Dave Lewis’s shopping list: Blueprint for a Tesco turnaround plan October 23, 2014 Another update, another set of gloomy results from Tesco. The pattern is now well established, and yesterday’s weak trading numbers didn’t come as a great surprise. But one thing that did surprise was the apparent lack of a forward strategy. What is new chief executive Dave Lewis going to focus on? The issue of price [...]
Is Waitrose boss Mark Price right that the Big Four supermarkets are “20 years out of date”? October 22, 2014 James McGregor, director of Retail Remedy, says Yes. Mark Price is correct that structural shifts in retail are a far bigger threat to the Big Four (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons) than Aldi and Lidl. Yes, the discounters are a problem, but they’re not the big problem. The main issue is that people’s grocery shopping [...]
Tesco suffers worst decline in grocery sector October 21, 2014 TESCO emerged as the biggest loser in the grocery sector over the past three months, despite sales showing signs of recovery, as the supermarket price war and fierce competition continued to take its toll on the troubled retailer. The company, which stunned the City last month with revelations of a £250m black hole in its [...]
Tesco share price rises as declines in its market share slows, while Waitrose reaches record high October 21, 2014 Tesco shares rose 2.2 percent in mid-morning trading after new figures showed while it has lost yet more market share, its rate of decline is slowing. while Waitrose has climbed to a record high, doing just enough to keep it ahead of German challengers Aldi and Lidl. The figures, by Kantar Worldpanel, also showed [...]
Moody’s thinks Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons’ profit margins will continue shrinking October 17, 2014 Profit margins at the so-called “big four” supermarkets will shrink even further than they have already as they fight a losing battle against discounters, according to rating agency Moody's. "Further price cuts could be particularly credit negative for Tesco and Morrison as their cost-cutting and efficiency measures are unlikely to fully offset the negative impact [...]
Sainsbury’s #50pChallenge is a poster boy for its decline – Brand Index October 7, 2014 THESE are not happy times for Sainsbury’s. It became the brunt of many a joke when a poster meant for staff asking them to convince shoppers to spend an extra 50p on their visits was mistakenly displayed in a branch window. Photos of the poster went viral with the #50pChallenge hashtag. Discounter Lidl had a [...]
Store wars: Lidl attacks Morrisons with combative ad campaign October 4, 2014 Lidl have launched a new ad campaign, ridiculing Morrisons's attempts to match their prices. This may sound like dry advertising rivalry, but the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown down. Great advertisement from @LidlUK – very clever response to @Morrisons price pledge. pic.twitter.com/zUwrEKms6c — Steve Myall (@stevemyalleats) October 4, 2014 The advert lists the steps [...]
David vs Goliath? Why Tesco’s “Every Little Helps” is losing the battle for supermarket supremacy October 3, 2014 Like most of us, I’ve been watching the differing fortunes of Tesco and Aldi play out over the past few days. And it’s compulsive viewing, not least of all because we love the underdog. Plucky little Aldi with just 500 stores, takes on the might of Tesco and gives the goliath a bloody nose. Great [...]
UK supermarkets vs German discounters: Morrisons gets tough as Buffett attacks Tesco October 2, 2014 Britain’s embattled supermarkets have finally begun their fight back against German discounters Aldi and Lidl who have been eating their lunch in recent months with double-digit growth in the sector. Morrison, the UK’s fourth biggest supermarket, will launch its first customer loyalty card today, along with a price-matching scheme that its chief executive has labelled [...]
Sainsbury’s needs to shore up the shop – Bottom Line October 1, 2014 In business, timing is everything, and retail moves faster than most businesses. Justin King, Sainsbury’s ex-kingpin, seems to have grasped this better than most when he sailed off into the sunset earlier this year, just as the storm clouds were gathering over the supermarket. Under King’s helm, Sainsbury’s reported a 2.1 per cent rise in [...]