Retail

A senior Coca-Cola executive has admitted the soft drinks giant mishandled the recent scare over contaminated Coke in Belgium and France. It is the first time the US company has said its response to the crisis, in which more than 200 people complained of vomiting and headaches after drinking Coke, was inappropriate. Coke worldwide chief […]

St Ivel’s marketing director Adrian Cox has resigned following a restructuring of the business which would have seen his role diminish. The restructure, which started in January, has resulted in the company’s chilled business being split into two divisions – potted yogurts, snacks and desserts; and spreads. Cox, who had been with the company for […]

I’m intrigued at the moment by an economic indicator called the misery index. It’s the UK inflation rate plus unemployment, expressed in percentage terms, and it’s been falling sharply this year. Rising inflation and unemployment are a recipe for misery, so, as trends stand, this index is something of a misnomer. An index that shows […]

Tesco chief executive Terry Leahy has told managers not to panic in the wake of Wal-Mart’s &£6.7bn takeover of Asda. In a memo designed to reassure general managers, the Tesco boss says it will be “business as usual”. At one point in the memo, Leahy is quoted as saying: “It should be remembered that most […]

Coca-Cola has finally admitted it mishandled the scare over the contamination of the world’s best-known brand in France and Belgium that left 200 people suffering from nausea and headaches. Philippe Lenfant, director general of bottling at Coca-Cola Enterprises in Belgium, this week said: “I admit we perhaps lost control of the situation to a certain […]

Littlewoods has confirmed £120m plans to roll out new-look stores throughout the 115-store chain, as exclusively revealed in Marketing Week in April.

Arrows Formula One team owner Malik Ado Ibrahim is planning to open a chain of high street stores in 18 countries to sell merchandise under a new brand, “t-minus”. Ibrahim bought a 70 per cent stake in the Arrows team at the beginning of this year for &£77m. The t-minus name already appears on Arrows […]

Wal-Mart’s UK entry has prompted predictions of price wars and mergers across the retail sector in Europe. The US retailer has built its reputation on offering competitive pricing, but it would be a mistake to assume Wal-Mart’s offering in Europe will centre on price alone. Rather, it will hinge on a commitment to delivering customer […]

Optical Express’ marketing chief is leaving the company on the eve of a new advertising campaign. Paul Mason, head of marketing and communications at the Glasgow-based high-street opticians chain, is leaving at the end of the week to resume his former career in the call centre sector as managing director of Glasgow-based Bellcom. Optical Express […]

I’m intrigued at the moment by an economic indicator called the misery index. It’s the UK inflation rate plus unemployment, expressed in percentage terms, and it’s been falling sharply this year. Rising inflation and unemployment are a recipe for misery, so, as trends stand, this index is something of a misnomer. An index that shows […]

Kingfisher chief executive Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy attempted to shrug off the disappointment of losing Asda to American giant Wal-Mart last week with the opening of a B&Q store in Shanghai. The opening, which is the latest in a line of extensions of the B&Q brand abroad, is part of Mulcahy’s plans to make his company […]

Harvey Nichols, the fashion-led department store beloved of Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley in the TV comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, is to open a store in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh – its first outside the UK. A licensing agreement signed by Harvey Nichols entitles Saudi development group the King Faisal Foundation to use […]