Low inflation in 2015 battered businesses as consumers rejoiced January 18, 2016 Businesses lost out to the tune of £16.8bn last year due to low inflation, new research given to City A.M. shows. Prices were only 0.1 per cent higher in November than a year ago, well below the Bank of England’s two per cent inflation target, and hovered around zero per cent for most of 2015. [...]
The count is in: These are the retail winners and losers for Christmas 2015 (according to Hargreaves Lansdown) January 15, 2016 After a busy few days chock-full of Christmas retail results, we're finally beginning to get a sense of who the winners and losers of 2015's festive period might be. Yesterday, Tesco surprised investors with better-than-expected results, rounding off a solid performance among the UK's traditional supermarket sector – although Asda is still yet to report. Marks & [...]
Big Four fight back: Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco report rising sales after years of stagnation January 15, 2016 Tesco became the third supermarket to reveal better-than expected Christmas results yesterday, in the clearest sign yet that the industry is staging a successful fightback against German discounters Aldi and Lidl. The so-called big four – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons – have been battling to respond to changing shopping habits and reverse the tide [...]
Is Tesco saved? A small victory for Dave Lewis in the supermarket’s Christmas results, but 2016 remains a challenge January 14, 2016 Tesco reported its best Christmas trading results since Dave Lewis has been at the helm but does this really mean that ‘Drastic Dave’ and his management team can breathe a little easier? The dynamics of grocery shopping has changed with value and convenience the two biggest factors for consumers. Competition has never been fiercer so it would [...]
Best UK companies to work for in 2016: Jaguar Land Rover, AstraZeneca and Harrods top the list January 14, 2016 Jaguar Land Rover, AstraZeneca and Harrods are the top three UK companies to work for, according to a ranking by Statista, which was compiled for Bloomberg. Other household names comprising the top 10 included Adidas, Dyson, Microsoft, Estee Lauder, Sky, Frankie and Benny's and Rolls-Royce. Those working in the professional services were most likely to recommend their employer, while employees in [...]
Tesco’s share price soars as supermarket beats expectations for Christmas trading as sales rise January 14, 2016 Tesco has beaten expectations for its Christmas trading, with sales up for the six weeks to 9 January, prompting the supermarket's share price to soar more than seven per cent this morning. The figures The UK's largest retailer grew group sales by 2.1 per cent in the six weeks to 9 January, with UK like-for-likes [...]
Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons: Supermarket petrol price wars to intensify as oil rout deepens January 13, 2016 The supermarket petrol price war is set to intensify, as the "lower for much longer" mantra sweeps through global oil markets. Oil has fallen around 15 per cent since all big four supermarkets – Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons – slashed diesel prices to below £1 earlier this month. A Morrisons spokesperson said: “If oil prices continue to fall [...]
Sainsbury’s share price drops despite beating expectations as supermarket offers more detail on possible Argos deal January 13, 2016 Sainsbury's share price dropped this morning, despite beating expectations for the crucial Christmas period – and lifting the lid on its reasons for making a bid for Argos parent Home Retail Group. The figures Total retail sales for the supermarket were up 0.8 per cent in the 15 weeks to 9 January. Including fuel, sales were down [...]
Yorkshire Tea makes for a Brand new firm on list January 13, 2016 It’s that time of the year again. YouGov has published its BrandIndex Buzz score rankings for 2015, and for the second year in succession Aldi and Lidl are the brands with the greatest score. This is whether a respondent has heard something positive or negative about a brand in the last two weeks. The German [...]
Aldi sold one million turkeys this Christmas January 12, 2016 Traditional retailers might have had a tough Christmas trading period, but Aldi continues to prove it's no turkey. The German grocer today said it experienced its highest ever sales in a single day this festive period – peaking on 23 December – since launching in the UK 25 years ago. The discount retailer welcomed "hundreds of [...]