John Lewis continues to win market share August 26, 2011 John Lewis bucked the general gloom in the retail sector with another rise in weekly sales as it continued to win market share from rivals. The employee-owned business, which has been outperforming competitors for over a year, said on Friday sales at its department stores increased 2.6 per cent to £53.4m in the week to [...]
John Lewis sales lifted by rain July 22, 2011 John Lewis reported higher weekly sales as wet weather drove shoppers to its shops and its summer sale stimulated trade. Department store sales increased 3.7 per cent to £59.9m in the week to 16 July and were up 2.1 per cent excluding VAT sales tax. “Continued mixed weather helped drive a solid final week for [...]
Aldi and Lidl grow their market share July 19, 2011 DISCOUNT supermarkets have grown their market shares as cash-strapped customers seek out bargains. Aldi and Lidl saw strong market share growth in the 12 weeks to 10 July, according to figures from the Kantar Worldpanel. Aldi achieved a 20.2 per cent rise in UK market share to 3.5 per cent. Lidl’s share rose 15.6 per [...]
Crafted for a better taste July 6, 2011 THE British pub industry may be in crisis, with scores of venues reportedly closing around the country each week, but there’s one side of it that’s bubbling along rather nicely. Bars that are dedicating their trade to the kind of specialist, low-volume beers you can’t find in mainstream pubs are on the rise, as are [...]
Ocado slumps despite profit June 27, 2011 OCADO shares took a hit yesterday, falling 9.1 per cent despite the company reporting its first profit and unveiling a deal to deliver a range from French supermarket giant Carrefour. Chief executive Tim Steiner admitted the online delivery retailer had issues with capacity but said its growth plan was on track. In the six months [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: CAN OCADO LIVE UP TO ITS EXPANSION PLANS? June 27, 2011 CLIVE BLACK | SHORE CAPITAL In its half-year update Ocado disappointed the market. With a very challenging consumer economic environment and Waitrose’s challenge to come, we believe there are few tailwinds to support Ocado’s momentum. Hence, unsurprisingly with downgrades, we remain cautious on Ocado stock. ANNA SMEE | HUNDRED The fundamental question mark above Ocado [...]
Ocado sees slim profit as it seals Carrefour deal June 27, 2011 Online grocery delivery company Ocado has announced a deal to sell products supplied by French supermarket giant Carrefour, while reporting a small half-year profit. Its new Carrefour range will be in addition to its Waitrose lines. In the six months to 15 May, Ocado made a pre-tax profit of £200,000, compared with a loss of [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD in association with GFT June 26, 2011 COMPANIES ● Today, Ocado releases its half-year results. Its share price suffered last week on the back of JP Morgan Cazenove cutting its rating and the news that Waitrose is gearing up to compete with it directly in London. ● Tomorrow, Daisy will deliver its preliminary earnings release. The company sells internet and telecommunications services. [...]
High Street retailers see falling sales June 3, 2011 MAJOR high street retailers Laura Ashley and John Lewis both yesterday reported falls in sales over the past four months. Home and womenswear retailer Laura Ashley said total sales fell 4.5 per cent and like-for-like sales fell 1.3 per cent in the four months to the end of May as falling real incomes and price [...]
Laura Ashley and John Lewis see sales slide June 3, 2011 Major high street retailers Laura Ashley and John Lewis have both reported falls in sales over the past four months. Home and womenswear retailer Laura Ashley said total sales fell 4.5 per cent in the four months to the end of May as it closed loss-making stores and refurbished others. Like-for-like sales were down 1.3 [...]