There is nothing quite like a supermarket price war to kick off the New Year.
The big guns have already come out from ASDA and Sainsbury’s who are promising £450m worth of cuts in 2015.
ASDA is targeting essential items, including fruit and vegetables, nappies, milk and fish in the first three months of the year, while Sainsbury’s has made more than 1,000 cuts since November on regular base prices.
Meanwhile Tesco is coming out swinging, eager to leave the 2014 accounting scandal behind and retain its title of market leader.
And if its latest figures are anything to go by, it might be a positive start to the New Year for the supermarket giant. It had a better Christmas than expected with sales down just 0.3 per cent on the previous year, not a horrendous performance considering in the previous three months the figure had slumped by 5.4 per cent.
Although they have announced plans to close 43 unprofitable stores and have put plans on hold to open 49 very large stores, this is being touted as Tesco’s fightback and not a negative move by the supermarket.
These price cuts are against a backdrop of the success of the budget supermarket arena as Lidl and Aldi continue to grow in popularity.
I read an interesting fact last week – Lidl had its most successful Christmas to date and sold more bottles of champagne than milk over the festive period.
Looking across the rest of the retail market, high street favourite M&S did not have a great Christmas with total group sales down 1.6 per cent. This has been blamed on warm weather in October and November, which meant a lack of demand for winter clothing.
Food sales on the other hand performed better, up 0.1 per cent like-for-like, and certainly the Christmas week saw extremely positive results.
And it’s perhaps not surprising that we have already had our first retail casualty of 2015.
Fashion brand, Bank, has gone into administration only a matter of months since it was acquired by its current owner. The store has been in the red for some time and it seems the busy Christmas period could do little to save it from ending up on the January rubbish pile. Not to mention the jobs that will go if it can’t be saved – not an ideal start to the New Year for its 1,000 employees.
I don’t think this will be the last high street retailer we will see in trouble this year as analysts are already predicting a tough start to 2015. Despite the economy making a steady recovery, this sector still faces an uphill battle against online shopping.
There were reports that shoppers spent £3billion on the 26 December both in-store and online.
In the face of this it was great to see the pictures of so many people in the cities queuing from the early hours upholding the tradition of Boxing Day Sales, even in the freezing temperatures.
So what lies ahead for this extremely complex market in 2015? Consumer demand continues to play a key role, retailers need to be savvy enough to see the changes coming and adapt and diversify in order to survive.
New Year Drink-Drive Drop
The festive season is traditionally a very ‘merry’ time for many – but that can sometimes lead to problems.
I was pleased to read that increasing numbers of people in Scotland are being more careful with the amount they drink if they have plans to drive soon afterwards.
News that the number of motorists caught drink-driving during the festive period has dropped by almost a third since last year is very encouraging.
Police Scotland revealed that of the 13,346 motorists stopped and breathalysed between eight and 29 December 2014, 255 people were found to be under the influence of drink or drugs – 93 less than in 2013.
A new lower drink-drive limit was introduced in Scotland in early December – reducing the amount of alcohol allowed per 100ml of blood to 50mg instead of 80mg – and some would argue that this has helped bring the number down.
But despite the drop in figures, the fact remains that more than 250 drivers were still found to be under the influence.
No matter the circumstances, if you get behind the wheel over the limit, you’re putting your life at risk and seriously endangering the lives of others.
Losing a driving licence can have a big impact and a lasting effect on working life – for you, the company you work for, and for your colleagues.
Another alcohol-related story also left me feeling very deflated last week.
Police in Dundee stopped a man on a space hopper, who was reportedly very drunk, as he was trying to bounce his way along a dual carriageway, towards oncoming cars.
OK, so it may have raised a smile initially – but this was an incredibly dangerous thing to do on a busy main road.
There’s nothing wrong with being ‘merry’ – as long as it’s all handled responsibly.
It Made Me Laugh: Gamers Get the Go-Ahead
Good news for avid gamers looking to get fitter for 2015 – keep doing exactly what you’re doing!
The University of Pikeville, in Kentucky, has officially labelled playing video games as a sport.
Students will be trained in multisport battle game League of Legends in the way they would be for any other athletic activity – and scholarships will be offered to those who are particularly good at it.
Research suggests you can burn 61.8 calories an hour from playing video games but we can also burn between 40 and 80 calories in our sleep.
Whatever your opinion on gaming, this shows how much it has become part of society and how important it is to many people.
If interactive, highly skilled games like this help to engage and inspire – and burn calories at the same time – then go for it.
It Made Me Weep: Abandoned Dog Sparks Outrage
A dog is for life and not just for Christmas, so the saying goes.
But one poor pooch abandoned just after the festive season shows not everyone believes that.
Kai, a Shar-Pei cross, was found abandoned at Ayr train station with his belongings next to him in a suitcase.
The Scottish SPCA traced a previous owner, who said Kai was sold to someone via Gumtree in 2013.
The poor pup’s plight highlights the dangers of selling online and the potential for animals bought at Christmas to be treated in the same way as any other impulse buy.
Taking on a pet is a big commitment and this shows in heartbreaking style that too many people don’t stop to think about what’s actually involved.
Here’s hoping he finds a new, loving home.
