Christmas adverts 2019: John Lewis unveils Excitable Edgar campaign November 14, 2019 John Lewis has unveiled its highly anticipated Christmas advert this morning, telling the story of a little girl and her accident-prone dragon Excitable Edgar. In the two minute 30 second clip, which marks the department store’s first joint Christmas marketing campaign with Waitrose, viewers see Edgar accidentally derail Christmas festivities with his fire breathing tendencies. [...]
DEBATE: Will the M&S venture with Ocado turn around its fortunes? November 7, 2019 Will Marks & Spencer’s joint venture with Ocado turn around the struggling retailer’s fortunes? YES, says Adam Vettese, investment analyst at multi-asset investment platform eToro When you think of Marks & Spencer, you think of food. And not just any food, but top-quality food. In fact, food is so important to M&S that it now [...]
John Lewis threatens to withhold 20 per cent of service charges October 4, 2019 John Lewis is threatening to withhold up to 20 per cent of service charge to landlords to protest the increase in payment amounts . The department store said it is attempting to reduce costs but has been faced with service charge hikes at some of its shopping centre branches. Read more: John Lewis to axe [...]
John Lewis to axe a third of senior managers to save £100m October 1, 2019 The John Lewis Partnership is slashing its senior management layer by one third in a shock £100m bid to cut costs at the struggling retailer. Around 75 senior managers will get the axe from the current total of 225 in head office, John Lewis said. As part of the shake-up, the embattled chain also revealed [...]
Bottle Opener: The best wines for this week’s Rugby World Cup matches September 26, 2019 The 2019 Rugby World Cup is upon us. Despite my status as a proud Welshman, even I cannot bring myself to recommend Welsh wines as an accompaniment to savouring an international rugby match (to all those Welsh wine producers out there, I look forward to being proven wrong). Indeed, many British rugby fans would regard [...]
Are UK supermarkets ready for Brexit? September 25, 2019 “One can say very clearly what the direction will be: higher prices, less choice, and poorer quality, because all of those dimensions have been improved by these open trading relationships that we’ve had over the last 40 years […] Brexit, almost in whatever version it is, will introduce friction, it will introduce barriers. That makes [...]
Putting the new Audi R8 through its paces on some hair-raising roads from Calais to Paris to Provence September 25, 2019 The Audi R8 is a mid-engined supercar with multiple personalities. Ideal, therefore, for a blast through France to visit three characterful but very different hotels. The 2019 Audi R8 might have only received a mild facelift but it can still stop people in their tracks. From the front, I worry that the recent nip-tuck makes [...]
How retail rookie Sharon White can turn John Lewis’ fortunes around September 13, 2019 John Lewis Partnership reported its first ever half-year loss yesterday, blaming falling sales and rising costs for a gloomy six months. It’s bad news for incoming chair – and retail rookie – Sharon White, who has a challenge on her hands to turn around the department store’s fortunes. Read more: John Lewis swings to a [...]
John Lewis swings to a loss and flags no-deal Brexit fears September 12, 2019 Troubled high street chain John Lewis reported its first-ever half-year loss this morning, striking a gloomy tone amid fears of a no-deal Brexit. The retail giant, which owns both John Lewis department stores and Waitrose, warned that leaving the European Union without a deal would have a “significant” impact on the group. Read more: Retail [...]
Ocado and M&S share prices drop as they complete £750m online delivery deal August 5, 2019 Investors battered Ocado and Marks & Spencer’s shares this morning as the supermarkets finalised details of a £1.25bn partnership. M&S’s share price fell 4.5 per cent while Ocado’s share price dropped as much as 4.4 per cent as M&S completed the £750m purchase of a 50 per cent stake in Ocado’s online delivery platform. Read [...]