Company

Published

 Brief Summary

Aeon

01/09/2006

With Japanese economy showing signs of recovery, Aeon is working to increase customer appeal through investment in store modernisation, shopping centres and an overhaul of its product ranges.

Ahold

01/03/2006

Having divested of many of its business units in South America, Asia and the US and settled its shareholder dispute, Ahold is now a slimmer, sleeker operation than previously.

Aldi

01/02/2006

German discounter Aldi is battling hard on prices and experiencing sales declines as competition increases in its saturated domestic market. 

Auchan

01/08/2006

Auchan’s strong expansion overseas is balancing the effects of a weak market in France, where the group is experimenting with new formats and a discount strategy in order to drive growth.

Body Shop

01/09/2006

After experiencing lacklustre growth in recent times, The Body Shop reported a good period of growth last year. The group was recently acquired by L’Oréal, the world’s largest cosmetics company, for £652m and it will be interested to see how the French giant utilises this global chain which has built itself up around its ethical stance on product sourcing. 

Boots

01/08/2006

A year of change for the Boots group as it sold off its healthcare manufacturing business to Reckitt Benckiser, agreed on a merger with Alliance UniChem and focused on improving performance at its core Boots The Chemist (BTC) chain.

Carrefour

01/04/2006

The past year has been one of transition for the world’s second-largest retailer as it reorganised its management structure, closed underperforming businesses and invested in aggressive price cuts in order to win back market share in a highly competitive domestic market.

Casino

01/08/2006

In the face of tough competition and a weak market in France, Casino is pursuing a long-term strategy of aggressive price reductions which is affecting financial results, particularly at its hypermarkets.

Celesio

01/01/2006

Europe’s leading pharmaceutical wholesaler and retailer Celesio is profiting from the continued rise in demand for medicines, although recent legislation has impacted its profit margins.

Coles Myer

01/09/2006

After a lukewarm reception to CEO John Fletcher’s latest five-year plan for the retailer, speculation abounds that the Coles Myer Board is considering a hostile takeover bid thought to be led by the KKR group.

Compass

01/04/2006

A difficult year for the Compass Group, the world’s largest foodservice company, as pricing pressure from clients and increased costs impacted on profits, while an investigation into corruption during United Nations-related contract bidding negatively affected the group’s share value.

Coop Schweiz

01/11/2006

Operating in a weak retail environment, Switzerland’s second-largest food retailer grew sales slightly last year but experienced a drop in profit as the group was forced to lower prices in order to remain competitive.

Costco

01/10/2006

US discounter Costco may miss its annual targets this year owing to reduced profit margins and increased fuel prices, but the group continues to prove the value of customer loyalty as its strong membership renewals and high-end sales keep it ahead of rival SAM’s Club

CVS

01/12/2006

CVS is expanding its drugstore and benefit management businesses through targeted acquisitions and is well positioned to profit from the growing US prescription market.

Daiei

01/10/2006

Despite a new focus on food retailing and a new corporate logo, Japanese retailer Daiei remains troubled and now faces an uncertain future as foreign investors line up to buy a stake in the chain.

Dairy Farm

01/12/2006

Dairy Farm is continuing to expand within Asia to take advantage of new markets and an improving economy. Last year it increased its stake in the PT Hero supermarket chain in Indonesia.

Delhaize

01/05/2006

Belgian retailer Delhaize’s investment in its US store portfolio helped the group to higher-than-expected sales and profits during 2005.

DSG International

01/03/2006

A reasonable year for DSG International, with group results broadly in line with market expectations in the context of a deteriorating retail climate in the UK.

Edeka

01/07/2006

Germany’s largest retailer and co-operative, Edeka is reaping the benefits from its Spar and Netto acquisition and aims to expand its presence in the discount sector.

Eroski

01/12/2006

Spain’s second-largest retailer is currently focused on the rapid expansion and diversification of its activities across the country, which is allowing it to grow sales ahead of its rivals.

GUS

01/02/2006

GUS can claim a modest success during the full and half-year periods, as the group saw slight gains in both sales and profits against a backdrop of slowing consumer spending.

Home Depot

01/01/2006

The world’s largest home improvement chain is continuing to expand and grow its share of the American market whilst also investing in new formats and overseas expansion.

ICA AB

01/10/2006

Sweden’s leading retailer has slimmed down operations through the divestment of its Danish and food service subsidiaries and now plans to grow its core food retail business through continued focus on low prices, efficient operations and expansion of its hypermarket format.

J.C. Penney

01/09/2006

The second-largest department store chain in the US reported a strong increase in sales and profit last year, having just completed a five-year turnaround plan.

John Lewis Partnership

01/07/2006

John Lewis Partnership managed to raise its profits despite a difficult year in its department store division. Waitrose continues to grow strongly on the back of store expansion and consumer demand for higher quality foods.

Kesa Electricals

01/04/2006

Another tough year for Kesa Electricals, which, in the week before revealing its year-end results had rejected a £1.72bn bid approach from a private equity consortium, thought to be Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Permira.

Kingfisher

01/11/2006

In a weak DIY market Kingfisher’s B&Q chain has struggled to grow sales in the last eighteen months, although recent restructuring and promotional initiatives are starting to show sign of working. 

Kroger

01/04/2006

For the past two years Kroger has been suffering the after-effects of a long-running labour dispute at its stores in Southern California.  However, this year the group swung to profit demonstrating that it may finally have won the battle to increase market share and win back customers from rival chains.

Laurus

01/03/2006

Despite improved sales momentum towards the latter end of 2005, Laurus’ turnover still declined considerably during the year as high reorganisation costs combined with a supermarket price war in The Netherlands hit the group’s bottom line.

Leclerc

01/06/2006

France’s leading grocery retailer is focused on fair prices and customer loyalty as well as campaigns for equality and the environment. The group is growing sales ahead of its rivals and is expanding its successful portfolio of non-food stores.

Loblaw

01/03/2006

Canada’s largest retailer missed sales and profit forecasts for the year as growth was hampered by supply chain disruptions caused by an ambitious restructuring plan.

Lowe's

01/06/2006

US home improvement chain Lowe’s is pleasing customers and shareholders with a strong performance reflecting its modern store portfolio and range of services catering to the DIY and DIFM (do-it-for-me) homeowner market.

Marks & Spencer

01/08/2006

The iconic retailer continues its resurgence with a strong increase in pre-tax profits as it completes the second year of its three-year recovery plan. However, CEO Stuart Rose warned that “we still have much to do to ensure that we sustain growth in the long term”.

Matalan

01/09/2006

Matalan continues to struggle through difficult times in the highly competitive world of apparel retail. Poor sales figures are forcing the retailer to push through major revamps, but just how effective these will be is unclear.

Metro

01/11/2006

Metro’s international business is booming, but sales and profits in its German domestic market have been hit by tough competition and weak consumer spending.

Migros

01/02/2006

By focusing on low prices and diversification, leading Swiss retailer Migros achieved slight growth last year despite a negative market trend.

Morrisons

01/05/2006

Morrisons outlined a three-year recovery plan as it announced its first ever loss due to the after-effects of its acquisition of Safeway.

Mothercare

01/02/2006

An encouraging period for Mothercare, as the group made modest gains in its core UK market, despite difficult trading conditions and increased operating costs.

Musgrave

01/11/2006

Musgrave is expanding its presence in Ireland with new store openings. In the UK the group has been working to integrate its Londis and Budgens subsidiaries into a single organisation and to replicate Ireland’s organisational structure across its businesses.

Next

01/05/2006

A tough year for the Next group, with declining sales and fierce competition forcing a shift in business towards non-traditional avenues.

Publix

01/07/2006

With a legendary reputation for customer service and satisfaction, employee-owned supermarket chain Publix is giving larger retailers a run for their money in the south eastern US states.

Rewe

01/07/2006

Rewe increased sales by 2.2% last year to achieve record figures as a result of its diversification and international expansion strategy.

Safeway (US)

01/05/2006

US retailer Safeway has boosted sales this year through heavy investment in marketing and store renewals as it strives to differentiate itself from competition in the discount sector.

Sainsbury’s

01/07/2006

Sainsbury’s continues its resurgence under Chief Executive Justin King with its market share growing through the year to around 16%.

Schlecker

01/08/2006

Schlecker remains the dominant force in Germany’s health & beauty market but has curbed its rapid expansion strategy amidst a weaker market and increased competition from the discounters.

Schwarz Group

01/07/2006

With double-digit domestic growth a thing of the past, Lidl is realigning its focus on overseas expansion, with eastern Europe the fastest-growing region.

Sears Holdings

01/06/2006

Sears Holdings is working to a short-term vision of pleasing shareholders with increased profits driven by cost savings.  However, the group has been criticised for lack of investment in its stores, where sales continue to decline.

Seven & I Holdings

01/03/2006

In December Seven-Eleven Japan bought out the remaining shares in 7-Eleven Inc., the world’s largest convenience retailer.  Now the two companies form part of Japanese conglomerate Seven & I Holdings which is seeking to shake up the retail market in Asia.

Sobeys

01/05/2006

Canada’s second-largest grocery retailer is maintaining momentum in an increasingly competitive market through aggressive pricing and store remodelling.

Système U

01/06/2006

The co-operative run group succeeded in increasing its turnover and market share last year, although growth was affected by tough price competition in the French market.

Target

01/10/2006

US discounter and purveyor of “cheap chic”, Target is growing sales ahead of rival Wal-Mart.

Tengelmann

01/05/2006

Tengelmann has now completed its five-year restructuring programme and sold off non-core operations including (most recently) its Canadian A&P stores. The group is now seeking further growth within Europe, particularly within the discount sector.

Tesco

01/06/2006

Tesco continues to grow across the board, being marked as arguably the most dynamic retailers in the world currently. Markets in Asia and Eastern Europe are showing good growth, and it is finally taking the plunge into the US market.

United Co-op

01/01/2006

A successful period for United Co-operative, as the rapid expansion of its retail estate has seen it establish itself as a leading player in the neighbourhood stores market.

Walgreen

01/12/2006

Walgreens has shifted from a diversified retailer to a core drugstore and pharmacy format which aims to take advantage of the growth in prescriptions for the aging US population.

Wal-Mart

01/09/2006

Wal-Mart is attempting to reinvent itself to appeal to a wider customer base, whilst also growing its storecount in the US and overseas.

WH Smith

01/01/2006

A better year for WH Smith, during which the retailer's focus on productivity enabled it to move back into the black.

Woolworths Ltd. (Aus)

01/04/2006

Leading Australian retailer Woolworths has pleased analysts with strong first-half results and is expanding its portfolio through hotel and liquor acquisitions and a market entry into New Zealand

Woolworths Group (UK)

01/11/2006

Woolworths has experienced tough times with profits and sales tumbling, as consumers drift towards more focused and dominant retailers.