NEWS ShopTalk M
orrisons has reported a 1.6% increase in like-for- like sales, excluding fuel,
for the third quarter of the year. In the 13 weeks to 30th October, total sales excluding fuel were down by 1.2%, underlining the continuing impact of supermarket closures and the exit of M local.
Chief executive David Potts said: “Our like-for-like sales have now been positive for a year, which is thanks to the hard work and dedication of the whole Morrisons team.
“There is a lot more we plan to do. We will keep investing in becoming more competitive and improving the shopping trip, and I am confident we will serve our customers even better during the important trading period ahead.”
of John Rogers from being cfo of J Sainsbury plc to ceo of Sainsbury’s Argos, following Sainsbury’s successful acquisition of Home Retail Group plc on 2nd September 2016. Kevin will join the business on 9th January 2017 and will be a member of the J Sainsbury plc board and the business’s operating board. He is currently ceo of Poundland Group.
Waitrose is recruiting more than 5,000 people for temporary roles nationwide this Christmas to help with increased demand over the busy festive period.
New recruits will make up around 2,500 of these roles and they will be filled throughout October, November and December. The remaining roles will be filled by those who have worked for the retailer previously with many being university students home for the Christmas holidays. The full-time and part-time positions cover a variety of roles throughout the business, including Waitrose branches and little Waitrose convenience shops.
Lidl has opened a new £55m distribution centre in Southampton as part of its UK expansion plans. It has created 400 jobs and at 39,000sqm is the company’s biggest distribution centre in the UK. It will service stores around Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset and West Sussex and will support the retailer’s operations in the south of England.
J Sainsbury plc has appointed Kevin O’Byrne as chief financial officer. His appointment follows the move
6 December 2016
Marks and Spencer’s food business continues to perform strongly as outlined in its half year results for the 26 weeks to 1st October. Total sales increased by 4.0%, although like- for-like sales were down by 0.9% in a competitive market.
According to figures from Kantar World Panel, the retailer’s market share increased by 20 basis points in the most recent 12-week period, ending 9th October.
In total, 21 new stores were opened during the six-month period as the company continues to expand the reach of its food offer. The
performance of new Simply Food stores was ahead of expectations with stores opened in the past year exceeding sales forecasts by 17%.
Sainsbury’s has seen a 10.1% fall in underlying pre-tax profits for the 28 weeks to 24 September 2016 to £277m.
Booths, the family-owned supermarket chain which has stores in Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire, saw its sales fall by 0.7% to £276.6m for the year ending 26th March 2016.
According to the company, sales were impacted by continued food deflation and flooding caused by Storm Desmond. Two stores had to close due to flooding after the storm, one of which (Keswick) was out of operation for six months. In addition, underlying trading profits were down from from £3.1m to £2.6m as a result of the turbulent retail market and the costs of opening four new stores in one year.
During the half year period, like- for-like sales declined by 1.0% compared to the same period in 2015. Despite the fall in profits chief executive Mike Coupe said: “Two years ago we set out our strategy to make our customers’ lives easier, offering great quality and service at fair prices, serving our customers whenever and wherever they want. We have made good progress delivering this in challenging market conditions.
“We have invested in the quality of our products while reducing prices on everyday items, delivering volume growth and outperforming the market in customer service and availability.”
This year Sainsbury’s has opened a new online fulfilment centre to meet growing demand for home delivery groceries in London. It also acquired the Home Retail Group and says that by Christmas it will open 30 Argos digital stores and create a further 30 Argos digital collection points in its supermarkets.
Booker, the food wholesaler which owns the Londis and Budgens chains, saw total sales increase by 13% to £2.5bn in the 24 weeks to 9th September this year. Pre-tax profits increased by 9% to £81m. The company said trading in the first four weeks of the second half is ahead of the same period last year although it expects the challenging consumer and market environment to continue in the year ahead. According to the firm, the integration of the Londis and Budgens chains is going well following their acquisition last year. The company says it has already generated £28m cash from the businesses.
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