Mike Watkins news, comment and analysis – Page 12
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NewsCity snapshot: Tesco £3.7bn Booker takeover gets green light from CMA
The UK’s competition regulators are sensationally set to approve Tesco’s £3.7bn takeover of Booker, without imposing conditions such as a sell off hundreds of its stores. Plus, B&M boosts sales 22% in the first half and announces Sir Terry Leahy is to step down as chairman; Science in Sport has raised £15m in placing; and Kantar and Nielsen latest supermarket market share data.
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NewsCity snapshot: BRC-Nielsen finds food price inflation remains at 2.2% as fresh prices rise
Food price inflation remained at 2.2% in October, according to the latest BRC-Nielsen shop price index, but fresh food inflation is increasing while ambient inflation eased last month. Plus, Glanbia reports third quarter figures, clothing retailers fall after Next update and all the rest of the latest news from the City.
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NewsCity snapshot: Danone beats expectations on baby food and water demand in China
Soaring sales of baby food and water in China helped Danone comfortably beat expectations in the third quarter, but the dairy division of the global giant continued to struggle. Plus, inflation drives sales in the supermarkets but volumes slow, according to the latest Nielsen and Kantar market share data.
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NewsCity snapshot: Ocado boosts sales in Q3 but order size shrinks
Ocado has recorded double-digit increases in revenues in its third quarter but the size of the average customer order continued to shrink. Plus, Kantar and Nielsen reveal that the supermarkets recorded another month of growth; PureCircle full-year profits tumble; Reckitt Benckiser appoints a new chairman; and Eagle Eye shortens annual losses as revenues soar
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NewsUK fruit and veg shields shoppers from rising prices in supermarkets
Home-grown fruit and vegetables have helped ‘keep a lid on’ rising prices in the supermarkets in August
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NewsCity snapshot: 'Strong' travel performance keeps WH Smith on track
WH Smith has said this morning that its annual results will be in line with expectations, with the travel division of branches in airports and train stations continuing to put in a “strong performance”. Plus, food price inflation accelerates in August as ambient prices rise at fastest price for almost four years; and M&S opens talks with franchise partner Al-Futtaim for potential purchase and franchising of the owned retail business in Hong Kong and Macau.
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NewsCity snapshot: Disappointing summer halts supermarket growth as soft drinks, burgers and ice cream sales fall
A combination of a cooler weather and people heading off on summer holidays has put a stop to two months of consecutive sales growth for the UK supermarkets, according to Nielsen. Plus, Lidl increases market share to new record high of 5.2% – up 0.7 percentage points year on year – to become the UK’s seventh largest grocer, according to Kantar Worldpanel.
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NewsCity snapshot: Sales fizz at Fever-Tree on UK performance
Sales have soared 77% at premium mixer brand Fever-Tree to £72m in the first half on the back of “exceptional” growth in the UK. Plus, the latest UK supermarket market share data from Kantar Worldpanel and Nielsen; Refresco to acquire Cott’s bottling operations for $1.3bn; Lindt reveals growth in stagnating chocolate market; and PZ Cussons continues to struggle in Africa as it reveals full-year results.
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Analysis & FeaturesThe big supplier scam: how online fraudsters swindle suppliers
Fraudsters are getting more sophisticated in their attempts to swindle product out of suppliers, so what is the best way to catch the perpetrators?
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NewsCity snapshot: Ocado profits tumble as it continues to invest in growth
First-half sales at Ocado rose 12.5% to £713.8m but profits at the online grocer fell almost 20%, basket sizes continued to decline and the debt pile ballooned. Plus, Booker updates on its first quarter ahead of AGM, and grocery inflation continues to rise, according to the BRC-Nielsen shop prices index.
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NewsWarm June weather boosts supermarket sales growth to multi-year high
Warm weather in June helped the UK grocers to their largest monthly year-on-year rise in sales since July 2013, according to market share data from Nielsen, while Kantar Worldpanel finds the best supermarket growth since March 2012.
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Analysis & FeaturesConsistency is name of the game for Tesco
The furore over the launch of its so-called “fake farm” brands doesn’t appear to have bothered customers…
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NewsCity snapshot: Mounting inflation drives highest discounter growth since 2015
Mounting food price inflation is driving consumers back into the hands of Lidl and Aldi, according to the latest market share figures
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NewsGrocery sales growth hits highest level since 2013
The UK grocery market recorded its best three months of sales since September 2013, according to market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel
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NewsCity snapshot: Sainsbury’s profits dip in 'challenging' grocery market
Sainsbury’s underlying profit before tax fell by 1% in the year to 11 March amid a ’competitive and uncertain trading environment’
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NewsCity snapshot: Food prices soar at fastest rate for two years
Prices in supermarkets rose at the fastest pace for two years last month, with food inflation accelerating to 1% in March. Plus, wholesaler Palmer and Harvey signs lending deal with two tobacco giants
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NewsCity snapshot: Late Easter holds back supermarket sales
The latest grocery market share figures released this morning shows the late Easter this year has held back supermarket sales as food inflation continues to rise.
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Analysis & FeaturesSupermarket prices rising as curtain falls on deflation
The industry-wide deflation that has gripped the grocery market since mid-2014 fell back to zero in the month to 1 February
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NewsCity snapshot: £1 in every £8 spent on groceries goes to Aldi and Lidl as inflation bites
Discounters Aldi and Lidl have grabbed a record share of the grocery market, accounting for more than 12% of supermarket sales in the UK for the first time, Nielsen revealed this morning
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NewsCity snapshot: Premier Foods strikes agreement with Hong Kong hedge fund
Activist investor Oasis Management is set to further build its stake in Premier Foods after entering a customary relationship agreement