Find out which retailers are innovating in the on and offline retail space and what they are doing to keep ahead of the curve in this dynamic and highly competitive sector. Read the financials and analysis of the large multiples, the smaller chains to independent retailers, wholesalers and suppliers
Opening the IGD Convention 2010, Sainsbury’s chief executive and IGD president, Justin King, said the food industry was well placed to help its customers meet future challenges but wasn’t being heard. “I think it’s an industry that simply does not
UK shoppers flocked to discounter Aldi in recession but the latest accounts filed at Companies House for the German-owned chain show the attraction has waned. Figures for the 12 months to 31 December 2009, reveal it made a £54m pre-tax
The Co-operative Group has won the RSPCA People’s Choice Supermarket Award for its commitments to animal welfare for the second year running. The Co-operative won the award for its commitments to higher-welfare products including Freedom Food-labeled free-range chicken, Freedom Food-labeled
BBC One is launching a new television series in November 2010, which transports today’s shop keepers back in time to the British high street in the 1870s and then propels them through a century of retail change up to the
Marks & Spencer’s total UK food sales increased by 5.2% and 3.7% on a like-for-like basis in the 13 weeks to 2 October 2010. The retailer said it had attracted more customers in the quarter, drawn by improved value and
Sainsbury’s total sales for the 16 weeks to 2 October 2010 rose by 5.2%, excluding fuel, and 2.9% on a like-for-like basis. Sainsbury’s opened its largest stores in England, Scotland and Wales in the last 10 days of quarter, including
Tesco’s group sales increased by 8.3% to £32.9bn in the 26 weeks to 28 August 2010. Group profit before tax was up 12.5% to £1.6bn. Tesco said it saw an improved trading performance in all regions in quarter two compared
Waitrose is to match the prices of 1,000 branded products with Tesco. The move builds on the launch of its essentials own label range in March 2009, which makes up 17% of sales. The lines included in the price match
The Co-operative Group, which was first to market with One Quilted Toilet Tissue and One Handwash earlier this year, has extended the sale of the ethical products to a wider base of Co-operative and Somerfield stores across the UK. Originally
Sainsbury’s is relaunching its premium Taste the Difference own label range today. The move is designed to rebuild sales of the brand, which has been hit by its own re-launched Basics range plus rival own labels. Speaking at Insight’s Future
Waitrose’s total online grocery sales increased by 54% in the six months to 31 July. The Waitrose Deliver service, where shoppers can order online and collect in store, is also growing and is now in 133 branches. Gross sales increased
Sainsbury’s is teaming up with its watercress supplier, Vitacress Salads, to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Sainsbury’s will be promoting watercress in all its stores and Vitacress salads will be making a donation of 5p per pack sold
Asda’s market share has fallen for the ninth consecutive month, according to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel, published today for the 12 weeks ending 5 September 2010. It shows Asda’s sales grew by 2.6% in the latest period, behind
The Co-operative Group has launched a web site to spearhead a marketing campaign to promote its Fairtrade credentials, including a major push in Co-operative and Somerfield stores. As well as TV and press advertising, the campaign features in-store communications, including
The ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is calling on the Low Pay Commission to recommend a freeze in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) after 1 October 2010 claiming two in five convenience stores have laid off or not replaced
Morrisons, the UK’s fourth largest supermarket, is to trial a new convenience format in the first half of 2011. The retailer is also investigating the opportunities for Morrisons online – it is the only grocery retailer in the top four,
Spar China has opened its first hypermarket in the Chinese capital, Beijing. Three more stores are planned to open this year. The store has a sales area of 5,000sq m over two floors and is located in Beijing’s Chaoyang district.
Spar UK has posted a 3.1% sales increase in the three months to end July 2010, lifted by the trend to shop locally and growth in sales of own brand products, fresh food and wine. Spar said its 2,583 stores
Group pre-tax profits at the flower and gardening home shopping group, Flying Brands, fell from £2.74m to £480,000 in the six months to 2 July as it exits non-core markets. Flying Brands is selling its online collectables business, Benham, and
The Co-operative has scooped the Best Sausage award at the annual SuperMeat & Fish Awards. The prize was awarded to the retailer for its own-brand Truly Irresistible Gluten Free Sausages. The SuperMeat & Fish Awards aim to reward excellence in
Andy Bond, chairman of Asda, revealed his future vision of retailing at the Consumer Goods Forum’s Global Summit yesterday. “There has been an irreversible shift from shoppers as consumers to consumers as participants in every one of our businesses,” he
Pupils from the City of London Freemen School revealed how the net generation of consumers are accessing, using and sharing the information that influences their daily choices and purchasing decisions in an all-singing and dancing mini-drama at the Consumer Goods
Shoppers are reaching for premium ranges such as Tesco Finest and Morrisons’ The Best, according to the latest grocery market figures from Kantar Worldpanel, published today for the 12 weeks ending 13 June 2010. In spite of total grocery market
The Co-operative Group has been named Green Supermarket of the Year at the Grocer Gold Awards in London, beating off competition from Tesco, Ocado and Morrisons. The award was given to the retailer that had done the most in the
Couture Food Hall, an urban farm shop in Woolwich Arsenal, has adapted its high end range to meet local community needs. Fiona Briggs reports
