Sainsbury’s to trial selling clothing online June 9, 2014 Sainsbury is to take on its high street and supermarket rivals by selling its clothing brand TU online for the first time. People close to the company previously said that clothing margins were too low justify delivering clothes bought online to customers. However in a statement yesterday Sainsbury’s said it will pilot selling [...]
Global house prices slow as the UK jumps up world rankings June 2, 2014 Global house prices have increased for the eighth quarter in a row but the rate of price growth is now slowing, according to figures out today from Knight Frank. Prices rose by 7.1 per cent in the year to March, according to the property agency’s Global House Price Index. However the last quarter [...]
John Lewis reveals the five brand new technologies it’s investing in May 27, 2014 John Lewis today crowned the five technology startups that have won a place in the retailer’s technology incubator, called JLAB. The winners were chosen from a shortlist of 30 companies that were given five minutes last week to pitch a product that will help ensure John Lewis’s stores and website remain at the forefront [...]
Former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed sells his flash sales site to MySale May 27, 2014 Mohamed Al Fayed has sold his luxury flash sales website Cocosa for an undisclosed sum to MySale, an Australian rival backed by Philip Green that is looking to expand in the UK. The former Harrods boss bought Cocosa in 2011 after selling his world-famous store to Qatar Holdings the previous year, with the view [...]
Where digital companies are setting up camp in London May 22, 2014 Tech-type firms have, for a long time, been victim of being lumped together as one sector, with property agents talking about these companies moving “east” of the capital. Often to rather confusingly entitled areas known as the City “fringe” or the “northern fringe” – names that make you think of a haircut rather than [...]
What does the Japanese luxury market hold for Burberry? May 21, 2014 Burberry has set its sights firmly on Japan, announcing plans this morning to quadruple sales in the world’s second biggest luxury market by 2017 as its licenses with local partners come to an end. With those ambitions in mind – and with continued concerns over emerging market growth – how has the Japanese luxury [...]
Three tech start-ups hoping to win over John Lewis May 19, 2014 John Lewis will kick-off its search tomorrow for the next big idea to help its stores stay ahead in the digital age, with 30 technology start-ups battling out for a place in the retailer’s technology incubator JLAB. Each firm will deliver a five minute pitch to a panel of John Lewis directors and mentors [...]
Why British shoppers still seem to buy British when it comes to food May 14, 2014 There are many products that claim to be the best thing since sliced bread. But none of them have outdone it yet, according to new research. Bread maker Warbutons is apparently the UK’s most popular food brand, picked an average of 25 times a year by 86 per cent of UK households. According [...]
Will London property prices keep going up? Here are five factors that could decide May 12, 2014 The London property market did rather better than anyone might have thought during the recession, which has led experts to ask what could happen in the boom, what are the constraints and how London will adapt if it is to continue to grow at its current rate? These are some of the question CBRE’s [...]
4 ways Waitrose plans to use technology to outsmart its rivals May 8, 2014 Britain’s upmarket grocer Waitrose’s is trialling an array of new technology and services at its newly opened Swindon store that it hopes will give it the edge over its rivals and lure more customers through its doors. In a presentation to analysts and media last week, managing director Mark Price said the 40,000 square [...]
