Clearly an idiot, but not, it would appear, a violent one.....
Jokes about the First Minister are forbidden. What a pathetic waste of time and money. No surprise that the whole idiotic process was started by a yank.
Have to disagree, people need teaching that joking about murdering people isn't on
Wonder what would happen if someone tweeted 'I think I might abuse a child ' after watching cbbc, or "think I might bash up an Asian" after watching the cricket
Either end is currently doing well in terms of current trend, but in overall terms the big four, occupying various spots in the middle are still massively ahead of them.
Was New Labour too mushy middle?
It's not about the big four, it's about how they became the big 4. Which was to diverge from the mainstream at their time. Of course there's an advantage to being big and being the incumbent. You use that to category kill -to use your mass and power to move into the new category whilst the new starter is still small and weak and squeeze them out. That's what the Tories have failed to do.
LuckyGuy1983 Actually Sainsbury's is holding its market share, it is Tesco, Asda and Morrisons who are being squeezed. M and S food is doing OK, M and S clothing is in freefall.
Proving my point. M&S food is a premium grocer. M&S clothing is not a premium clothes shop, it's the very definition of the squeezed mushy middle.
It's a bit more complicated than that.
M&S had fabulous brand loyalty (St. Michael) and a reputation for high quality at reasonable prices. Greenbury tried to reduce costs to improve profitability by reducing quality - but this showed through to customers and they ended up leaving the brand in droves (as a result the brand ended up being junked) but it undermined the whole of M&S's market position in the process
There is a market for good quality at reasonable prices. This is now Next and, at a slightly cheaper price point, Zara, while the cheaper end of the segment has moved to Primark and H&M.
Provided you are positioned correctly, the mid market can be an extremely profitable place to be. It's when you lose brand definition that you are in trouble.
In supermarkets it is Sainsbury's that has the positioning, while Tesco's lost its niche (low prices, good quality) to try and compete with Sainsbury's. Morrisons is getting caned because it through that its brand had traction in the south, but no one really knows it there - whereas Safeways had a clear recognition.
Clearly an idiot, but not, it would appear, a violent one.....
Jokes about the First Minister are forbidden. What a pathetic waste of time and money. No surprise that the whole idiotic process was started by a yank.
Have to disagree, people need teaching that joking about murdering people isn't on
Wonder what would happen if someone tweeted 'I think I might abuse a child ' after watching cbbc, or "think I might bash up an Asian" after watching the cricket
Clearly an idiot, but not, it would appear, a violent one.....
Jokes about the First Minister are forbidden. What a pathetic waste of time and money. No surprise that the whole idiotic process was started by a yank.
Have to disagree, people need teaching that joking about murdering people isn't on
Wonder what would happen if someone tweeted 'I think I might abuse a child ' after watching cbbc, or "think I might bash up an Asian" after watching the cricket
@malcolmg He looks more like a cad and a scoundrel to me? But hey, we have freedom of perception as well.
Absolutely and we should not allow craven politicians to limit freedom of speech.
Or egg throwing thugs?
It is a bit off but I am not so sure it is that bad for politicians. They are just lucky that it is all that gets thrown at them given their actions. However personally I would not be involved in it. Freedom to shout down the buffoons is another subject and I would not accept limits on freedom to tell them how bad they are.
Oddly, Murphy chose not to contact the police over the egg-throwing but instead threw a hissy fit and stopped his tour for a few days. His outrage seems pretty selectively aimed at the media.
Either end is currently doing well in terms of current trend, but in overall terms the big four, occupying various spots in the middle are still massively ahead of them.
Was New Labour too mushy middle?
It's not about the big four, it's about how they became the big 4. Which was to diverge from the mainstream at their time. Of course there's an advantage to being big and being the incumbent. You use that to category kill -to use your mass and power to move into the new category whilst the new starter is still small and weak and squeeze them out. That's what the Tories have failed to do.
LuckyGuy1983 Actually Sainsbury's is holding its market share, it is Tesco, Asda and Morrisons who are being squeezed. M and S food is doing OK, M and S clothing is in freefall.
Proving my point. M&S food is a premium grocer. M&S clothing is not a premium clothes shop, it's the very definition of the squeezed mushy middle.
It's a bit more complicated than that.
M&S had fabulous brand loyalty (St. Michael) and a reputation for high quality at reasonable prices. Greenbury tried to reduce costs to improve profitability by reducing quality - but this showed through to customers and they ended up leaving the brand in droves (as a result the brand ended up being junked) but it undermined the whole of M&S's market position in the process
There is a market for good quality at reasonable prices. This is now Next and, at a slightly cheaper price point, Zara, while the cheaper end of the segment has moved to Primark and H&M.
Provided you are positioned correctly, the mid market can be an extremely profitable place to be. It's when you lose brand definition that you are in trouble.
In supermarkets it is Sainsbury's that has the positioning, while Tesco's lost its niche (low prices, good quality) to try and compete with Sainsbury's. Morrisons is getting caned because it through that its brand had traction in the south, but no one really knows it there - whereas Safeways had a clear recognition.
I think Tesco lost the plot and moved too far away from core food business.
Oddly, Murphy chose not to contact the police over the egg-throwing but instead threw a hissy fit and stopped his tour for a few days. His outrage seems pretty selectively aimed at the media.
Oddly, Murphy chose not to contact the police over the egg-throwing but instead threw a hissy fit and stopped his tour for a few days. His outrage seems pretty selectively aimed at the media.
He means the reality in Scotland , not the fantasy in the Daily Mail. Unless done very recently , police stated that there had been no complaint of a crime being committed and they could/would do nothing until it was. Don't hold your breath, he may be a big jessie but even he could not stand the ridicule of that.
PS, mind you he probably is a big enough jessie to actually do it.
Oddly, Murphy chose not to contact the police over the egg-throwing but instead threw a hissy fit and stopped his tour for a few days. His outrage seems pretty selectively aimed at the media.
@malcolmg He looks more like a cad and a scoundrel to me? But hey, we have freedom of perception as well.
Absolutely and we should not allow craven politicians to limit freedom of speech.
Or egg throwing thugs?
It is a bit off but I am not so sure it is that bad for politicians. They are just lucky that it is all that gets thrown at them given their actions. However personally I would not be involved in it. Freedom to shout down the buffoons is another subject and I would not accept limits on freedom to tell them how bad they are.
Let us leave the last word on the egg to Mr Murphy:
"You know this isn't about an egg. I mean honestly, I couldn't care less about an egg. I mean, I happen to be a vegan, so throwing an egg at me is probably an insult. If they threw a kind of Linda McCartney sausage that would be something else. It’s not about an egg."
M&S had fabulous brand loyalty (St. Michael) and a reputation for high quality at reasonable prices. Greenbury tried to reduce costs to improve profitability by reducing quality - but this showed through to customers and they ended up leaving the brand in droves (as a result the brand ended up being junked) but it undermined the whole of M&S's market position in the process
There is a market for good quality at reasonable prices. This is now Next and, at a slightly cheaper price point, Zara, while the cheaper end of the segment has moved to Primark and H&M.
Provided you are positioned correctly, the mid market can be an extremely profitable place to be. It's when you lose brand definition that you are in trouble.
In supermarkets it is Sainsbury's that has the positioning, while Tesco's lost its niche (low prices, good quality) to try and compete with Sainsbury's. Morrisons is getting caned because it through that its brand had traction in the south, but no one really knows it there - whereas Safeways had a clear recognition.
I would certainly agree with much of that. You can differentiate in other ways than price too. Iceland -for frozen food. Costco -cash and carry. I'm not sure I'd fully agree with your analysis of Sainsbury's vs. Tesco -Tesco have had many dominant years, and it will take Sainsbury's a long while to catch up. Tesco have ridden the middle market horse profitably exactly as you say -they have done this by being big, dominant, somewhat unscrupulous, and through the revolutionary data gathering club card, knowing more about their shoppers than anyone else. But they are still vulnerable a the margins.
We're somewhat diverging, but the problem with low prices, good quality as rallying cry, is that even if it's true; it's what every business claims, so is disregarded as marketing puffery. Even if a business cuts its margins to the bone, the consumer is likely to believe that if they're getting a low price, the quality is inferior. A high price reassures.
@malcolmg He looks more like a cad and a scoundrel to me? But hey, we have freedom of perception as well.
Absolutely and we should not allow craven politicians to limit freedom of speech.
Or egg throwing thugs?
It is a bit off but I am not so sure it is that bad for politicians. They are just lucky that it is all that gets thrown at them given their actions. However personally I would not be involved in it. Freedom to shout down the buffoons is another subject and I would not accept limits on freedom to tell them how bad they are.
Let us leave the last word on the egg to Mr Murphy:
"You know this isn't about an egg. I mean honestly, I couldn't care less about an egg. I mean, I happen to be a vegan, so throwing an egg at me is probably an insult. If they threw a kind of Linda McCartney sausage that would be something else. It’s not about an egg."
I think Tesco lost the plot and moved too far away from core food business.
More than just that, though. They did very well in the 80s and 90s under MacLaurin and stole a march on land banking and property development. They then moved into convenience stores first, but essentially reached footprint saturation.
As a result, to drive growth, they tried to close the pricing premium that Sainsbury's traditionally had, without realising that the brand wouldn't sustain the prices they were charging. At the same time, Sainsbury's was cutting their prices by finding efficiencies in their back office.
Consequence: they have very similar prices but Tesco's is seen as expensive and poor value, while Sainsbury's is perceived as high quality and reasonably priced compared to Waitrose (positioned as premium quality/premium price).
But you are right - part of the growth story was moving internationally and into new categories, making the organisation too complex and resulting in the mistakes above that undermined the core business.
@malcolmg He looks more like a cad and a scoundrel to me? But hey, we have freedom of perception as well.
Absolutely and we should not allow craven politicians to limit freedom of speech.
Or egg throwing thugs?
It is a bit off but I am not so sure it is that bad for politicians. They are just lucky that it is all that gets thrown at them given their actions. However personally I would not be involved in it. Freedom to shout down the buffoons is another subject and I would not accept limits on freedom to tell them how bad they are.
Let us leave the last word on the egg to Mr Murphy:
"You know this isn't about an egg. I mean honestly, I couldn't care less about an egg. I mean, I happen to be a vegan, so throwing an egg at me is probably an insult. If they threw a kind of Linda McCartney sausage that would be something else. It’s not about an egg."
I think Tesco lost the plot and moved too far away from core food business.
More than just that, though. They did very well in the 80s and 90s under MacLaurin and stole a march on land banking and property development. They then moved into convenience stores first, but essentially reached footprint saturation.
As a result, to drive growth, they tried to close the pricing premium that Sainsbury's traditionally had, without realising that the brand wouldn't sustain the prices they were charging. At the same time, Sainsbury's was cutting their prices by finding efficiencies in their back office.
Consequence: they have very similar prices but Tesco's is seen as expensive and poor value, while Sainsbury's is perceived as high quality and reasonably priced compared to Waitrose (positioned as premium quality/premium price).
But you are right - part of the growth story was moving internationally and into new categories, making the organisation too complex and resulting in the mistakes above that undermined the core business.
I used to use Tesco a lot but nowadays use M&S for quality stuff and Sainsbury's for standard shopping. They have a great range and stock lots of organic which is what I want. M&S I can accept not being organic given the quality and mistakenly or not do not expect it to be full of pesticides.
When Dave told us that IS/Isis, was the most important threat we have ever faced, do you think someone might have tapped him on the shoulder with a note telling them the number of IBM's they have compared to Russia?
@malcolmg He looks more like a cad and a scoundrel to me? But hey, we have freedom of perception as well.
Absolutely and we should not allow craven politicians to limit freedom of speech.
Or egg throwing thugs?
It is a bit off but I am not so sure it is that bad for politicians. They are just lucky that it is all that gets thrown at them given their actions. However personally I would not be involved in it. Freedom to shout down the buffoons is another subject and I would not accept limits on freedom to tell them how bad they are.
Let us leave the last word on the egg to Mr Murphy:
"You know this isn't about an egg. I mean honestly, I couldn't care less about an egg. I mean, I happen to be a vegan, so throwing an egg at me is probably an insult. If they threw a kind of Linda McCartney sausage that would be something else. It’s not about an egg."
I would certainly agree with much of that. You can differentiate in other ways than price too. Iceland -for frozen food. Costco -cash and carry. I'm not sure I'd fully agree with your analysis of Sainsbury's vs. Tesco -Tesco have had many dominant years, and it will take Sainsbury's a long while to catch up. Tesco have ridden the middle market horse profitably exactly as you say -they have done this by being big, dominant, somewhat unscrupulous, and through the revolutionary data gathering club card, knowing more about their shoppers than anyone else. But they are still vulnerable a the margins.
We're somewhat diverging, but the problem with low prices, good quality as rallying cry, is that even if it's true; it's what every business claims, so is disregarded as marketing puffery. Even if a business cuts its margins to the bone, the consumer is likely to believe that if they're getting a low price, the quality is inferior. A high price reassures.
Sure you can differentiate in other ways (although I think Iceland has structural problems) and I think that the cash & carries will be wiped out by the discounters.
Tesco clearly is still the dominant player - because they won the land grab (see my response to @malcomg) so they have a structural advantage. But size doesn't really matter in terms of business performance - that should be about growth, profitability and return on capital
Low prices/good quality isn't something that marketing can create. It's built over many years of delivering what your customers want at a price you like. Only once you have the brand positioning in your customers minds can you reinforce it with careful marketing. Thus, for instance, Peter Jones's position of "never knowingly undersold" was fabulous - it was regarded as a village store for rich people. But I think they have lost that with the refurbishment and the stock repositioning - they are now seen as just another department store. I like Charlie Mayfield (his parents lived near mine) but I think he's pursuing the wrong strategy.
On my way to visit Mr Stodge Senior I had the chance to listen to LBC's Saturday morning discussion programme usually hosted by David Mellor and Ken Livingstone but with Damian McBride (beloved of this parish) standing in for Ken.
A fairly unpleasant interview with Mike Penning, a shouty Minister who seemed anxious to slag off Nick Clegg and appeal to everyone's inner UKIP but whose inability to offer a coherent argument beyond "ISIS bad - give the Government more powers" was a long way short of surprising.
Relief then to hear much more coherent arguments from Richard Dannatt, Paddy Ashdown and Tony Brenton covering the Middle East and the Ukraine situation (arguably more serious).
As a 50-something Londoner, I spent most of my formative years under the shadow of IRA terror and was travelling on the London Underground on July 7th 2005. Terror (or the threat of terror) has been part of my adult life and a formidable security apparatus with considerable powers already exists and has, I suspect, done much to keep me safe of which I will never know. That said, I don't feel comfortable ceding more power to the State without appropriate scrutiny and accountability. The Pennings of this world use fear (whether real or actual) to justify creeping authoritarianism.
As for the Middle East, there is a route map of sorts as argued by Ashdown and to an extent Brenton - diplomatically, this means supporting Turkey and seeking rapprochement with Iran as well as pressurising Saudi Arabia and Qatar as we can while militarily it means arming the Kurds. As for the Ukraine, answers were in shorter supply though Merkel is a key player.
One thing on which all the experts seemed clear was that neither Cameron nor Obama were in a strong position - Cameron's comments comparing Putin to Hitler were considered unnecessarily provocative while Ukraine's attempt to join NATO was considered as poisonous a chalice as one could wish.
Married to a Ukrainian and half Ukrainian Gorbachev, loved in the West but hated in Russia, condemns Kievs actions in the East, as any sentient being with a shred of moral fibre should.
I think Tesco lost the plot and moved too far away from core food business.
More than just that, though. They did very well in the 80s and 90s under MacLaurin and stole a march on land banking and property development. They then moved into convenience stores first, but essentially reached footprint saturation.
As a result, to drive growth, they tried to close the pricing premium that Sainsbury's traditionally had, without realising that the brand wouldn't sustain the prices they were charging. At the same time, Sainsbury's was cutting their prices by finding efficiencies in their back office.
Consequence: they have very similar prices but Tesco's is seen as expensive and poor value, while Sainsbury's is perceived as high quality and reasonably priced compared to Waitrose (positioned as premium quality/premium price).
But you are right - part of the growth story was moving internationally and into new categories, making the organisation too complex and resulting in the mistakes above that undermined the core business.
I used to use Tesco a lot but nowadays use M&S for quality stuff and Sainsbury's for standard shopping. They have a great range and stock lots of organic which is what I want. M&S I can accept not being organic given the quality and mistakenly or not do not expect it to be full of pesticides.
If I didn't live literally above Tesco's I'd shop in Sainsbury's as well - they are simply a better product for the same price. I supplement with Whole Foods from time to time, but they are hideously expensive
Probably the best supermarket I have come across on my travels is Ralphs - but it's a little inconvenient for day to day shopping ;-)
@Floater He's not calling for a new inquiry, he is asking why the one that is already in place hasn't started. Apparently there was only one judge they had thought of for the position, or they had lost the original shortlist.
On my way to visit Mr Stodge Senior I had the chance to listen to LBC's Saturday morning discussion programme usually hosted by David Mellor and Ken Livingstone but with Damian McBride (beloved of this parish) standing in for Ken.
A fairly unpleasant interview with Mike Penning, a shouty Minister who seemed anxious to slag off Nick Clegg and appeal to everyone's inner UKIP but whose inability to offer a coherent argument beyond "ISIS bad - give the Government more powers" was a long way short of surprising.
Relief then to hear much more coherent arguments from Richard Dannatt, Paddy Ashdown and Tony Brenton covering the Middle East and the Ukraine situation (arguably more serious).
As a 50-something Londoner, I spent most of my formative years under the shadow of IRA terror and was travelling on the London Underground on July 7th 2005. Terror (or the threat of terror) has been part of my adult life and a formidable security apparatus with considerable powers already exists and has, I suspect, done much to keep me safe of which I will never know. That said, I don't feel comfortable ceding more power to the State without appropriate scrutiny and accountability. The Pennings of this world use fear (whether real or actual) to justify creeping authoritarianism.
As for the Middle East, there is a route map of sorts as argued by Ashdown and to an extent Brenton - diplomatically, this means supporting Turkey and seeking rapprochement with Iran as well as pressurising Saudi Arabia and Qatar as we can while militarily it means arming the Kurds. As for the Ukraine, answers were in shorter supply though Merkel is a key player.
One thing on which all the experts seemed clear was that neither Cameron nor Obama were in a strong position - Cameron's comments comparing Putin to Hitler were considered unnecessarily provocative while Ukraine's attempt to join NATO was considered as poisonous a chalice as one could wish.
Paddy isn't as daft as he used to be, given he is the ex Viceroy of the Balkans and the mess NATO has made of that region.
Worth reading up on Operation Storm and Germany's actions in provoking the Balkan conflict. The Kremlin watched on and learnt their lessons.
I think Tesco lost the plot and moved too far away from core food business.
More than just that, though. They did very well in the 80s and 90s under MacLaurin and stole a march on land banking and property development. They then moved into convenience stores first, but essentially reached footprint saturation.
As a result, to drive growth, they tried to close the pricing premium that Sainsbury's traditionally had, without realising that the brand wouldn't sustain the prices they were charging. At the same time, Sainsbury's was cutting their prices by finding efficiencies in their back office.
Consequence: they have very similar prices but Tesco's is seen as expensive and poor value, while Sainsbury's is perceived as high quality and reasonably priced compared to Waitrose (positioned as premium quality/premium price).
But you are right - part of the growth story was moving internationally and into new categories, making the organisation too complex and resulting in the mistakes above that undermined the core business.
I used to use Tesco a lot but nowadays use M&S for quality stuff and Sainsbury's for standard shopping. They have a great range and stock lots of organic which is what I want. M&S I can accept not being organic given the quality and mistakenly or not do not expect it to be full of pesticides.
If I didn't live literally above Tesco's I'd shop in Sainsbury's as well - they are simply a better product for the same price. I supplement with Whole Foods from time to time, but they are hideously expensive
Probably the best supermarket I have come across on my travels is Ralphs - but it's a little inconvenient for day to day shopping ;-)
Whole foods are really superb, loved them when I lived in the US. Unfortunately nearest one is 20 + miles away so not exactly handy. Waitrose are looking to open a store near Ayr so that would be good.
On my way to visit Mr Stodge Senior I had the chance to listen to LBC's Saturday morning discussion programme usually hosted by David Mellor and Ken Livingstone but with Damian McBride (beloved of this parish) standing in for Ken.
A fairly unpleasant interview with Mike Penning, a shouty Minister who seemed anxious to slag off Nick Clegg and appeal to everyone's inner UKIP but whose inability to offer a coherent argument beyond "ISIS bad - give the Government more powers" was a long way short of surprising.
Relief then to hear much more coherent arguments from Richard Dannatt, Paddy Ashdown and Tony Brenton covering the Middle East and the Ukraine situation (arguably more serious).
As a 50-something Londoner, I spent most of my formative years under the shadow of IRA terror and was travelling on the London Underground on July 7th 2005. Terror (or the threat of terror) has been part of my adult life and a formidable security apparatus with considerable powers already exists and has, I suspect, done much to keep me safe of which I will never know. That said, I don't feel comfortable ceding more power to the State without appropriate scrutiny and accountability. The Pennings of this world use fear (whether real or actual) to justify creeping authoritarianism.
As for the Middle East, there is a route map of sorts as argued by Ashdown and to an extent Brenton - diplomatically, this means supporting Turkey and seeking rapprochement with Iran as well as pressurising Saudi Arabia and Qatar as we can while militarily it means arming the Kurds. As for the Ukraine, answers were in shorter supply though Merkel is a key player.
One thing on which all the experts seemed clear was that neither Cameron nor Obama were in a strong position - Cameron's comments comparing Putin to Hitler were considered unnecessarily provocative while Ukraine's attempt to join NATO was considered as poisonous a chalice as one could wish.
The answer to Ukraine is making Kiril Domuschiev even richer than he already is.
Clearly an idiot, but not, it would appear, a violent one.....
Jokes about the First Minister are forbidden. What a pathetic waste of time and money. No surprise that the whole idiotic process was started by a yank.
Have to disagree, people need teaching that joking about murdering people isn't on
Wonder what would happen if someone tweeted 'I think I might abuse a child ' after watching cbbc, or "think I might bash up an Asian" after watching the cricket
I think it's different when they are on tv joking about it because it's obvious they aren't going to do it... Someone on twitter could be a demented nutter who might do it.. Vow do we know different
You have to use your judgement sometimes not abide by rigid rules. That's veering dangerously towards loony leftism where people pretend to be confused/not to know the difference between things to make a point (will self, Owen jones, James o brien etc)
Im not a fan of Clarkson, but he obviously wasn't going to shoot striking trade unionists, but a loner on the internet might say he is going to do something awful before actually doing it
I think Tesco lost the plot and moved too far away from core food business.
More than just that, though. They did very well in the 80s and 90s under MacLaurin and stole a march on land banking and property development. They then moved into convenience stores first, but essentially reached footprint saturation.
As a result, to drive growth, they tried to close the pricing premium that Sainsbury's traditionally had, without realising that the brand wouldn't sustain the prices they were charging. At the same time, Sainsbury's was cutting their prices by finding efficiencies in their back office.
Consequence: they have very similar prices but Tesco's is seen as expensive and poor value, while Sainsbury's is perceived as high quality and reasonably priced compared to Waitrose (positioned as premium quality/premium price).
But you are right - part of the growth story was moving internationally and into new categories, making the organisation too complex and resulting in the mistakes above that undermined the core business.
I used to use Tesco a lot but nowadays use M&S for quality stuff and Sainsbury's for standard shopping. They have a great range and stock lots of organic which is what I want. M&S I can accept not being organic given the quality and mistakenly or not do not expect it to be full of pesticides.
If I didn't live literally above Tesco's I'd shop in Sainsbury's as well - they are simply a better product for the same price. I supplement with Whole Foods from time to time, but they are hideously expensive
Probably the best supermarket I have come across on my travels is Ralphs - but it's a little inconvenient for day to day shopping ;-)
Whole foods are really superb, loved them when I lived in the US. Unfortunately nearest one is 20 + miles away so not exactly handy. Waitrose are looking to open a store near Ayr so that would be good.
Sadly Whole Foods has a very different positioning in the UK (at least in London) than they do in the US. I'd love it if they were the US version, but they seem to have positioned themselves as a super-premium store aimed at hedgies and oligarchs
When Dave told us that IS/Isis, was the most important threat we have ever faced, do you think someone might have tapped him on the shoulder with a note telling them the number of IBM's they have compared to Russia?
TBF if we're thinking about contemporary threats Russia probably won't attack the UK, which Islamic nutjobs do from time to time. It's a measure of how far Russian power has declined that the west even thought they could get Ukraine off them without a fight.
Obviously historically speaking the comment is bollocks. (Hitler, the Soviet Union, the Spanish armada, the Normans etc etc.)
I think Tesco lost the plot and moved too far away from core food business.
More than just that, though. They did very well in the 80s and 90s under MacLaurin and stole a march on land banking and property development. They then moved into convenience stores first, but essentially reached footprint saturation.
As a result, to drive growth, they tried to close the pricing premium that Sainsbury's traditionally had, without realising that the brand wouldn't sustain the prices they were charging. At the same time, Sainsbury's was cutting their prices by finding efficiencies in their back office.
Consequence: they have very similar prices but Tesco's is seen as expensive and poor value, while Sainsbury's is perceived as high quality and reasonably priced compared to Waitrose (positioned as premium quality/premium price).
But you are right - part of the growth story was moving internationally and into new categories, making the organisation too complex and resulting in the mistakes above that undermined the core business.
I used to use Tesco a lot but nowadays use M&S for quality stuff and Sainsbury's for standard shopping. They have a great range and stock lots of organic which is what I want. M&S I can accept not being organic given the quality and mistakenly or not do not expect it to be full of pesticides.
If I didn't live literally above Tesco's I'd shop in Sainsbury's as well - they are simply a better product for the same price. I supplement with Whole Foods from time to time, but they are hideously expensive
Probably the best supermarket I have come across on my travels is Ralphs - but it's a little inconvenient for day to day shopping ;-)
Whole foods are really superb, loved them when I lived in the US. Unfortunately nearest one is 20 + miles away so not exactly handy. Waitrose are looking to open a store near Ayr so that would be good.
Sadly Whole Foods has a very different positioning in the UK (at least in London) than they do in the US. I'd love it if they were the US version, but they seem to have positioned themselves as a super-premium store aimed at hedgies and oligarchs
Yes, only a few in Scotland and as you say very expensive , high quality but not for everyday shopping. In the US they were high quality and reasonable prices, superb choice and able to sample anything. Shopping was a joy.
I would certainly agree with much of that. You can differentiate in other ways than price too. Iceland -for frozen food. Costco -cash and carry. I'm not sure I'd fully agree with your analysis of Sainsbury's vs. Tesco -Tesco have had many dominant years, and it will take Sainsbury's a long while to catch up. Tesco have ridden the middle market horse profitably exactly as you say -they have done this by being big, dominant, somewhat unscrupulous, and through the revolutionary data gathering club card, knowing more about their shoppers than anyone else. But they are still vulnerable a the margins.
We're somewhat diverging, but the problem with low prices, good quality as rallying cry, is that even if it's true; it's what every business claims, so is disregarded as marketing puffery. Even if a business cuts its margins to the bone, the consumer is likely to believe that if they're getting a low price, the quality is inferior. A high price reassures.
Sure you can differentiate in other ways (although I think Iceland has structural problems) and I think that the cash & carries will be wiped out by the discounters.
Tesco clearly is still the dominant player - because they won the land grab (see my response to @malcomg) so they have a structural advantage. But size doesn't really matter in terms of business performance - that should be about growth, profitability and return on capital
Low prices/good quality isn't something that marketing can create. It's built over many years of delivering what your customers want at a price you like. Only once you have the brand positioning in your customers minds can you reinforce it with careful marketing. Thus, for instance, Peter Jones's position of "never knowingly undersold" was fabulous - it was regarded as a village store for rich people. But I think they have lost that with the refurbishment and the stock repositioning - they are now seen as just another department store. I like Charlie Mayfield (his parents lived near mine) but I think he's pursuing the wrong strategy.
A rather circular argument wouldn't you say? You can't carve out a position until years of customer feedback have told you what that position is? If that were the case, there would surely be no new entrants in the marketplace. Personally I wouldn't start a business without knowing clearly what position in the consumer's mind in relation to my competitors I wanted to occupy. Everyone wearing green wellies? There's an opportunity for someone to create a brand of red ones (that's theoretical; I am aware red wellies are available).
As for the detailed financials, I bow to your superior knowledge.
It would be obscene if Mogherini, Putin's lapdog in Europe, is given the EU foreign affairs post. If anything shows that the EU is truly beyond hope, that would be it.
@Floater He's not calling for a new inquiry, he is asking why the one that is already in place hasn't started. Apparently there was only one judge they had thought of for the position, or they had lost the original shortlist.
You wouldn't entertain the idea that calling for actual action might be better than another long-running, full, independent enquiry even if it is judge led?
@Floater He's not calling for a new inquiry, he is asking why the one that is already in place hasn't started. Apparently there was only one judge they had thought of for the position, or they had lost the original shortlist.
You wouldn't entertain the idea that calling for actual action might be better than another long-running, full, independent enquiry even if it is judge led?
I think you're right. It needs people charging with perverting the course of justice directly.
Clearly an idiot, but not, it would appear, a violent one.....
Jokes about the First Minister are forbidden. What a pathetic waste of time and money. No surprise that the whole idiotic process was started by a yank.
Have to disagree, people need teaching that joking about murdering people isn't on
Wonder what would happen if someone tweeted 'I think I might abuse a child ' after watching cbbc, or "think I might bash up an Asian" after watching the cricket
I think it's different when they are on tv joking about it because it's obvious they aren't going to do it... Someone on twitter could be a demented nutter who might do it.. Vow do we know different
You have to use your judgement sometimes not abide by rigid rules. That's veering dangerously towards loony leftism where people pretend to be confused/not to know the difference between things to make a point (will self, Owen jones, James o brien etc)
Im not a fan of Clarkson, but he obviously wasn't going to shoot striking trade unionists, but a loner on the internet might say he is going to do something awful before actually doing it
Sadly once the yank Boy Scout had made his complaint the authorities were obliged to follow procedure. It's all very depressing to me.
A rather circular argument wouldn't you say? You can't carve out a position until years of customer feedback have told you what that position is? If that were the case, there would surely be no new entrants in the marketplace. Personally I wouldn't start a business without knowing clearly what position in the consumer's mind in relation to my competitors I wanted to occupy. Everyone wearing green wellies? There's an opportunity for someone to create a brand of red ones (that's theoretical; I am aware red wellies are available).
As for the detailed financials, I bow to your superior knowledge.
No - the "high quality, low prices" position is one that can only be created through customer perception. (e.g. M&S as was, Sainsbury's, Next). It's a very specific value proposition. There are lots of other ways to position companies that can be developed through product/marketing (e.g. premium/high touch, innovation-leader, fast-follower/mid price, etc), and marketing/advertising can be very impactful provided the customer proposition is clear.
Our family business, for instance, is a great example of premium/high-touch positioning, but built through customer recommendations and without any marketing.
Carswells letter to constituents....two established parties???
Douglas Carswell (@DouglasCarswell) 30/08/2014 18:36 “@LH_GB: You certainly have my vote Mr @DouglasCarswell #TeamCarswell #UKIP #Clacton pic.twitter.com/G7Nufox1ZX” Thanks so much!
Carswells letter to constituents....two established parties???
Douglas Carswell (@DouglasCarswell) 30/08/2014 18:36 “@LH_GB: You certainly have my vote Mr @DouglasCarswell #TeamCarswell #UKIP #Clacton pic.twitter.com/G7Nufox1ZX” Thanks so much!
Positioning UKIP as the only challenger to the establishment.
Harder to do if you include the Greens and LibDems as challengers to the big 2 as well...
If Rotherham is just added into a general look-see at inappropriate behaviour by large organsiations, then by the time it reports (probably in 2018), all the guilty parties will be long gone.
Rotherham council will claim that they've learned lessons, drawn a line under it and moved on with a completely different staff who've worked fantastically hard and deserve praise (even if the guilty parties have just learned to be more discrete).
Clearly an idiot, but not, it would appear, a violent one.....
Jokes about the First Minister are forbidden. What a pathetic waste of time and money. No surprise that the whole idiotic process was started by a yank.
Have to disagree, people need teaching that joking about murdering people isn't on
Wonder what would happen if someone tweeted 'I think I might abuse a child ' after watching cbbc, or "think I might bash up an Asian" after watching the cricket
I think it's different when they are on tv joking about it because it's obvious they aren't going to do it... Someone on twitter could be a demented nutter who might do it.. Vow do we know different
You have to use your judgement sometimes not abide by rigid rules. That's veering dangerously towards loony leftism where people pretend to be confused/not to know the difference between things to make a point (will self, Owen jones, James o brien etc)
Im not a fan of Clarkson, but he obviously wasn't going to shoot striking trade unionists, but a loner on the internet might say he is going to do something awful before actually doing it
Sadly once the yank Boy Scout had made his complaint the authorities were obliged to follow procedure. It's all very depressing to me.
Part of the problem is that, once in a blue moon, a crank does do something mad after such warnings. If the complaint has been made to the police and it was seen they did not follow it up, then they get a portion of the blame for not stopping it.
At least that's the excuse the police seem to use. Quite how it fits in with their inaction at Rotherham and elsewhere, goodness knows. Just a guess: perhaps its just because such calls are almost always cranks, and are therefore easy to 'solve' and put into the crime-solved category for little effort?
Having mosied onto that topic, there's been a great deal of discussion about what the political parties and their leaders have been saying about Rotherham. I'm more intrigued by what the often self-appointed 'community leaders' that used to appear on TV all the time have been saying about it?
@Charles "But then we'd have bigger things to worry about." You mean, bigger than IS/ISSL ?....
Far bigger...Bulgaria is a member of NATO. IF the Russians invaded, we would be looking at a real war as we would be obliged to defend Bulgaria.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO - although there were some guarantees negotiated, it's simply not the same as NATO membership. I cannot believe (and I hope I am right) that Putin would ever be so stupid as to directly attack a NATO member. Even the current incursion into the Ukraine is not without risk to him and especially if Russians start coming back in body bags.
UKIP drop 5 in tonight's Opinium poll for Observer
CON 30+2 LAB 36+4 LD 7-3 UKIP 16-5 GRN 4-1
If they followed their normal pattern, most of the fieldwork would have been conducted before the the traitorous Pig-dog Douglas Carswell committed his perfidy and ratted to UKIP, but mostly during the events of the Rotherham report
@Charles "But then we'd have bigger things to worry about." You mean, bigger than IS/ISSL ?....
Far bigger...Bulgaria is a member of NATO. IF the Russians invaded, we would be looking at a real war as we would be obliged to defend Bulgaria.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO - although there were some guarantees negotiated, it's simply not the same as NATO membership. I cannot believe (and I hope I am right) that Putin would ever be so stupid as to directly attack a NATO member. Even the current incursion into the Ukraine is not without risk to him and especially if Russians start coming back in body bags.
If the US either through NATO or through giving Ukraine special ally status with the US start building ABM batteries on the Russia/Ukraine border Putin will invade - and quite rightly from the Russian point of view.
The people who made the agreement about leaving Ukraine as a buffer understood this. The current people either don't understand or don't care.
When Dave told us that IS/Isis, was the most important threat we have ever faced, do you think someone might have tapped him on the shoulder with a note telling them the number of IBM's they have compared to Russia?
TBF if we're thinking about contemporary threats Russia probably won't attack the UK, which Islamic nutjobs do from time to time. It's a measure of how far Russian power has declined that the west even thought they could get Ukraine off them without a fight.
Obviously historically speaking the comment is bollocks. (Hitler, the Soviet Union, the Spanish armada, the Normans etc etc.)
Cameron gave a fairly sound statement I would have thought. A great many paragraphs, not a simple throwaway line. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/threat-level-from-international-terrorism-raised-pm-press-conference He did not say we faced some invasion or missile attack. He said we faced a greater deeper threat to 'our security', that is, in the contrext of his statement, a threat to our security like say the IRA posed and his use of the word 'deeper' seems appropriate to me given UK nationals have gone abroad to be indoctrinated by these extremistsand may well return. The IRA were not noted for their suicide bombing tendencies.
I find comments strange. The govt are taking the threat seriously yet it is criticised for it by people who are demanding the threat is taken seriously.
Having taken a few months off from PB to watch the World Cup, Test Matches and generally do some useful things in nice weather have I missed anything here ?
Any interesting new PBers or returning 'golden oldies' ? Any tantrums, or flounces or bannings ?
A rather circular argument wouldn't you say? You can't carve out a position until years of customer feedback have told you what that position is? If that were the case, there would surely be no new entrants in the marketplace. Personally I wouldn't start a business without knowing clearly what position in the consumer's mind in relation to my competitors I wanted to occupy. Everyone wearing green wellies? There's an opportunity for someone to create a brand of red ones (that's theoretical; I am aware red wellies are available).
As for the detailed financials, I bow to your superior knowledge.
No - the "high quality, low prices" position is one that can only be created through customer perception. (e.g. M&S as was, Sainsbury's, Next). It's a very specific value proposition. There are lots of other ways to position companies that can be developed through product/marketing (e.g. premium/high touch, innovation-leader, fast-follower/mid price, etc), and marketing/advertising can be very impactful provided the customer proposition is clear.
Our family business, for instance, is a great example of premium/high-touch positioning, but built through customer recommendations and without any marketing.
Ah ok, I see.
As a marketer myself, I see marketing in its broadest sense as the bringing of a product or service to market. Therefore I would say if you've successfully positioned yourselves, you have 'marketed' and clearly done so very successfully, regardless of whether you've engaged in promotional activity. More power to you for that.
Just as make up and clothes should draw attention to the wearer, not themselves, so marketing should draw attention to the product, not itself. So many award-winning marketing campaigns have been utter failures in selling the product. If something screams 'marketing' it promotes instant distrust. Not many marketing people see it the way I do though.
A rather circular argument wouldn't you say? You can't carve out a position until years of customer feedback have told you what that position is? If that were the case, there would surely be no new entrants in the marketplace. Personally I wouldn't start a business without knowing clearly what position in the consumer's mind in relation to my competitors I wanted to occupy. Everyone wearing green wellies? There's an opportunity for someone to create a brand of red ones (that's theoretical; I am aware red wellies are available).
As for the detailed financials, I bow to your superior knowledge.
No - the "high quality, low prices" position is one that can only be created through customer perception. (e.g. M&S as was, Sainsbury's, Next). It's a very specific value proposition. There are lots of other ways to position companies that can be developed through product/marketing (e.g. premium/high touch, innovation-leader, fast-follower/mid price, etc), and marketing/advertising can be very impactful provided the customer proposition is clear.
Our family business, for instance, is a great example of premium/high-touch positioning, but built through customer recommendations and without any marketing.
Ah ok, I see.
As a marketer myself, I see marketing in its broadest sense as the bringing of a product or service to market. Therefore I would say if you've successfully positioned yourselves, you have 'marketed' and clearly done so very successfully, regardless of whether you've engaged in promotional activity. More power to you for that.
Just as make up and clothes should draw attention to the wearer, not themselves, so marketing should draw attention to the product, not itself. So many award-winning marketing campaigns have been utter failures in selling the product. If something screams 'marketing' it promotes instant distrust. Not many marketing people see it the way I do though.
We positioned ourselves before marketing was invented... ;-)
Follow the utter defeat of the UK over the appointment of Juncker, I see we've now missed out on the big jobs of head of the Council and foreign affairs chief. The latter being someone with views utterly against those of the UK.
So surely we must be in line for the economic or internal market jobs?
Follow the utter defeat of the UK over the appointment of Juncker, I see we've now missed out on the big jobs of head of the Council and foreign affairs chief. The latter being someone with views utterly against those of the UK.
So surely we must be in line for the economic or internal market jobs?
Wouldn't you expect economic to go to a Euro Zone country?
Follow the utter defeat of the UK over the appointment of Juncker, I see we've now missed out on the big jobs of head of the Council and foreign affairs chief. The latter being someone with views utterly against those of the UK.
So surely we must be in line for the economic or internal market jobs?
There's an interesting game of bluff going on.
Juncker is hinting that he will give a senior position to the UK if Cameron changes his nomination to a woman.
But, of course, to require a change in nomination is a power play.
Juncker thinks that demanding on "equality" will give him a card to explain why the Brits didn't get a senior position by nominating a man (ignoring the fact that the other senior posts are going to men whose countries supported his nomination).
I don't think Cameron can change his nomination. So the question becomes whether Juncker wants to declare all out war or not.
UKIP drop 5 in tonight's Opinium poll for Observer
CON 30+2 LAB 36+4 LD 7-3 UKIP 16-5 GRN 4-1
The key number for me is Conservative plus UKIP at 46% (quite close to other pollsters such as Populus and YouGov). Satisfactory for Labour, poor for the Lib Dems but plenty of volatility as others will no doubt confirm.
A rather circular argument wouldn't you say? You can't carve out a position until years of customer feedback have told you what that position is? If that were the case, there would surely be no new entrants in the marketplace. Personally I wouldn't start a business without knowing clearly what position in the consumer's mind in relation to my competitors I wanted to occupy. Everyone wearing green wellies? There's an opportunity for someone to create a brand of red ones (that's theoretical; I am aware red wellies are available).
As for the detailed financials, I bow to your superior knowledge.
No - the "high quality, low prices" position is one that can only be created through customer perception. (e.g. M&S as was, Sainsbury's, Next). It's a very specific value proposition. There are lots of other ways to position companies that can be developed through product/marketing (e.g. premium/high touch, innovation-leader, fast-follower/mid price, etc), and marketing/advertising can be very impactful provided the customer proposition is clear.
Our family business, for instance, is a great example of premium/high-touch positioning, but built through customer recommendations and without any marketing.
Ah ok, I see.
As a marketer myself, I see marketing in its broadest sense as the bringing of a product or service to market. Therefore I would say if you've successfully positioned yourselves, you have 'marketed' and clearly done so very successfully, regardless of whether you've engaged in promotional activity. More power to you for that.
Just as make up and clothes should draw attention to the wearer, not themselves, so marketing should draw attention to the product, not itself. So many award-winning marketing campaigns have been utter failures in selling the product. If something screams 'marketing' it promotes instant distrust. Not many marketing people see it the way I do though.
We positioned ourselves before marketing was invented... ;-)
Or indeed before 'positioning' was invented by the sainted Al Ries (my marketing hero) and Jack Trout back in 1972.
Follow the utter defeat of the UK over the appointment of Juncker, I see we've now missed out on the big jobs of head of the Council and foreign affairs chief. The latter being someone with views utterly against those of the UK.
So surely we must be in line for the economic or internal market jobs?
Wouldn't you expect economic to go to a Euro Zone country?
Traditionally it has, but the EU needs to show that it's serious about making sure the integration of the Eurozone doesn't end up marginalising non-Euro members. Let us see.
I did during my absence occasionally look in and read a thread and noticed Sean Fear comparing Cameron and Miliband to buckets of shit and acid.
A better comparison is:
Cameron = Continuity Blair Miliband = Continuity Brown
Also someone (HYFUD I think) wondered why Cameron was so keen to bomb Assad last year despite massive public opposition but so loath to bomb ISIS this year even with public support.
There's a simple answer to that.
Bombing Assad last year was SamCam's then current issue while at present Iraqi Christians and Yezidis aren't it seems fashionable enough.
Which brings me to the Rotherham issue. Many people have expressed shock at the lack of response from Cameron and Miliband. Now I can understand EdM - any condemnation of Islamic communities (especially coming from a Jew) is going to cost Labour votes while any condemnation of the activities of social workers etc will outrage guardianistas. So easier to mumble platitudes and hope the issue goes away for EdM.
But what explains the attitude of Cameron, for whom doing the right thing would also be electorally beneficial ? My theory is that he's terrified of SamCam's disapproval. To posh lefties such as SamCam Rotherham is so damaging to so many of their beliefs that it must not be acknowledged, it must forever remain an unissue. And Cameron, with his insecurity complex, will yet again follow his wife's prejudices.
I wonder if Charles, who I believe has met both Camerons, would like to comment on what sort of influence SamCam has on her husband.
Avery has gone quiet for several weeks now, so no more Yellow Boxes showing George Osborne's magnificent stewardship of the UK Economy, I know that will upset you immensely
On my way to visit Mr Stodge Senior I had the chance to listen to LBC's Saturday morning discussion programme usually hosted by David Mellor and Ken Livingstone but with Damian McBride (beloved of this parish) standing in for Ken.
A fairly unpleasant interview with Mike Penning, a shouty Minister who seemed anxious to slag off Nick Clegg and appeal to everyone's inner UKIP but whose inability to offer a coherent argument beyond "ISIS bad - give the Government more powers" was a long way short of surprising.
Relief then to hear much more coherent arguments from Richard Dannatt, Paddy Ashdown and Tony Brenton covering the Middle East and the Ukraine situation (arguably more serious).
As a 50-something Londoner, I spent most of my formative years under the shadow of IRA terror and was travelling on the London Underground on July 7th 2005. Terror (or the threat of terror) has been part of my adult life and a formidable security apparatus with considerable powers already exists and has, I suspect, done much to keep me safe of which I will never know. That said, I don't feel comfortable ceding more power to the State without appropriate scrutiny and accountability. The Pennings of this world use fear (whether real or actual) to justify creeping authoritarianism.
As for the Middle East, there is a route map of sorts as argued by Ashdown and to an extent Brenton - diplomatically, this means supporting Turkey and seeking rapprochement with Iran as well as pressurising Saudi Arabia and Qatar as we can while militarily it means arming the Kurds. As for the Ukraine, answers were in shorter supply though Merkel is a key player.
One thing on which all the experts seemed clear was that neither Cameron nor Obama were in a strong position - Cameron's comments comparing Putin to Hitler were considered unnecessarily provocative while Ukraine's attempt to join NATO was considered as poisonous a chalice as one could wish.
Penning is a Police Minister not an FO Minister so his reponsibility is not the foreign affairs topic that the other commentators left you swooning over. Its interestging that you take Brentons views so uncritically - I note that he is not only EU friendly but was also responsible for EU energy and environment policy. Furthermore he led the Foreign Office unit that negotiated for the 1992 Rio "Earth Summit". All these things for starters would lead me to not belive a blinking word he says.
They've had public spats in the past over benefit payments... seems like a bit of a spin job from the Telegraph. If this is what a "win" looks like in Europe, what the hell does a loss look like.
Comments
We need a few "It's a referendum, not civil war!....you turnip" T shirts and posters made up for us sane people.
Wonder what would happen if someone tweeted 'I think I might abuse a child ' after watching cbbc, or "think I might bash up an Asian" after watching the cricket
....Or, " I could murder a pint"? (PC legislation purposes)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerscruton/2014/08/30/why-did-british-police-ignore-pakistani-gangs-raping-rotherham-children-political-correctness/
It's a bit more complicated than that.
M&S had fabulous brand loyalty (St. Michael) and a reputation for high quality at reasonable prices. Greenbury tried to reduce costs to improve profitability by reducing quality - but this showed through to customers and they ended up leaving the brand in droves (as a result the brand ended up being junked) but it undermined the whole of M&S's market position in the process
There is a market for good quality at reasonable prices. This is now Next and, at a slightly cheaper price point, Zara, while the cheaper end of the segment has moved to Primark and H&M.
Provided you are positioned correctly, the mid market can be an extremely profitable place to be. It's when you lose brand definition that you are in trouble.
In supermarkets it is Sainsbury's that has the positioning, while Tesco's lost its niche (low prices, good quality) to try and compete with Sainsbury's. Morrisons is getting caned because it through that its brand had traction in the south, but no one really knows it there - whereas Safeways had a clear recognition.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WN72DAlhovY
M&S had fabulous brand loyalty (St. Michael) and a reputation for high quality at reasonable prices. Greenbury tried to reduce costs to improve profitability by reducing quality - but this showed through to customers and they ended up leaving the brand in droves (as a result the brand ended up being junked) but it undermined the whole of M&S's market position in the process
There is a market for good quality at reasonable prices. This is now Next and, at a slightly cheaper price point, Zara, while the cheaper end of the segment has moved to Primark and H&M.
Provided you are positioned correctly, the mid market can be an extremely profitable place to be. It's when you lose brand definition that you are in trouble.
In supermarkets it is Sainsbury's that has the positioning, while Tesco's lost its niche (low prices, good quality) to try and compete with Sainsbury's. Morrisons is getting caned because it through that its brand had traction in the south, but no one really knows it there - whereas Safeways had a clear recognition.
I think Tesco lost the plot and moved too far away from core food business.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2736993/Scotch-egged-Police-probe-nationalist-attack-Glasgow-MP-Jim-Murphy-tensions-flare-ahead-referendum.html
PS, mind you he probably is a big enough jessie to actually do it.
He does seem to be milking an egg for all it's worth though. Pretty impressive, really.
"You know this isn't about an egg. I mean honestly, I couldn't care less about an egg. I mean, I happen to be a vegan, so throwing an egg at me is probably an insult. If they threw a kind of Linda McCartney sausage that would be something else. It’s not about an egg."
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/benrileysmith/100284587/scotland-decided-19-days-left-its-not-about-the-egging/
You mean like picking someone to chair it?
We're somewhat diverging, but the problem with low prices, good quality as rallying cry, is that even if it's true; it's what every business claims, so is disregarded as marketing puffery. Even if a business cuts its margins to the bone, the consumer is likely to believe that if they're getting a low price, the quality is inferior. A high price reassures.
Let's hurry up with this overarching enquiry so we can put industrial scale rape and torture in the same category as DJs making sexist comments.
"When danger reared its ugly head,
he bravely turned his tail and fled."
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/30/scotland-referendum-benefits-independence-alex-salmond-alistair-darling-better-together
As a result, to drive growth, they tried to close the pricing premium that Sainsbury's traditionally had, without realising that the brand wouldn't sustain the prices they were charging. At the same time, Sainsbury's was cutting their prices by finding efficiencies in their back office.
Consequence: they have very similar prices but Tesco's is seen as expensive and poor value, while Sainsbury's is perceived as high quality and reasonably priced compared to Waitrose (positioned as premium quality/premium price).
But you are right - part of the growth story was moving internationally and into new categories, making the organisation too complex and resulting in the mistakes above that undermined the core business.
Maclaurin's views on Leahy are very perceptive.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jun/28/tesco-terry-leahy-attack-mclaurin
When Dave told us that IS/Isis, was the most important threat we have ever faced, do you think someone might have tapped him on the shoulder with a note telling them the number of IBM's they have compared to Russia?
Tesco clearly is still the dominant player - because they won the land grab (see my response to @malcomg) so they have a structural advantage. But size doesn't really matter in terms of business performance - that should be about growth, profitability and return on capital
Low prices/good quality isn't something that marketing can create. It's built over many years of delivering what your customers want at a price you like. Only once you have the brand positioning in your customers minds can you reinforce it with careful marketing. Thus, for instance, Peter Jones's position of "never knowingly undersold" was fabulous - it was regarded as a village store for rich people. But I think they have lost that with the refurbishment and the stock repositioning - they are now seen as just another department store. I like Charlie Mayfield (his parents lived near mine) but I think he's pursuing the wrong strategy.
On my way to visit Mr Stodge Senior I had the chance to listen to LBC's Saturday morning discussion programme usually hosted by David Mellor and Ken Livingstone but with Damian McBride (beloved of this parish) standing in for Ken.
A fairly unpleasant interview with Mike Penning, a shouty Minister who seemed anxious to slag off Nick Clegg and appeal to everyone's inner UKIP but whose inability to offer a coherent argument beyond "ISIS bad - give the Government more powers" was a long way short of surprising.
Relief then to hear much more coherent arguments from Richard Dannatt, Paddy Ashdown and Tony Brenton covering the Middle East and the Ukraine situation (arguably more serious).
As a 50-something Londoner, I spent most of my formative years under the shadow of IRA terror and was travelling on the London Underground on July 7th 2005. Terror (or the threat of terror) has been part of my adult life and a formidable security apparatus with considerable powers already exists and has, I suspect, done much to keep me safe of which I will never know. That said, I don't feel comfortable ceding more power to the State without appropriate scrutiny and accountability. The Pennings of this world use fear (whether real or actual) to justify creeping authoritarianism.
As for the Middle East, there is a route map of sorts as argued by Ashdown and to an extent Brenton - diplomatically, this means supporting Turkey and seeking rapprochement with Iran as well as pressurising Saudi Arabia and Qatar as we can while militarily it means arming the Kurds. As for the Ukraine, answers were in shorter supply though Merkel is a key player.
One thing on which all the experts seemed clear was that neither Cameron nor Obama were in a strong position - Cameron's comments comparing Putin to Hitler were considered unnecessarily provocative while Ukraine's attempt to join NATO was considered as poisonous a chalice as one could wish.
Married to a Ukrainian and half Ukrainian Gorbachev, loved in the West but hated in Russia, condemns Kievs actions in the East, as any sentient being with a shred of moral fibre should.
Appointing the sister of someone who may or not have a major part in the case, is not usual in British Justice?
Couldn't have been on the grid I guess.
Probably the best supermarket I have come across on my travels is Ralphs - but it's a little inconvenient for day to day shopping ;-)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralphs
He's not calling for a new inquiry, he is asking why the one that is already in place hasn't started.
Apparently there was only one judge they had thought of for the position, or they had lost the original shortlist.
Worth reading up on Operation Storm and Germany's actions in provoking the Balkan conflict. The Kremlin watched on and learnt their lessons.
You have to use your judgement sometimes not abide by rigid rules. That's veering dangerously towards loony leftism where people pretend to be confused/not to know the difference between things to make a point (will self, Owen jones, James o brien etc)
Im not a fan of Clarkson, but he obviously wasn't going to shoot striking trade unionists, but a loner on the internet might say he is going to do something awful before actually doing it
"The answer to Ukraine is making Kiril Domuschiev even richer than he already is."
Everyone has their price?
Obviously historically speaking the comment is bollocks. (Hitler, the Soviet Union, the Spanish armada, the Normans etc etc.)
You do know that the WholeFoods at Giffnock has an online/delivery order system?
http://shop.wholefoodsmarket.com/store/search.aspx
As for the detailed financials, I bow to your superior knowledge.
[edit: change to future tense]
I think you're right. It needs people charging with perverting the course of justice directly.
edit: That should be two separate comments.
"No, but he owns the port in Bulgaria where Caspian oil reaches the EU"
Who owns the supply?
Our family business, for instance, is a great example of premium/high-touch positioning, but built through customer recommendations and without any marketing.
Douglas Carswell (@DouglasCarswell)
30/08/2014 18:36
“@LH_GB: You certainly have my vote Mr @DouglasCarswell #TeamCarswell #UKIP #Clacton pic.twitter.com/G7Nufox1ZX” Thanks so much!
Harder to do if you include the Greens and LibDems as challengers to the big 2 as well...
Like Crimea?
http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/downloads/file/1407/independent_inquiry_cse_in_rotherham
"I don't understand your comment."
I will rephrase it
"Believe it is Azerbaijan/Georgian. Non-Russian anyway."
Who owns the Crimea? and who "owned" it before?
Sure, if Russian invaded Bulgaria and replaced the government they could cancel the licence.
But then we'd have bigger things to worry about.
"But then we'd have bigger things to worry about."
You mean, bigger than IS/ISSL ?....
Rotherham council will claim that they've learned lessons, drawn a line under it and moved on with a completely different staff who've worked fantastically hard and deserve praise (even if the guilty parties have just learned to be more discrete).
And anyone who disagrees is a racist bigot.
At least that's the excuse the police seem to use. Quite how it fits in with their inaction at Rotherham and elsewhere, goodness knows. Just a guess: perhaps its just because such calls are almost always cranks, and are therefore easy to 'solve' and put into the crime-solved category for little effort?
Having mosied onto that topic, there's been a great deal of discussion about what the political parties and their leaders have been saying about Rotherham. I'm more intrigued by what the often self-appointed 'community leaders' that used to appear on TV all the time have been saying about it?
I'm guessing tumbleweeds?
Ukraine is not a member of NATO - although there were some guarantees negotiated, it's simply not the same as NATO membership. I cannot believe (and I hope I am right) that Putin would ever be so stupid as to directly attack a NATO member. Even the current incursion into the Ukraine is not without risk to him and especially if Russians start coming back in body bags.
Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 5m
UKIP drop 5 in tonight's Opinium poll for Observer
CON 30+2
LAB 36+4
LD 7-3
UKIP 16-5
GRN 4-1
If they followed their normal pattern, most of the fieldwork would have been conducted before the the traitorous Pig-dog Douglas Carswell committed his perfidy and ratted to UKIP, but mostly during the events of the Rotherham report
Of course, we have a plan that will make war in Europe impossible.
Russia is a major threat in the Great Game.
ISIL plays by different rules.
If the US either through NATO or through giving Ukraine special ally status with the US start building ABM batteries on the Russia/Ukraine border Putin will invade - and quite rightly from the Russian point of view.
The people who made the agreement about leaving Ukraine as a buffer understood this. The current people either don't understand or don't care.
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/threat-level-from-international-terrorism-raised-pm-press-conference
He did not say we faced some invasion or missile attack.
He said we faced a greater deeper threat to 'our security', that is, in the contrext of his statement, a threat to our security like say the IRA posed and his use of the word 'deeper' seems appropriate to me given UK nationals have gone abroad to be indoctrinated by these extremistsand may well return. The IRA were not noted for their suicide bombing tendencies.
I find comments strange. The govt are taking the threat seriously yet it is criticised for it by people who are demanding the threat is taken seriously.
Having taken a few months off from PB to watch the World Cup, Test Matches and generally do some useful things in nice weather have I missed anything here ?
Any interesting new PBers or returning 'golden oldies' ? Any tantrums, or flounces or bannings ?
As a marketer myself, I see marketing in its broadest sense as the bringing of a product or service to market. Therefore I would say if you've successfully positioned yourselves, you have 'marketed' and clearly done so very successfully, regardless of whether you've engaged in promotional activity. More power to you for that.
Just as make up and clothes should draw attention to the wearer, not themselves, so marketing should draw attention to the product, not itself. So many award-winning marketing campaigns have been utter failures in selling the product. If something screams 'marketing' it promotes instant distrust. Not many marketing people see it the way I do though.
So surely we must be in line for the economic or internal market jobs?
The Mayor of London is seen as more right wing and more likely than his potential competitors to inspire people
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/30/poll-boris-johnson-tory-leader?CMP=twt_fd
Juncker is hinting that he will give a senior position to the UK if Cameron changes his nomination to a woman.
But, of course, to require a change in nomination is a power play.
Juncker thinks that demanding on "equality" will give him a card to explain why the Brits didn't get a senior position by nominating a man (ignoring the fact that the other senior posts are going to men whose countries supported his nomination).
I don't think Cameron can change his nomination. So the question becomes whether Juncker wants to declare all out war or not.
We live in interesting times.
A better comparison is:
Cameron = Continuity Blair
Miliband = Continuity Brown
Also someone (HYFUD I think) wondered why Cameron was so keen to bomb Assad last year despite massive public opposition but so loath to bomb ISIS this year even with public support.
There's a simple answer to that.
Bombing Assad last year was SamCam's then current issue while at present Iraqi Christians and Yezidis aren't it seems fashionable enough.
Which brings me to the Rotherham issue. Many people have expressed shock at the lack of response from Cameron and Miliband. Now I can understand EdM - any condemnation of Islamic communities (especially coming from a Jew) is going to cost Labour votes while any condemnation of the activities of social workers etc will outrage guardianistas. So easier to mumble platitudes and hope the issue goes away for EdM.
But what explains the attitude of Cameron, for whom doing the right thing would also be electorally beneficial ? My theory is that he's terrified of SamCam's disapproval. To posh lefties such as SamCam Rotherham is so damaging to so many of their beliefs that it must not be acknowledged, it must forever remain an unissue. And Cameron, with his insecurity complex, will yet again follow his wife's prejudices.
I wonder if Charles, who I believe has met both Camerons, would like to comment on what sort of influence SamCam has on her husband.
Welcome back.
Avery has gone quiet for several weeks now, so no more Yellow Boxes showing George Osborne's magnificent stewardship of the UK Economy, I know that will upset you immensely
Its interestging that you take Brentons views so uncritically - I note that he is not only EU friendly but was also responsible for EU energy and environment policy. Furthermore he led the Foreign Office unit that negotiated for the 1992 Rio "Earth Summit". All these things for starters would lead me to not belive a blinking word he says.
Oh wait, we know: Juncker.