Black Friday 2014: Christmas now “front of mind” for UK shoppers, says John Lewis November 25, 2014 Christmas is “now front of mind” for shoppers, John Lewis has said, with weekly sales reaching £114.2m as the business heads into the Black Friday weekend. Despite tough comparisons, John Lewis' sales rose 2.1 per cent year-on-year, and five per cent week-on-week. Last week was the first time this year that sales were above [...]
The best places to look for Black Friday deals 2014: John Lewis, Amazon, Marks & Spencer, Very, Curry’s PC World and Halfords November 24, 2014 Retailers are gearing up for Black Friday to be one of – if not the – biggest online shopping day of the year, with hundreds of promotions being planned to tempt consumers to join the spending bonanza. According to the Centre for Retail Research, shoppers will spend £1.32bn over the four days between Black [...]
Black Friday UK 2014: John Lewis and Marks & Spencer set for bumper sales weekend as mega deals entice customers November 24, 2014 You can hardly move for Black Friday promotions this week. Everyone from Amazon to Asda and John Lewis to Very is getting in on the day. Electricals like TVs, tablets and other gadgets, designer watches, clothing and toys will all have cut price offers for the weekend that starts with Black Friday and ends with [...]
John Lewis crashes through £100m weekly sales barrier after 2014 Christmas advert launch November 18, 2014 Department store John Lewis yesterday said sales in the week ending 15 November rose 7.2 per cent compared to the same time last year. The retailer, which launched its closely watched Christmas advertising campaign last week, said sales surpassed the £100m barrier for the first time this year, with tills ringing up £108.8m. [...]
Marks & Spencer poaches John Lewis finance chief Helen Weir November 17, 2014 MARKS & Spencer has poached Helen Weir from John Lewis to become its news finance director. Weir will succeed Alan Stewart, who quit M&S in July to join Tesco, and was fast-tracked into the job in September, when Tesco discovered a black hole in its accounts. Weir has been CFO at John Lewis since 2012 [...]
M&S poaches John Lewis finance director Helen Weir November 17, 2014 Marks & Spencer has appointed John Lewis finance director Helen Weir as its own chief financial officer. In a statement posted this afternoon, the retailer said Weir has yet to confirm a start date. M&S' previous finance director, Alan Stewart, left suddenly in September to take up his new role at Tesco several months earlier [...]
Sainsbury’s vs John Lewis Christmas advert 2014 battle: Which is better? November 14, 2014 Sainsbury’s has come out of nowhere to apparently topple John Lewis from its position as annual bearer of Christmas tidings and try to take its festive advertising crown. Traditionally feted for creating the best Christmas ad of the year, the retailer – and viewers – have been blindsided by darkhorse Sainsbury’s which earlier this week [...]
Sainsbury’s and John Lewis unveil 2014 Christmas adverts, but before Monty the penguin there was Ronald McDonald. A short history of the festive ad November 14, 2014 * Christmas comes but once a year, but the advertising that goes around it lasts much, much longer, with some brands seeing fit to launch their festive offerings at the beginning of November. This week saw the unveiling of Sainsbury’s festive offering. The supermarket giant partnered with the Royal British Legion to tell the story [...]
Sainsbury’s Christmas advert 2014: Surprise WWI centenary themed TV ad steals John Lewis festive video crown November 13, 2014 Has Sainsbury's managed to steal John Lewis's crown for best Christmas advert of the year? The supermarket has created a Christmas ad just as touching, heartfelt, and beautifully told as John Lewis’ Monty the penguin, but with a far deeper sentiment. The three minute video, created with ad agency AMV BBDO, eschews Christmas trees and [...]
Monty the Penguin buoys John Lewis sales November 11, 2014 John Lewis’ sales jumped 5.1 per cent to £95.7m in the week to Saturday 8 November, buoyed by the launch of its Christmas campaign featuring Monty the penguin. Week-on-week sales rose 3.9 per cent. Online sales were up 17 per cent, with “Monty” the most searched term on its website. The advert featuring a boy and his [...]