John Lewis’ staff bonus has fallen again after a weak performance in 2017 March 8, 2018 The company which owns John Lewis and Waitrose has cut its staff bonus to five per cent of salary this year, after a disappointing performance in 2017. The bonus, which is given out to all staff of the John Lewis Partnership under its employee-owned model, was six per cent last year, down from 10 per [...]
John Lewis, Waitrose and Lidl: The top 10 retailers with the best customer shopping experience – Forrester February 15, 2018 Middle England favourites John Lewis and Waitrose continue to triumph when it comes to offering shoppers the best customer experience – but Lidl is racing ahead of rivals. The discounter climbed to ninth – a rise of six places – in an annual ranking of the best customer shopping experience, taking into account things such [...]
Aldi knocks Waitrose off supermarket top spot while shoppers turn to Iceland and Ocado for online groceries February 12, 2018 Aldi has knocked Waitrose off the top spot as the UK’s favourite supermarket for in-store shopping. Customers rated their experience at the budget retailer as best in Which?’s annual survey. Last year’s most popular supermarket Waitrose fell to fourth-highest, below Marks & Spencer and Lidl. Respondents rated Aldi’s value for money very highly, and were [...]
Top of the food chain: Meet the company helping street-food vendors become the next big thing February 8, 2018 Londoners have a growing obsession with good food. Our European cousins may have scoffed at British cuisine in the past, but a change has taken place over recent years. The multicultural nature of our city means we have been flooded with influences from all around the world, and we now boast an entire smorgasbord [...]
Crowdfunding round on Seedrs launches for London’s latest meal delivery startup Independence Market, to rival Hello Fresh and Blue Apron November 27, 2017 Today sees the launch of London’s latest meal delivery startup, Independence Market, on crowdfunding platform Seedrs. But this business – described by its founder as “Amazon meets Avon” – is not just another Hello Fresh, Blue Apron or Graze replicant. With Independence Market, Rob Hocking – a teaching fellow at Oxford University’s Said Business School, [...]
Bakking up: Tesco and Waitrose supplier Bakkavor sacks off London float November 3, 2017 Food supplier Bakkavor has backed out of its plan to float on the London Stock Exchange, saying current market conditions are too volatile. The IPO was set to take place this month and would have valued the company, which creates microwave meals and other products for the UK’s biggest supermarkets, at up to £2bn. Read [...]
This is what it’s like to be a young chef in London, from Michelin trainees to pop-up proteges November 2, 2017 Depending on who you speak to, young chefs are either the rock stars of the 21st century, or the last vestige of a Victorian-style workforce, toiling away in cramped conditions under tyrannical bosses for pay that makes nurses look like millionaires. What’s beyond question is that London is one of the most exciting culinary cities [...]
Sales rise but market share falls for Big Four grocers as Aldi and Lidl continue to grow October 17, 2017 Each of the big four grocers has grown sales but seen a decrease in market share as Aldi and Lidl can now boast half the total market’s growth, new figures show. Morrisons was the fastest growing of the large retailers, with sales up 2.8 per cent in the 12 weeks to 8 October, followed by [...]
Aldi bags record UK sales growth though profit dips as it plans more UK expansion September 25, 2017 German budget grocer Aldi’s quest for UK domination continues as its sales growth picked up in the UK, though profits dipped in its full-year results due to “continued investment in prices and infrastructure”. The supermarket onslaught continues however, as the firm outlined plans for 70 new supermarkets for 2018 amid its efforts to hit 1,000 [...]
Editor’s Notes: End of the road as Bell Pottinger shuts up shop, Jeremy Corbyn’s Venezuela shame and Old McDonnell had a strike September 8, 2017 For staff at Bell Pottinger the weekend probably can’t come soon enough. The disgraced PR firm’s fall from grace and into likely administration has been breathtakingly fast. For the 200 UK employees, the vast majority of whom had nothing to do with the scandal that sank the company, an uncertain few weeks await them. Some [...]