Waitrose and budget stores winning sales April 24, 2012 UK CONSUMER habits are becoming increasingly divided, accordingly to new retail data that shows higher-end and budget retailers growing market share while those occupying the middle ground lose out. Kantar Worldpanel figures for the 12 weeks to 15 April 2012 showed upmarket supermarket Waitrose increasing market share from 4.3 per cent to 4.5 per cent [...]
Have some truly egg-cellent fun this Easter break April 4, 2012 Rococo Hens Eggs Stuffed With Praline, £24.99, Selfridges “Having actual eggs full of praline is a good idea,” said tasters, “but there are some serious structural problems”. For one: “it all gets sticky and messy after a few minutes of peeling the egg shell. A lot of cleaning up required.” Another complained that “the praline [...]
John Lewis sales hit by fine weather March 30, 2012 John Lewis, Britain’s biggest department store chain, said today hot weather held back last week’s sales growth, as shoppers spent more time outdoors, in addition to tough comparative numbers last year. The retailer said department store sales rose 6.5 per cent to £57.9m in the week to March 24. This was a slowdown from the [...]
Tesco continues to shed market share as Asda hits record high March 27, 2012 TESCO has continued to shed market share in the first three months of 2012, latest figures showed yesterday, while number two supermarket Asda has seen its slice of the pie jump to a record high. According to Kantar data released yesterday, Tesco’s year-on-year growth lagged behind the rest of the sector at just 2.7 per [...]
John Lewis sales rise March 23, 2012 John Lewis sales boosted by sun, mum, and iPads Kendal Gapinski John Lewis reported that last week’s volume of trade was a March record due to sunny weather, Mother’s Day, and the launch of the new iPad. Its sales jumped 20.9 per cent year-on-year to £63.1m. Britain’s biggest department store chain said that a sales [...]
John Lewis is upbeat on 2012 March 7, 2012 THE CHAIRMAN of John Lewis has predicted a modest recovery for retailers this year despite unveiling a sharp fall in annual profits. Charlie Mayfield told City A.M. the sector would shift from “decline to growth” this year following a “bloody difficult” 2011. He added: “I’m not in any way underplaying how serious the challenges are. [...]
John Lewis cuts staff bonus as profit falls March 7, 2012 Britain’s biggest department store group John Lewis cut its staff bonus for the first time in three years and posted a 3.8 per cent fall in year profit, showing even the firm’s affluent customer base is not immune to straitened times. The 148-year-old employee-owned group, whose stakeholder business model has been lauded by politicians including [...]
Store wars fail to dent Ocado sales March 5, 2012 ONLINE grocer Ocado said the industry competition in Britain is the toughest in the world as it reassured its battered investors with a jump in first-quarter sales. The firm, which has seen its share price halve over the last year, posted a 10.9 per cent rise in gross sales to £162.1m but chief financial officer [...]
Ocado forecasts faster sales growth March 5, 2012 Online grocer Ocado posted a double-digit rise in first-quarter sales and forecast an acceleration in sales growth as the year progresses, service initiatives kick in and distribution capacity increases. The company, which mostly sells the products of upmarket grocer Waitrose via a fleet of brightly coloured vans, said on Monday gross sales increased 10.9 per [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 1, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES STAFF AT JOHN LEWIS BRACED FOR BONUS CUT The John Lewis Partnership is next week expected to announce the first cut in its staff bonus for three years as high street turmoil takes its toll on the employee-owned retailer. Analysts who track the group’s weekly sales figures forecast a pay-out of 12-14 per [...]