COMING SOON TO AN OLD PUB NEAR YOU… A BRAND NEW WAITROSE April 5, 2011 WAITROSE wants to grow – but Britain seems strangely bereft of suitable sites for the grocer, which is fighting a bitter convenience store war with its bigger rivals. So a desperate Waitrose has launched a highly unorthodox appeal to landlords to help it out. All sites and all properties will be considered, says the grocer [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS March 29, 2011 CELEBRATE THE ROYAL WEDDING WITH AN ENORMOUS HESTON TRIFLE In case you were worried about what to feed your guests at your royal wedding party (and who isn’t? Honestly) – Waitrose has swept to the rescue with a cake, “created” by Heston Blumenthal and big enough to feed 10 people. The Royal Trifle (pictured below) [...]
High street brands popular for legal advice March 15, 2011 WITH the implementation of the “Tesco law” looming, a new report from YouGov into the legal services sector provides positive news for big brands looking to diversify into this sector. It reveals that consumer willingness to seek legal advice from retailers or high street brands is high; 60 per cent of consumers would consider using [...]
John Lewis in growth plan as profit lifts March 9, 2011 THE chairman of the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) yesterday said he planned to more than double the size of the company in the next ten years as the retailer unveiled bumper results. John Lewis saw profits rise by 20 per cent to £367.9m last year. Like-for-like sales across the John Lewis Group – which includes [...]
John Lewis profit up 20pc – but warns of tough 2011 March 9, 2011 Retailer John Lewis said it would pay over 73,000 staff, known as partners, a bonus of 18 per cent of salary as it posted a 20 per cent rise in year profit after winning market share from rivals. But the 147-year-old employee-owned group, which owns 28 department stores, four John Lewis “at home” stores, 244 [...]
Ocado sales up 25pc March 4, 2011 Online grocer Ocado posted a 25 per cent rise in first-quarter sales and said it remained profitable, despite a challenging economic backdrop which has hit many retailers hard. The group, which mostly sells the products of grocer Waitrose, said it made gross sales of £146.2m in the 12 weeks to 20 February, in line with [...]
Ocado lifted by upgrade March 1, 2011 OCADO shares were boosted yesterday after broker Goldman Sachs upgraded its rating on the shares. The stock has fallen by almost a quarter since 11 February, when Goldman – Ocado’s house broker – placed ten per cent of the company’s shares at 265p each. Goldman raised its rating on the online delivery company from “hold” [...]
Supermarket sales slowing as shoppers rein in spending March 1, 2011 SALES growth at grocers slowed in February, despite higher prices, according to market research published yesterday, adding to signs of growing caution among consumers since the start of the year. Kantar Worldpanel said grocery sales rose 3.9 per cent year-on-year in the 12 weeks to 20 February, down from 4.2 per cent growth for the [...]
Ocado hit by boss share sale February 21, 2011 OCADO shares took a tumble yesterday after chief executive Tim Steiner sold £5m worth of Ocado stock. Steiner’s move – plus the announcement that Waitrose was planning to revamp its own online delivery service – saw the stock close down 7.75 per cent at 239p. Waitrose, which has a ten-year contract with Ocado to supply the [...]
Hedgie makes big Ocado loss February 20, 2011 ONLINE grocer Ocado’s recent growth has stung a US hedge fund, which has reportedly lost up to £40m by shorting Ocado stock after the firm’s rocky flotation in July. Elinor Carter Brooks from New York-based Blue Ridge Capital is thought to have bet against the shares when they had already dropped to near all-time lows [...]