Markets/Ireland/News

Ireland news

08 November 2016
M&S has announced a major shift in strategy that will see the retailer refocus on growing its food business faster, reduce its estate of clothing and home stores and close loss making operations in international markets. The changes follow the conclusion of a strategic review announced by new chief executive Steve Rowe in May. Sharp fall in half year profits M&S experienced a sharp fall in ...
31 October 2016
The latest data from IntertradeIreland, monitoring car park occupancy at shopping centres in Northern Ireland, has shown that in Q3 2016 the presence of Republic-registered cars was at its highest since Q4 2009, when cross-border shopping peaked in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.  With nearly 57% of all cars recorded in the quarterly survey coming from the Republic, this shows a significan...
13 October 2016
Following the resignation of long-term UK managing director Michael O'Loughlin, it has been announced that John Diviney will replace him as head of the Applegreen forecourts business within the market.  Latterly head of 'food systems' and  trading within the wider, Ireland-based, Applegreen business, John Diviney will continue to drive the expansion of the UK operation both through site acquisiti...
13 October 2016
WH Smith's financial results for the year ending 31 August 2016 show a positive overall performance, driven by the retailer's travel business. Total group sales up 3% Total sales at WH Smith rose 3% year-on-year to £1.212bn, with like-for-like sales for the group up 1%. The retailer's travel business has driven this performance, with total sales up 10% and like-for-like sales up 4%. By cont...
10 October 2016
Martin Bailie is leaving Lidl UK before the end of the year having been offered a job opportunity outside the discounter. Steps down after 14 years Martin Bailie has been with the discounter for 14 years, joining as a graduate in 2002. In his time with Lidl UK, he progressed from area manager to regional director, before moving to Lidl Ireland to take over the role of chief operating of...
09 September 2016
Ronny Gottschlich has stepped down from his role as managing director of Lidl UK with immediate effect and is replaced by Lidl Austria's Christian H ärtnagel. Ronny Gottschlich leaves Lidl after 16 years Gottschlich joined Lidl in 2000 as a sales manager in the German city of Unna. Since then, he worked his way up the ladder to regional manager at Lidl UK, followed by a year as operatio...
08 September 2016
Lidl is going to increase the competition in the value fashion retail market, while engaging with young shoppers via an augmented app. Pop-up fashion store Lidl in Germany has opened its first pop-up fashion store at a premium high street in Hamburg surrounded by designer shops like Louis Vuitton, Jil Sander, Prada and Gucci. For the period of 10 days Lidl will be offering its new fashion...
22 August 2016
As CST Brands becomes Couche-Tard’s latest acquisition, we look at how deal making has become one the retailer’s key strategies. CST Brands provides unique scale opportunity Couche-Tard has signed a merger agreement to acquire CST Brands for $4.4bn. CST operates over 2,000 convenience stores Texas, Georgia, New York state and Eastern Canada, a major transport fuel distribution company,...
16 August 2016
Lidl is building a new data hub which enables the discounter to analyse robust data. It is investing in the software as well as human resources. Better assortment optimization Lidl will upgrade its warehouse data and install new IT tools with the aim to create better market and shopper insight, gain competitive advantage and have support by taking strategic decisions. According to Lebe...
15 August 2016
As we accelerate our focus on food-to-go, we recap on some of the latest IGD insights and market developments from the past month. IGD food-to-go market assessment - size of the prize Driven by changing shopper lifestyles, we are anticipating the market to be worth £16.1bn in 2016, up by 6.8% from 2015. We see five distinct segments making up this market: Coffee specialists  (worth...