New research forecasts that UK consumers will spend GBP82.3bn with retailers in the final quarter of 2008 or GBP1,363 per head. Though this is an increase of 2.0% on 2007, it is the second lowest growth rate in 20 years and the GBP1.6bn extra shoppers will be spending will be more than eaten up by food inflation. Not surprisingly food & grocery accounts for the largest share of shoppers spending over the Christmas period (38%), and with food inflation running at 6.3% this quarter, consumers are facing a more expensive Christmas feast.  But unavoidable though this extra expense will be, shoppers will be more careful in what they buy, balancing spending on treats with cutbacks on everyday foods. Continue reading “Christmas 2008 – Shoppers spending more, but buying less” »

Having already weathered a significant degree of consolidation in the past three years, the Documents and Records Management (DRM) market is braced for further and more radical change according to a new report. DRM is emerging as one of the fastest growing markets in the enterprise technology space.After a spate of consolidation in the last three to four years, the DRM market is now in the midst of post-consolidation blues. Most leading vendors sport multiple platforms and product lines within their DRM portfolios and are yet to come to terms with unified product strategies. The technology landscape is largely flat, with little to differentiate between major vendors in terms of product capabilities. As much as this paints a picture of transformation well in progress, shifting enterprise priorities are forcing another wave of change – quite possibly a second round of acquisitions and entry of a newer breed of players into the market. Continue reading “Documents and Records Management market braced for more upheaval” »

British consumers are more disloyal than ever before with the retailers they use, according to a new report. Across retail as a whole, some 10.8 million shoppers are disloyal to the stores they use; and, across every retail sector more consumers are saying that they would prefer to use an alternative store to the one they currently use most. The findings demonstrate the extent of the challenge retailers now face in holding on to shoppers, especially in the face of the credit crunch when every customer counts.

Continue reading “Loyalty to Stores Falls to a New Low: a Fifth of Shoppers Would Like to Defect” »

Sainsbury has announced a 4.1% rise in underlying sales for the 12 weeks to March 22. As well as reporting a 13th consecutive quarter of like-for-like growth, Sainsbury has entered into a property joint venture with British Land, paving the way for redevelopment at the majority of the 39 stores included in the deal.

Sainsbury has continued to achieve credible total and like-for-like sales rises, announcing an increase in like-for-like sales for the 13th consecutive quarter. Sales have been driven by increased transaction numbers and higher average transaction sizes. Price inflation, at 2.1% during the last quarter, was also important here, with food volumes only marginally positive. Continue reading “Sainsbury: plenty to play for” »