Ayjay Group’s Post

It’s not all about price and scale. JLP will never be the cheapest so will have to be better and different. #strategy There’s millions who love quality, personal attention, experience , service etc. Nothing you will find buying at Tesco. JLP is a cooperative with cooperative values, these values need to be turned into strategy. #retail #price #quality #differentiation #transformation

I can’t resist a store location planning furore, especially one on the doorstep. Aldi appears to be doing a cracking job of setting up on the fringes of affluent towns. First, they provide much needed diversity of offer, value for money and all that. Second, just because a town is high in the affluence ranking doesn’t mean there isn’t a market for this store. Plenty of people in the Amersham catchment are a) not hedge fund managers and b) I bet this store will attract its fair share of Coutts cards, anyway. Tesco has requested a condition that the Aldi stocks no more than 4,000 individual product lines. This is standard – all is fair in the game of supermarket love and war. However, Tesco is also concerned this store will harm nearby Grade II buildings. (Answer: it needs a sympathetic design). But come on Tesco…I remember when your store landed at the end of the old town high street like a spaceship disguised as a massive barn. I had my first Saturday job there on the tills in the mid-nineties, rolling biscuits down the conveyor belt (not a model employee, I'm afraid). It’s no doubt become a massively successful part of the local economy. There were many people moaning back in the day, but I saw plenty of Coutts cards then as well. A lovely example of a problem that can be sorted with a little bit of data and a healthy dose of good design. #locationstrategy #data #design https://lnkd.in/eZjjmGVv

Surely this proves that price isn't everything?! Tesco were voted Britain’s Favourite Supermarket for the 10th year in NIQ’s latest annual Homescan survey. They hold the top spot across 6 of the 10 attributes below, but they aren't in the top 2 for price. Aldi UK and Lidl GB are gaining share, but the grocers that are winning (Tesco and Sainsbury's) are the ones that aren't trying to compete on price alone (like Asda seemingly are). What do you think? Is there more to retail competitiveness than price? #fmcg #grocery #categorymanagment Image from The Grocer (https://lnkd.in/eu5YGfVC)

It was good to speak to presenter Mike Zeller about Aldi UK on BBC Radio #Cumbria just now! New stores are coming soon to #Whitehaven and #Egremont, but with a target of 1,500 stores UK-wide - and just over 1,000 now - Aldi sees plenty of room for further growth yet. As I mentioned on air, Aldi has already overtaken Morrisons in terms of UK market share - though growth has stalled a little lately - and it's not implausible that it could yet overtake Asda in the next couple of years, unless the latter's poor performance is arrested. Aldi's challenge, perhaps, is that it has probably won over as many shoppers as it's going to in the places where it already trades, so opening new stores in new areas - which don't come cheap - is the main way that it can keep heading on its upwards trajectory. #aldi #retail #grocery #supermarkets

Very exciting news... Better Nature Tempeh is rolling into 100 more Asda stores today 🤩 As a marketer, I spend most of my time thinking about brand awareness, brand fame, driving trial etc. But the truth is, without the right distribution, those metrics are a bit pointless 🤷♀️ Not to say getting them right doesn't help you get the distribution, but they're so interwined and there's no point nailing one without the other. There's still a long way to go to get Better Nature Tempeh's distribution where we want it to be, to allow everyone across the UK (and beyond!) to add it as a supercharged protein staple to their weekly shop. But steps forward like this, especially with our current retailers, are huge and well worth celebrating 🙌 Thanks so much to our fab team for making this happen - from our full-time team members, to advisors, to freelancers, to all the brilliant people in our community who listen to our challanges, support us, give us feedback and so much more. We couldn't grow as we are without each and everyone one of you. And special shoutout to Christopher Kong for leading on this - smashed it! Here's to supercharging the nation one store (or 100!) at a time 🌟 #BetterNatureTempeh #Supermarket #Distribution

'Asda CEO: Five runners and riders following Allan Leighton’s return 🏁🔄 The search for Asda’s new CEO continues to push on as the struggling supermarket appoints Allan Leighton as its new executive chair. 👨💼🛍️ #Asda #RetailNews #CEO Get a better understanding of retail news with the largest source for public data 👉 https://lnkd.in/eC4HGBUv 📊#PublicData #RetailAnalysis by Retail Gazette about Asda

🛍 John Lewis & Partners has forecast “significantly higher” profits this year as the retail giant’s turnaround strategy yields results. The partnership, which owns department stores as well as Waitrose supermarkets, said there had been a “marked improvement” in its performance. Losses before tax and exceptional items narrowed by 91pc to £5m in the six months to July. Revenues were up 2pc to hit £5.2bn, with Waitrose recording its tenth consecutive quarter of customer growth. Chief executive Nish Kankiwala said: “These results confirm that our transformation plan is working and we expect profits to grow significantly for the full year, a marked improvement from where we were two years ago.” Find out more 👇 https://lnkd.in/gdNHHZdd #Business | #Retail | #Shopping

⏱️ 60 second read - Highlights of JS Performance ⏱️ Simon Roberts has plenty to smile about this week as Sainsbury's posted a H1 investor update... In summary: Sainsbury's reported a +3.7% increase in #retail underlying profit to £503 million on the back of a 5% rise in #grocery sales. The company claimed some significant gains in share versus the rest of #ukgrocery, driven by customers opting for larger baskets and choosing to trade up to the premium Taste the Difference range, (delivering +18% sales increase YoY). Chief Executive, Simon Roberts highlighted the strong performance and continued volume growth in their food business, attributing success to the combination of value, quality, and service, bolstered by a £1 billion investment in recent years. Looking forward, Sainsbury's plans to open about 20 new #supermarkets and 20 to 25 #convenience stores in the next 18 months. They recently acquired eleven Homebase and two Co-op stores to expand their presence. Looking forward, Roberts expressed confidence in maintaining strong profit growth, expecting retail underlying #profit to reach £1.01 billion to £1.06 billion, a growth of 5% to 10%. The company is also preparing for another robust performance during the #festive season. #striqenews #bfg

The Palomar Group is ready to help our clients make money after a successful trip to the ICSC conference in Vegas. Here are some key takeaways from the event: Unanchored street retail centers are stealing the spotlight post-Covid, drawing both investors and shoppers alike. With hybrid work schedules becoming the norm, people are flocking to strip centers near their homes more frequently. Traditionally the domain of mom-and-pop owners, this sector is now witnessing a surge of institutional capital infusion. And guess what? Consumers are loving the in-store shopping experience, even as store sizes shrink. Across the US, retail vacancy rates have plummeted to historic lows, while new construction has hit rock bottom. Why? Blame it on skyrocketing construction costs linked to higher capital expenses, wages, and overall construction costs. As long as construction costs stay high, the scarcity of supply will continue to be a key challenge for the retail sector in the foreseeable future. In other news, ALDI USA's acquisition of Southeastern Grocers, including Winn-Dixie and Harvey's, is making waves. With an eye-popping addition of 400 stores, Aldi is sprinting towards its goal of opening 800 new stores by 2028. Expect a phased approach to store conversions, with around 50 stores kicking off the transformation process in late 2024 and the bulk rebranding as Aldi in 2025. But fear not, a significant portion of Winn-Dixie and Harvey's will still fly their current banners. Here's an interesting tidbit: Spaces smaller than 2,500 square feet hogged more than two-thirds of executed leases in Q1 of 2024. And when it comes to the Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) arena, heavyweights like McDonald's, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Wingstop Restaurants Inc., and Dutch Bros Coffee are on a serious expansion spree this year. Big Box leases (50,000 square feet and up) accounted for less than 1% of all new leases and less than 6% of space. But hey, don't underestimate the biggies like DICK'S Sporting Goods, BJ's Wholesale Club, Bosse Pickleball, and Chicken N Pickle—they're still in the game! What were some insights you had from the conference? Share your thoughts! #ICSC #Retail #WeGetRetailSold #VegasICSC #ICSCVegas

Retail update 👇 - Lidl GB and Aldi UK have announced new store openings across the #UK, as part of their wider expansion plans, as the two supermarkets prepare for Christmas.🎄 Lidl has opened four new stores in #Shinfield, Bovey Tracey, Downham Market, and #Stirchley, as part of a multi-million-pound investment that will create 160 new jobs. These openings follow recent additions in #Bristol, Hemel Hempstead, #Ipswich, and #Hoxton, with two more stores set to launch next week in Forest Gate and #Caterham. 📈 Richard Taylor, Lidl’s Chief Development Officer stated: “As we head into December, opening six stores in a single day highlights the incredible momentum behind our expansion in our 30th year.” Meanwhile, Aldi has added four new branches in Cribbs Causeway, Hetton-le-Hole, Ashton-in-Makerfield, and #Macduff, creating 100 new roles. These openings are part of Aldi’s £800m investment in its UK footprint, following recent launches in Sedgley, Horsham, and Muswell Hill. 🛒 Richard Thornton, Aldi’s Communications Director said: “To be opening four new stores in one day is an outstanding effort from the team and shows just how serious we are about bringing more stores to communities up and down the country.” Source - https://lnkd.in/epNhEexP #Retail #Expansion #FMCG #Christmas