Labour: free coffee to stay March 3, 2014 A LABOUR MP who called on his colleagues to press supermarket chain Waitrose into withdrawing its free coffee and newspaper deal for loyalty card holders has received short shrift from his own party. Andy Sawford accused the firm of taking business away from independent shops, but a Labour spokesperson put an end to the budding [...]
Tesco retreats as Clarke puts the brakes on February 25, 2014 Supermarket pulls out of the space race with plans to slash spending and cut prices TESCO’S chief executive pledged yesterday to put the brakes on its UK expansion and spend £200m slashing prices as Britain’s biggest grocer seeks to revive sales and win back falling market share. Speaking at an investor conference, Philip Clarke laid [...]
Grocery sales grow at slowest pace since 2005 February 11, 2014 BRITAIN’S grocery market is growing at its slowest pace since 2005, with only discounters as well as Waitrose and Sainsbury’s defying the downturn and growing market share. Figures out yesterday from Kantar Worldpanel showed that grocery sales rose by 2.4 per cent in the 12 weeks to 2 February compared with the same time last [...]
John Lewis makes changes to its gold-plated final salary scheme January 30, 2014 JOHN LEWIS is set to make cuts to its generous pension scheme, one of the few non-contributory final-salary schemes left in the country. The department store group, which also owns Waitrose supermarkets, launched a review of its pension scheme in March last year after revealing that the deficit had ballooned to £840m. The draft proposals [...]
Bottom Line: An orderly handover but uneasy lies any head wearing this crown January 29, 2014 LONG live the new king. Sainsbury’s emphasis is firmly on continuity as it announces its new boss. The choice of commercial director Mike Coupe is the antithesis of a palace coup – every inch a loyal insider, Coupe is closely tied to King’s strategic vision, as demonstrated by his involvement in recent successes like Brand [...]
Waitrose and Tesco to set up Tube collection January 29, 2014 TESCO and Waitrose are opening six click-and-collect points each in the London Underground this year, as part of TfL’s efforts to get more retailers using the Tube. The supermarkets will follow Asda, which is running a six-month trial in car parks near Tube stations, with plans to open more outlets this year. Tesco will launch [...]
Tesco and Waitrose set to open Tube shops January 29, 2014 Tesco and Waitrose are opening six click-and-collect points each in the London Underground this year, as part of TfL’s efforts to get more retailers using the Tube. The supermarkets will follow Asda, which is running a six-month trial in carparks near Tube stations, with ambitions to open more outlets. Tesco will launch at station car [...]
Restaurant review: Wright Brothers January 28, 2014 RESTAURANT 8-9 Lamb Street, Spitalfields, E1 6EA Tel: 0207 377 8706 FOOD Four Stars VALUE Three Stars ATMOSPHERE Four Stars Cost for two with nice wine: £180 A FEW years ago I came up with an idea for a new law: the meat licence. To get a meat licence – a legal document allowing you [...]
Supermarkets look to generate own electricity January 26, 2014 SUPERMARKET chains are increasingly looking to generate their own energy, as a means of securing supply, cutting costs and reducing their carbon emissions. FTSE 100-listed Sainsbury’s “will continue to invest in low-carbon technologies including solar panels for stores and depots in 2014,” a spokesperson told City A.M. The retailer opened two carbon-neutral stores late last [...]
Why Sainsbury’s is SocGen’s favourite supermarket January 22, 2014 When it came to supermarkets’ Christmas performance in the UK, the discounters claimed the victory. Aldi and Lidl saw sales leap, both increasing their market shares. It was good news for high-end store Waitrose, too, which also saw a bumper festive period. It’s the Big Four – or, at least, three of them (Tesco, Asda [...]