Waitrose’s sales were boosted by the summer sun last week – but John Lewis stayed in the shade August 31, 2016 The warm weather boosted Waitrose's sales last week – but sister shop John Lewis failed to cash in on the summer sun. Excluding fuel, total sales at Waitrose were up 8.2 per cent on last year. The retailer said both the good weather and generous promotions were responsible for the sales lift – barbeque product [...]
Here’s why Edinburgh is the perfect place to launch a gin brand August 14, 2016 Fancy a tipple with a twist? With the growth of fashionable speak-easy style gin bars, Edinburgh has witnessed a renaissance of gin distilling within the city. Premium brands such as Pickering’s Gin and Edinburgh Gin have been at the heart of a global explosion in Scottish gin sales, with the latter recently opening a new [...]
Here’s why Edinburgh is the perfect place to launch a gin brand August 14, 2016 Fancy a tipple with a twist? With the growth of fashionable speak-easy style gin bars, Edinburgh has witnessed a renaissance of gin distilling within the city. Premium brands such as Pickering’s Gin and Edinburgh Gin have been at the heart of a global explosion in Scottish gin sales, with the latter recently opening a new [...]
Viognier once dwindled to just eight acres of vines; thankfully now this varied wine is getting the props it deserves August 2, 2016 Viognier is one of my favourite summer whites and one that grows on me with every bottle. It has a complexity, a range of floral scents and flavours and even a slight muskiness that demands attention. It’s a sobering thought that we almost lost this harlequin grape completely. Viognier is a pain to grow, prone [...]
Yeo Valley-manufactured yoghurts sold at Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury’s and The Co-Operative in rubber scare recall August 1, 2016 Five supermarkets have been advised to recall thousands of own-brand yoghurts manufactured by Yeo Valley as they may contain small pieces of rubber. Asda, the Co-Operative, Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose have all been affected by the recall of the yoghurts. The rubber was found in a fruit conserve made by a supplier, Yeo Valley said [...]
Brexit vote? What Brexit vote? The rise of the discounters is still hitting supermarkets’ market shares July 26, 2016 The results of last month's EU referendum may have sent markets reeling, but it seems the supermarket sector has continued as it was before – namely, with market shares sinking for all of the big four. Figures by Kantar Worldpanel showed the Brexit vote had "no immediate impact" on the prices retailers were charging or [...]
No-click-to-buy apps are a risk, but the rewards will be worth it July 22, 2016 Payments have come a long way, fast. In April, Domino’s began offering “zero-click ordering”, which allows customers to re-order a pizza simply by opening an app, removing the need for in-app tapping. There are now so many payment methods – contactless mobile, card and watch payments, swipes and taps on a mobile screen – it [...]
These are the best value wines to buy this year July 8, 2016 If you're looking for the biggest bargains in the wine world – look no further. These are the top wines to buy if you want a great Friday night dinner, without spending too much. The best value wines in the 2016 International Wine Challenge (IWC) Great Wine Champions have been announced – make sure you grab them [...]
John Lewis’ sales growth slowed after the UK voted to leave the European Union July 5, 2016 John Lewis' sales growth slowed down in the week after the UK voted to leave the European Union, according to figures released by the company today. The department store's sales were 2.1 per cent higher than a year ago, at £90.8m, having climbed 7.3 per cent the week before when it started its summer sale. The [...]
Amazon who? Ocado shares jump as it delivers 14 per cent sales rise June 28, 2016 Everyone and their mum may be trying to get into the food delivery business at the moment (Amazon and Uber have both just launched offerings…) – but Ocado has suggested with experience comes wisdom, after it posted a juicy rise in sales. The figures Retail sales rose 13.9 per cent to £582.9m in the 24 weeks to the end of May, [...]