Ocado slumps after grocery profits go off December 19, 2011 SHARES in Ocado took a battering yesterday after the online grocer warned that full-year profits would come in below expectations, due to problems at its main distribution centre in north London. The company, which sells goods from high-end supermarket chain Waitrose, said underlying earnings for the year would be within a range of £27.5m–£28.5m, down [...]
CITY VIEWS: are you surprised by the slump at ocado? December 19, 2011 Nico Tyabji Bloomberg “I can see how Ocado didn’t do very well this year because of the difficult economic climate. I don’t use it although I shop at Waitrose – I find it hard to take the leap to an online service like Ocado.” Reza Kaci City Index “I remember Ocado has had trouble before, [...]
Ocado issues profit warning December 19, 2011 British online grocer Ocado said its full-year earnings were on track to rise by at least a quarter after an easing of supply bottlenecks at its main distribution centre helped weekly deliveries hit a new record. But Ocado, which mostly sells the products of high-end supermarket chain Waitrose, said underlying earnings for the year to [...]
Waitrose tops supermarket poll December 15, 2011 Waitrose has topped the Which? annual customer satisfaction survey for the third year running, winning a score of 83 per cent as its big four rivals failed to impress. Budget retailers Aldi and Lidl came second and third respectively, beating Mark & Spencer – which came fourth – for the first time. Tesco and The [...]
Stuck for wine this Xmas? Try a Madeira my dear December 12, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT In the great age of exploration, Portuguese sailors would fill the holds of their ships with the wines of Madeira and sail to the New World. Like many wines of the era, destined for export, they were fortified – grape spirit was added to improve their stability and [...]
Ocado running late more often December 4, 2011 ONLINE grocer Ocado has seen the punctuality of its deliveries slip in the face of increasing demand. The listed company, which sells Waitrose goods, is understood to have delivered 90-95 per cent of its shopping early or on time in the past three months, compared to an average punctuality rate of 95.5 per cent in [...]
Travelodge bets on convenience stores to spur £130m budget hotel expansion November 27, 2011 E-TILLS ARE RINGING FOR CYBER MONDAY TRAVELODGE has joined forces with Waitrose, the supermarket chain, to build three mixed use hotel and retail sites in a £27m scheme. The budget hotel chain said yesterday that it is also looking at 25 other sites next to big supermarkets in a £130m expansion that is expected to [...]
Wine merchant gives supermarkets run for money November 14, 2011 WHEN Majestic halved its minimum purchase from 12 bottles to six in September 2009, it transformed the business. Customers who had never shopped there before gave it a try; profits and sales have grown at double digit rates ever since. Until now. In the first six weeks of its second half, like-for-like sales dipped by [...]
UK’s economic outlook reveals unsightly view November 7, 2011 ACCOUNTANCY firm BDO joins an ever-growing group warning that the UK’s economy is on the cusp of recession. In its latest business trends report, optimism levels came in below the crucial 95.0, for the first time since July 2009, for both the manufacturing and services sectors. BDO partner Peter Hemington says: “Businesses’ hiring intentions point [...]
Aldi market share lifts in tough climate October 11, 2011 BUDGET supermarket groups are growing sales faster than rivals in Britain’s grocery sector as cash-strapped shoppers battle to preserve their income by trading down, market research showed yesterday. Kantar Worldpanel said grocery sales rose 5.1 per cent year-on-year in the 12 weeks to 3 October, up from 4.5 per cent in the previous 12 week [...]