Waitrose ranked best UK supermarket in annual Which survey February 22, 2020 Waitrose has been ranked as the best supermarket in the UK in an annual satisfaction survey conducted by Which. The chain, which is owned by John Lewis, hit five stars on most categories, but did come joint-last in value for money. Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl continue to be ranked highest in terms of value. [...]
Tesco ‘unlawfully’ blocked rivals from opening nearby stores, CMA finds February 14, 2020 Tesco has been told to stop illegally blocking rival supermarkets from buying its land or leasing nearby sites by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). An investigation from the competition regulator found that Tesco had blocked access to rivals using restrictive contracts on 23 occasions. The UK’s biggest supermarket chain has agreed to take action [...]
How should Waitrose move on as Ocado deal comes to an end? February 12, 2020 Supermarket chain Waitrose has announced an overhaul of its products and a new advertising campaign to retain customers this summer when its deal with delivery provider Ocado comes to an end. Ocado’s partnership with Waitrose comes to an end in August, and a new deal with Marks & Spencer will be delivered shortly after. As [...]
New John Lewis boss makes first key hire February 4, 2020 Former Ofcom boss Sharon White has made her first key hire as she takes over as chairman of struggling department store John Lewis. Nina Bhatia has been appointed executive director of strategy and commercial development following a reshuffle of the partnership’s structure. Bhatia, who was most recently managing director at home energy management company Hive [...]
Tesco ditches plastic wrap on multipack tins January 24, 2020 Tesco is set to remove all plastic wrapping from its multipack tins in a bid to cut down on waste, a step it says will remove 350 tonnes of plastic per year from the environment. The supermarket giant has teamed up with brands including Heinz and Green giant to replace single-use plastic wrap on multipacks [...]
Customer satisfaction levels suffer as retailers battle tough trading condtions January 23, 2020 Customer service satisfaction levels have suffered the longest decline since records began as retailers struggle to juggle meeting consumer expectations and facing the challenging trading conditions on the UK high street. The latest research showed that customer service satisfaction is at the lowest level since July 2015 with a score of 76.9. The top five [...]
Outgoing John Lewis boss Paula Nickolds in line for £750,000 payoff January 12, 2020 The outgoing managing director of John Lewis Partnership is in line for a £750,000 payoff. Paula Nickolds announced her departure last week following the company’s profit warning, just three months after being appointed as the partnership’s head of brand. The Sunday Times reported that Nickolds was offered a payoff at the time of the restructuring, [...]
Four challenges Sharon White must address at John Lewis January 9, 2020 Incoming John Lewis Partnership boss Sharon White will have a big job on her hands when she joins the retailer next month, as this morning’s trading update showed. The department store issued a profit warning today and made the surprise announcement that John Lewis managing director Paula Nickolds will leave the partnership in February. It [...]
John Lewis issues profit warning as MD steps down January 9, 2020 John Lewis & Partners issued a profit warning today and said its managing director will leave the struggling business next month after underwhelming Christmas sales. The retail partnership warned full-year profits will be “substantially down” on last year as it revealed significant drops in both John Lewis and Waitrose revenue. Read more: Four problems new [...]
Have yourself a very modern Christmas: How to keep things woke on the big day, from vegan-friendly to zero-carbon December 13, 2019 The cards may read “peace to all men” but Christmas is a time for bitter fights, tantrums and physical conflict, especially when it comes to lunch (or should that be “dinner”?). Most of all, it’s a day when people come together to vehemently disagree about food. Siblings will fly thousands of miles, cross land and [...]