Unilever misses estimates amid slowdown in emerging markets October 17, 2019 Consumer goods giant Unilever missed City estimates this morning as tough weather comparatives and a slowdown in several emerging markets dented sales. The Ben and Jerry’s ice cream maker has posted underlying sales growth of €13.3bn (£11.5bn) for the third quarter, marking a 2.9 per cent rise that narrowly came below consensus expectations. Read more: [...]
Domino’s Pizza UK to quit international markets October 17, 2019 Domino’s UK has announced that it will close its international operations, where the pizza delivery firm said performance had been “disappointing”. Read more: Why Domino’s sell off was overcooked Chief executive David Wild said said the decision to shutter its operations in Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden came after it decided “we are not the [...]
Lidl invests £15bn in British suppliers October 16, 2019 Lidl has announced a £15bn investment in its UK suppliers as it pledged to sell more British meat and fresh food. The German discount supermarket announced the five-year investment today as it marked 25 years operating in the UK. Read more: Lidl’s suppliers warned of EU tariff import costs As part of the announcement, the [...]
Asos doubles down on Black Friday after profit dives 68 per cent October 16, 2019 Asos has vowed to boost its Black Friday discounting this year after a “disappointing” attempt in 2018 weakened the fashion retailer’s bid to attract new customers. The online marketplace offered a 20 per cent discount to consumers on the annual shopping event last year, however today the firm admitted its offer had been “uncompetitive” compared [...]
Jobs at risk as Jessops boss mulls rescue plan October 16, 2019 The owner of struggling camera retailer Jessops, Dragons Den star Peter Jones, is preparing to appoint administrators in a bid to rescue the firm, in a move that could lead to store closures and rent cuts. JR Prop Limited, the manager of the retailer’s leasehold property estate, has filed a notice of intention to appoint [...]
Loungers revenue soars following restaurant expansion October 16, 2019 Loungers, the owner of the Lounge and Cosy Club restaurant brands, said revenue soared over the summer as the company opened 10 new venues. Revenue in the 24 weeks to 6 October was £79.8m, an increase of 22 per cent on the previous year, as the group opened eight Lounges and two new Cosy Clubs. [...]
Asos profit falls by two-thirds as expansion costs push up debt October 16, 2019 Profit at Asos fell by 68 per cent in the year to August as the UK fashion giant took a hit from a major overhaul of its business model and costly international expansion. The online retailer blamed the drop on a costly operational expansion into Europe and the US which was fraught with problems including [...]
Click and collect services could boost in-store sales October 16, 2019 Investment in click and collect services could boost bricks and mortar sales as customers make last minute purchases when they pick-up items in store. More than eight in 10 customers said they buy extra items in store when using click and collect, according to the latest research, and more than three quarters of retailers said [...]
Eco-friendly product sales surge on climate change awareness October 16, 2019 Environmentally aware consumers moved away from one-use plastics this year as climate change activism hit the headlines, sparking a surge in sales of eco-friendly items. Sales of reusable straws increased 1,573 per cent at John Lewis due to heightened awareness of the environmental impact of single-use plastics. Read more: Climate activists target bankers during second [...]
Blame game: Thomas Cook bosses point finger at government as MPs slam high pay October 15, 2019 Former Thomas Cook bosses have pointed the finger at the government for failing to stump up emergency cash to keep the firm trading last month, in a heated evidence session with MPs. Members of the collapsed holiday giant’s board, including chairman Frank Meysman and chief executive Peter Fankhauser, were today hauled in front of MPs [...]