‘The world of Cat TV is more cut throat than you would ever imagine’ – inside the strange business of TV… for cats
John Lewis Partnership poised to reduce bonus payout to staff March 9, 2015 THE JOHN Lewis Partnership will this week seek to cut its bonus pot for staff for a second year in a row after the supermarket price war took its toll on sales at its upmarket grocery chain Waitrose. Waitrose has grown sales and market share faster than its traditional supermarket rivals in recent years, thanks [...]
The Bottle Opener: Winemaking in the middle east March 5, 2015 Among the many wonderful things about wine are the extraordinary people who make it. Part artist, part scientist, they are always passionate, hopefully commercially minded, and never dull. Of all of them, Serge Hochar of Lebanon’s Chateau Musar was one of the most magnificent. It was his passion that created one of the world’s finest [...]
Brit boss Cloutier applauds firm on good job for investors in 2014 February 25, 2015 INSURANCE group Brit reported a 9.8 per cent rise in written premiums for 2014, up to £1.3bn from £1.2bn. The company, which is being bought by Canadian magnate Prem Watsa’s Fairfax Financial Holdings for £1.22bn, also saw combined ratio worsen from 85.4 per cent to 89.5 per cent, which chief executive Mark Cloutier attributed largely [...]
Diary of a Crowdfunder: Six months on from a transformative funding round February 25, 2015 Frazer Thompson, chief executive of winemaker Chapel Down, explains what it’s like following a successful fundraise We started a journey, 13 years ago now, to transform people’s opinions about English wine. It’s been a long, tough and sometimes frustrating journey. Most people thought we were mad. But some brave folk thought we were not. Over [...]
It’s high time supermarkets had a radical lesson in supply chain management February 10, 2015 Every year, the supermarkets hire substantial batches of high-flying graduates to work in their buying departments. The urban mythology is that these expensively-educated young people are paid to shout down the phone, browbeating suppliers to offer yet more discounts. This hectoring seems to be at the heart of the recent decision of the Groceries Code [...]
Morrisons, Tesco, Ocado and Marks & Spencer’s share prices soar after UK food sector shows signs of growth February 10, 2015 Supermarkets led the FTSE 100 higher this afternoon, after figures revealed the grocery sector was in growth once again. Morrisons' share price had recorded the biggest gains at pixel time, rising 5.5 per cent. This was on the back of Kantar figures out this morning, showing its sales had fallen 0.4 per cent, the [...]
Tesco’s share price jumps as Kantar figures reveal the supermarket has grown sales for first time in a year – but it is still losing market share February 10, 2015 Tesco's share price jumped nearly two per cent this morning after figures revealed it had grown for the first time since January 2014. The UK's biggest retailer recorded sales growth of 0.3 per cent to £7.9bn for the 12 weeks to February 1, according to Kantar Worldpanel. But that was not enough to stem the [...]
Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner heralds “online grocery revolution” as firm records first full year profit February 3, 2015 Ocado has made its first full-year profit in the company's 15-year history The figures Pre-tax profit was £7.2m for the 12 months to 30 November, compared to a loss of £12.5m during the equivalent period a year earlier. Sales went up from £843m to £972.4m, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose [...]
AG Barr is Funkin it after buying cocktail firm February 2, 2015 IRN-BRU maker AG Barr has snapped up cocktail mixer and syrups business Funkin in a deal worth up to £21m. The Camden-based business, which sells its products to bars, restaurants and retailers including Waitrose, will give AG Barr exposure to the lucrative cocktail market.
Three charts showing what a world without free Waitrose coffee looks like January 29, 2015 Middle class coffee fans across the nation were sent reeling yesterday, after Waitrose announced it's no longer going to offer free tea and coffee to myWaitrose card holders in its cafes. Yep, the dream is over: from 9 February, card holders will have to "purchase a treat" if they want to get their free latte [...]