price, speaking at the annual conference of grocery industry body the Institute of Grocery Distribution, said conditions for consumers were likely to be [...]
M&S profits up but warns over future October 7, 2010 MARKS & SPENCER said yesterday that its sales were rising but that “it is far from clear” what impact forthcoming government cuts would have on its customers. Like-for-like sales in the UK, which strip out the impact of sales from new stores, rose by 5.3 per cent in the three months to the beginning of [...]
Non-food lifts J Sainsbury October 6, 2010 J SAINSBURY yesterday reported a sales rise in the second quarter as it pinned its hopes on catching Asda by rapidly expanding store space. The UK’s third largest chain behind Tesco and Asda, said non-food items were fuelling its performance. Sainsbury’s saw a 2.9 per cent like-for-like increase in sales in the period, which also [...]
Sainsbury’s October 6, 2010 SAINSBURY’S was a little more low key about its sales rise and consumer sentiment than Tesco which posted sales figures earlier in the week. With Sir Terry Leahy signing off with his last set of results it is hardly surprising that Tesco has stolen some of Sainsbury’s thunder. However, Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King echoed [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS October 6, 2010 NORTHERN FOODS JP Morgan Cazenove has moved its rating on Northern Foods back to “underweight” with a new downgraded price target of 40p. The broker says the food manufacturer’s growth and profitability are dependant upon its relationship with UK food retailers and its ability to control its costs. The broker says Northern is likely to [...]
Christmas will come early to the high street October 6, 2010 HIGH-STREET retailers have every reason to be cautious right now. If it isn’t the government squeezing households’ disposable incomes with one hand and hiking VAT with the other, then surges in the prices of commodities such as cotton, which is at a 15-year high, are threatening margins. Only last month Next chief executive Simon Wolfson [...]
Sainsbury’s beats forecasts with sales hike October 6, 2010 J Sainsbury has posted second-quarter sales towards the top end of forecasts, as new stores, online shopping and demand for non-food lines helped it to grow share in a tough market. The group said it expected conditions to remain difficult for shoppers as the government hikes taxes and cuts spending to rein in its debts. [...]
Tesco talks up economy as profit lifts October 5, 2010 TESCO said yesterday that the UK was unlikely to slide back into recession as it reported a 12.5 per cent increase in first half profit to £1.6bn. The world’s third largest retailer said it had been boosted by the strength of Asian markets, offsetting “modest” UK sales growth in the 26 weeks to 8 August. [...]
Tesco October 5, 2010 SIR Terry Leahy effectively signs off with yet another set of results which shows Tesco is negotiating choppy economic waters in a calm and assured way. While UK sales growth of three per cent is far from stellar, growing Asian markets have helped to keep the ship moving forward. Analysts point to the surprise forecast [...]