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 [...]
UK retail sales increase at strongest rate since February 2010 in December January 17, 2014 Christmas was a pretty mixed bag for some retailers, but figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest that the squeeze on consumers is easing, and they were able to make the most of bargain and discount shopping. December retail sales jumped 5.3 per cent from a year earlier, up 2.6 per cent in the [...]
These festive victors have found a way of winning online and in store January 16, 2014 Argos, Primark, Halfords, Homebase, Dixons and Ocado: the raft companies who saw sales leap over the Christmas period, and present a stark contrast to the big names (M&S, Tesco and Morrisons) that reported gloomy – and sometimes grim – results last week. It's become something of a cliche to keep emphasising the need for transition [...]
Inside Track: The EU’s rules to cap bankers’ bonuses aren’t working January 15, 2014 CREATE a loophole and bankers will leap through it quicker than you can say “deferred compensation”: that seems to be one of the axioms of the aftermath of the financial crisis. Examine the consequences of the European Commission’s cap on the multiple of salaries that banks can dish out in variable pay, though, and the [...]
Apple falls out of favour with UK consumers January 15, 2014 Apple has fallen out of favour with UK consumers, losing its coveted spot as one of the UK’s top 10 brands. Last year Apple’s iPad held the No 6 slot on YouGov’s BrandIndex report, but this year the technology giant is nowhere to be found. UK Top Brands 1. BBC iPlayer (no change)2. John Lewis [...]