John Lewis boosted by Christmas sales surge January 5, 2011 JOHN Lewis Partnership reported bumper Christmas sales, despite the snowy conditions that robbed other retailers of a seasonal boost. Sales at its John Lewis department stores in the five weeks to 1 January were £545m, up 8.9 per cent from a year before. The strong performance was driven by its electrical and home technology department, [...]
FTSE 100 rebounds as banks rally and miners pare losses January 5, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares rallied yesterday after employment data from the US showed the economic recovery was picking up steam, which helped miners and oil stocks pare losses and banks rally. The FTSE 100 closed up 29.99 points, or 0.5 per cent, at 6,043.86, bouncing off a session low of 5,964.43. Miners pared losses and oil [...]
Next update set to show snow losses January 3, 2011 SEVERAL consumer bellwethers are due to reveal Christmas trading figures this week, with Next, Domino’s Pizza and Clinton Cards kicking off the first reporting season of the year. Clothing retailer Next is due to reveal in a trading update on Wednesday how snow disruption and consumer spending pressures have affected sales over the 24 weeks [...]
Consumer confidence on the up, surveys show December 20, 2010 CONSUMER confidence and retail sales picked up in November and December, according to new data from surveys and retailers – but researchers are divided on whether the high will last. Research group Markit found 41 per cent of households it surveyed had spent more money this month than in December last year, and just 20 [...]
Retail sales rise in early week trade ahead of big freeze December 19, 2010 JOHN Lewis and Waitrose enjoyed near-record sales last week, despite the disruption of the snow. Waitrose admitted that sales were down on Saturday by 11 per cent, but a surge in spending earlier in the week more than made up for the effects of the weather. “From Monday onwards customers took the weather forecast seriously [...]
Chains boosted by festive spending on crisps and drink December 7, 2010 SALES of groceries at the major supermarket chains jumped in the final weeks of November, in a boost for the retail sector. J Sainsbury was the strongest performer with 6.8 per cent growth. There was 4.8 per cent growth on average across the board, according to the figures from retail analysts Nielsen. Chains outside the [...]
ANGER OVER COST OF SNOW FIASCO December 2, 2010 THE COST to the UK economy of the mounting chaos bought by the snow and unseasonally cold temperatures could be as much as £1.2bn a day, it was claimed yesterday. As the seventh day of the cold snap saw the disruption reach the south-east of England, with more than six inches of snow falling overnight, [...]
Stars in their pies: mincemeat magic December 1, 2010 WHILE turkey and Christmas pudding are held back for the meal on the big day, mince pies are the real staple of the festive season. People who wouldn’t normally dream of a mid-afternoon snack will suddenly find themselves gobbling down piles of pastry and fruity mincemeat, while every cocktail party and seasonal bash is overflowing [...]
Double digit trading rise at John Lewis November 26, 2010 UPMARKET retailer John Lewis has reported strong trading figures over the past week after festive shoppers turned out to spend on Christmas. The department store chain took £88m in the week ending Saturday 20 November was up 11.5 per cent on the same period in 2009 and 29 per cent higher than 2008, the company [...]
Delia fattens Waitrose with cake November 22, 2010 Waitrose grocery sales rose four per cent in the 12 weeks to October 31 – lifted by swift sales of Delia Smith’s ready-to-make Christmas cake kit. The UK cook has in the past caused a run on ingredients like eggs, stout and goose fat, after championing them in her recipes. Earlier this year Waitrose ran [...]