Marks & Spencer needs to reinvent its general merchandise offer to reverse declining sales and remain relevant to shoppers, according to leading retail commentators. Bolland: bowing out amid declining GM sales Speaking as the high street giant announced that its chief executive,
Marks & Spencer has reported a 6.1% rise in pre-tax profits to £661.2m for the year to 28 March 2015 with a strong performance in food, despite a deflationary environment. Sales of general merchandise, including clothing, were below expectations but
Marks & Spencer has reported an improved sales trend in clothing, food continues to outperform the market and its gross margins are heading in the right direction but still too many ‘buts’ remain, according to Stephen Springham, chief knowledge officer, Planet
Marks & Spencer has delivered a mixed bag of results in the third quarter. Food performed well with sales up 2.8% and 0.1% on a like-for-like basis in the 13 weeks to 27 December 2014 with record sales in the key
Despite the mayhem of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Christmas shopping is still an event we like to make a day of. Research from the British Sandwich Association shows nine in 10 people (91.5%) say a food stop in as an essential part of
UK retail sales grew 0.9%, on a like-for-like basis from November 2013, when they had increased 0.6% on the preceding year, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. On a total basis, sales were up 2.2%, against a 2.3% rise
Overall shop prices reported deflation for the nineteenth consecutive month, unchanged at 1.9% in November, according to November’s BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index. Food reported annual deflation for the first time since the series began in December 2006, falling 0.2% in November. Both
UK retail sales were down 2.1% on a like-for-like basis from September 2013, when they had increased 0.7% on the preceding year, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. On a total basis, sales were down 0.8%, against a 2.4%
Starbucks is teaming up with Pod, known for its seasonal and nutritious fresh food served from 23 stores across London, to offer selected food from its breakfast and lunch ranges at three Starbucks stores in central London for a trial
Marks & Spencer is unifying its food and fashion campaigns under its ‘Only M&S’ format this autumn. According to the retailer, the move is designed to provide customers with a clearer, more consistent message about the M&S brand. Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, executive
UK retail sales were down 0.3% on a like-for-like basis from July 2013, when they had increased 2.2% on the preceding year, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. On a total basis, sales were up 1.3%, against a 3.9%
UK retail sales were up 0.5% on a like-for-like basis from May 2013, when they had increased 1.8% on the preceding year, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. On a total basis, sales were up 2.0%, against a
Tesco, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer have all reported a decline in UK like-for-like sales over the key Christmas trading period. Tesco reported a 2.4% decline in like-for-like sales in the UK for the six weeks to 4 January 2014.
Could Marks & Spencer’s recent share price gains amount to little more than a bounce? Brenda Kelly, chief market strategist at financial spread betting company IG, discusses possible future movements for the stock Reports from the retail sector over the
Overall shop prices reported annual deflation for the seventh consecutive month in November, slowing to 0.3% from the 0.5% decline reported in October, according to the BRC-Nielsen November Shop Price Index. Food inflation slowed to 2.3% in November from 2.7% in
Verdict forecasts that Christmas 2013 is set to be the best Christmas since the recession started, with consumers spending at least £2bn more than in 2012. A baby boom and more reasons to be cheerful Consumer confidence drives spending and
Testing to determine where food comes from (starting with meat and eggs) looks set to be stepped up by major food retailers and processors in the wake of the discovery that a sample of pork labelled as British probably came from
Like-for-like food sales at The Co-operative Group fell 1.1% in the first six months but the Group suffered a £559m loss overall a result of new write-downs in its troubled banking arm. Operating profit in food dipped to £117.4m In
UK retail has shown signs of steadiness rather than notable improvement over the past quarter, and quarter three is likely to be a continuance of this trend. This was the overriding view of the KPMG/Ipsos Retail Think Tank (RTT)
Community retailer The Midcounties Co-operative has announced record annual gross sales of £943m in its annual results for 2012/13, 20% higher than the previous year. The results show the biggest increase was from its Co-operative Energy business, where sales surged
Asda is accelerating development of its multi-channel business with investment in click and collect for food and general merchandise and same day delivery on grocery home shopping. Announcing a 4.5% uplift in total sales, including petrol, to £22.8bn for 2012
Danielle Pinnington, managing director at shopper research company, Shoppercentric, considers how squeezed household budgets will impact shopping, catering and gifting this Christmas Christmas is the big celebration of the year, the chance to get together with family, and put worries
Marks & Spencer has reported a 10% fall in profits in the first half following a decline in general merchandise sales including women’s clothing. In the 26 weeks ending 29 September 2012, profit before tax fell to £290m compared with
A combination of offering premium and value products helped Sainsbury’s increase sales by 4.5% (excluding fuel) and by 2.1% on a like-for-like basis in the third quarter. According to Sainsbury’s, sales of its premium Taste the Difference own label grew
Christmas 2011 is unlikely to bring much relief to hard-pressed retailers, according to retail research agency, Decipher. It is predicting total festive spend will be 0.6% or £200m lower this year than it was in 2010. Electrical retailers, in particular,
