Asda and Sainsbury’s slash petrol prices as Black Friday shopping event begins November 23, 2018 Asda and Sainsbury’s have slashed petrol prices today as UK consumers participate in Black Friday. Both supermarkets have cut 1p per litre off the price of unleaded and 2p off each litre of diesel following a decrease in the wholesale cost. Customers of the UK’s second and third largest food stores will pay no more [...]
GCHQ shares eight ways to shop Black Friday sales without getting hacked November 23, 2018 The UK's online shoppers are "prime pickings" for hackers and targeted attacks this Black Friday weekend, British spy agency GCHQ has warned. As promotional offers begin to fill up the inboxes of buyers across the country today, the defence agency's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued advice on how to tell the difference between genuine deals [...]
Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot festive advert toy causes shopping hysteria November 23, 2018 Sales of Aldi's Kevin the Carrot plush toys have sent UK shoppers wild ahead of Black Friday, with the toy selling out online and in stores up and down the country less than a day after being made available. The release of Aldi's Christmas advert this year saw the return of Kevin the Carrot and his [...]
Fuller’s preparations for Christmas eat into profits, despite revenue receiving a World Cup boost November 23, 2018 Profits at pub chain Fuller's Brewery have fallen as the firm attempted to brace itself for the Christmas period, despite rising revenues after a long summer and England's performance in the World Cup. Its share price fell more than 1.2 per cent as markets opened this morning. The figures Revenue for the six months to [...]
We live in a material world, so let’s embrace Black Friday – and freedom November 23, 2018 Today is Black Friday: a day that conjures up images of keen shoppers scrambling to be first in the door at 5am to secure that half-price LED 50-inch TV, while scrums of people fight tooth and nail for the last discounted kettle. This is how we usually characterise this annual sales fest, ever since Asda [...]
Shareholders yearn for retail chiefs like Swann November 22, 2018 It has been an annus horribilis for the high street. Closures, job cuts and profit warnings in the last 12 months have all thrown scrutiny on the industry – and its bosses – like never before. Which is why yesterday’s announced departure of SSP chief executive Kate Swann is all the more significant. Swann is [...]
Black Friday shoppers prepare to spend £2.4bn – here’s what they’re buying November 22, 2018 UK shoppers are set to spend a record £2.44bn on Black Friday tomorrow, with £2.95m being spent every minute as people prepare to do their Christmas shopping early. High streets will attract the majority of the spend despite a tough year of declining sales, as retailers expect to net £1.41bn from brick-and-mortar stores. Digital isn’t [...]
Second major shareholder plans to vote down the Restaurant Group’s Wagamama deal November 22, 2018 A second major investor will oppose the Restaurant Group’s (TRG) £600m acquisition of Wagamama on the grounds of price. The investor – which declined to be named – told Morning Wire that the multi-million pound price tag is too expensive. It comes after top 10 shareholder Columbia Threadneedle, which owns 7.7 per cent of TRG, [...]
Vivienne Westwood sales up as luxury brands resist retail troubles November 22, 2018 Luxury fashion label Vivienne Westwood saw a rise in sales last year as high-end designers defy tough conditions for UK retailers. The designer brand’s turnover was £40.8m in 2017, up from £37.5m the year before, though profit remained flat at £1.9m. The company said 2017 was a “challenging year”, with retail conditions putting pressure on [...]
Model train maker Hornby narrows losses as it plans to get back on track November 22, 2018 Model railway maker Hornby today said it will end discounting as it reported a reduction in losses in the six months to the end of September, sending shares up more than five per cent. The figures Hornby’s revenue was down to £13.8m from £17m in the same period last year. Group loss before tax was £3.2m, [...]