Sports Direct allegations leads to shopper snubs on the High Street – Brand Index May 5, 2015 With sales booming and a healthy share price reflecting their success, everything on the surface looks rosy for retail giant Sports Direct. However, a Channel 4 Dispatches programme aired last week made allegations of a far more salacious nature. Workers on controversial zero-hours contracts were said to be shamed over a tannoy system for a [...]
Greene King hit by drink-driving rules in Scotland May 5, 2015 Pub and restaurant group Greene King yesterday blamed recently tightened drink-driving laws in Scotland for flat sales. The company, whose brands include Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale, plus the Hungry Horse and Loch Fyne chains, reported just a 0.4 per cent increase in sales for the 51 weeks to 26 April, but said sales [...]
Election jitters, HSBC and US losses hit FTSE – London Report May 5, 2015 BRITAIN’S top share index closed lower yesterday, tracking sharp losses in the US market, with HSBC leading the banking sector lower, after saying that a bank levy was hampering its ability to pay a higher dividend. A survey showing growth in the construction industry slowed sharply in April, while uncertainty about the outcome of tomorrow’s [...]
More changes on the Tesco board as Ken Hanna and Stuart Chambers quit May 5, 2015 It's all-change at Tesco at the moment: following the appointment of Dave Lewis as chief executive and John Allan as chairman, two of the supermarket's non-executive directors have decided to step down. More on this story: Is Sainsbury's about to have its Tesco moment? Ken Hanna and Stuart Chambers, who have served on the board for [...]
Aldi and Lidl expansion plans speed ahead of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda in supermarket wars with five times as many planning applications May 5, 2015 Rival German discounters continue to outpace the UK's "big four" in the supermarket wars with ambitious plans for expansion five times the rate of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Asda combined. While Tesco and Morrisons have been forced to shutter stores in the midst of declining sales and squeezed margins, Aldi and Lidl have submitted plans [...]
HSBC profits rise as investment banking rebounds May 5, 2015 The figures Britain's biggest bank beat analyst expectations this morning, posting profit before tax of $7bn (£4.6bn) for the first three months of 2015, up from $6.8bn (£4.5bn) a year earlier. Reported revenue came in at $15.9bn (£10.5bn) for the first quarter of 2015, broadly unchanged from the same time last year. It added that reported operating expenses [...]
Barclays’ Lehman Brothers deal to claim disputed assets will go ahead May 5, 2015 The US Supreme Court has cemented a 2014 ruling which allowed Barclays to claim about $4bn (£2.65bn) of disputed assets in its purchase of much of Lehman Brothers’ brokerage unit. Barclays, which already controlled $3.5bn of the disputed $4bn, was granted leave to take over the assets by the US Court of Appeal last year. [...]
Cost of the weekly shop declines as supermarket price war rages on May 5, 2015 The cost of the average weekly grocery shop plunged by eight per cent year-on-year in May as fierce competition between the grocers continues to impact the market. Research by mySupermarket’s Groceries Tracker showed that a basket of 35 staple products across all major grocers cost a total of £86.69 in May, down from £93.87 12 [...]
Sainsbury’s braced for first loss in a decade as supermarkets move to downsize May 5, 2015 Battling with excess space and a revival at Tesco, Sainsbury’s is having to fight harder than ever. It is early on a weekday morning, and the first wave of customers are yet to arrive at Sainsbury’s revamped store in Wandsworth – its aisles stacked high with everything from garden furniture to Le Creuset-style saucepans [...]
Tidjane Thiam will be replaced by Mike Wells as Prudential chief exec May 1, 2015 Prudential has found its successor for departing chief executive Tidjane Thiam – and they haven't had to look too far. Mike Wells, head of the company's US arm Jackson National Life, will step into the role vacated by the popular Thiam, who is leaving to head up Credit Suisse. The 55-year-old will replace a resoundingly popular [...]