All articles by Clive Black
-
Opinion‘RIP John Sainsbury – one of Britain’s greatest ever retailers’
Following the death of legendary retailer Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover, Shore Capital’s Clive Black pays tribute to a man who changed the grocery and retail landscape
-
Opinion‘The Amazon giant is beginning to stir and UK grocers should take note’
Amazon’s latest tie-ups with Deliveroo and the Co-op show it is slowly tightening its grip on the UK grocery market by leveraging its sprawling network of Prime members.
-
OpinionOpinion: Carrefour must learn from the past to avoid another bout of travel sickness
Carrefour’s acquisition of 224 stores in Taiwan runs counter to recent strategic retreats from international markets of many once-global food retailers. International expansion remains a viable route to growth for food retailers, but only if the lessons of the past can be learned.
-
OpinionClive Black: Tesco and Lewis deserve a pat on the back
Tesco has issued a set of preliminary results that underscore its recovery and set the expectation for brighter times ahead.
-
OpinionClive Black: Sainsbury's – thank goodness for Argos
Who would have thought it? Argos has been a much-abused label for many years in Britain’s investment community and yet it is the shining light in Sainsbury’s interim results.
-
OpinionClive Black: Thai spice sours taste of Tesco's results
Tesco’s interim results brought with them a huge highlight for me – seeing and speaking to Charles Wilson after his treatment for cancer, which meant he had to relinquish the role of CEO of the group’s UK business.
-
OpinionClive Black: Sainsbury’s-Asda is big challenge for CMA
Boom! When Poundland decided to acquire 99p Stores, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) took it to a Phase 2 investigation.
-
OpinionClive Black: Tesco's Chas and Dave hit the right note
Tesco’s results represented another year of good, solid, sound, detailed progress by the business.
-
OpinionOpinion: Sainsbury’s – one step forward, one step back
With headwinds from the second half of its 2016/17 financial year, the first half of 2017/18 was always going to result in a decline in year-on-year profitability from Sainsbury’s.
-
NewsClive Black: Tesco is back on its grocery throne
Tesco’s recuperation from the depths of corporate despair has been a time-consuming one.
-
OpinionOpinion: Lewis has the Tesco train back on track
Tesco’s first-quarter trading statement contained few shocks and surprises, bar the exit from the bulk alcohol and tobacco markets in Thailand.
-
OpinionClive Black: Tesco under pressure to deliver good news
Tesco’s preliminary results reveal more good progress with the recovery that has been engineered and delivered through Dave Lewis.
-
OpinionOpinion: Why Asda remains a work in progress
Asda has delivered a welcome improvement in its underlying trading performance as outlined through its fourth-quarter trading update, albeit same-store sales are still falling.
-
NewsOpinion: Why the fun is over for Aldi and Lidl
The limited assortment discounters (LADs) are not having as much fun as they used to.
-
OpinionOpinion: Tesco's growing capability and confidence is promising
Tesco boss Dave Lewis should be congratulated on progress, but his job isn’t even half done yet, says Shore Capital analyst Clive Black.
-
OpinionOpinion: Tesco has calmer seas ahead, but still faces headwinds
Tesco’s full-year results represented a sea of calm compared with the turbulent and chaotic waters that investors encountered a year ago.
-
OpinionOpinion: Why Asda's tough decisions are a necessary evil of the industry
Asda has had to make difficult calls to keep itself competitive, particularly in light of the ongoing challenge from the grocery discounters.
-
OpinionComment: Asda still leads the big four despite its sales decline
Asda’s 1.6% fall in like-for-likes indicates just how challenging the British supermarket scene has become.
-
OpinionComment: A perfect storm has left the grocery market in the doldrums
Further challenges face the grocery market, despite favourable comparatives, a rising population and now on-going economic growth.
-
OpinionComment: Will McIlwee's exit prompt a restructure of the board at Tesco?
The departure of Laurie McIlwee from Tesco is symptomatic of a business that is not at ease with itself. To perform better, Tesco needs to be at ease with its strategy and direction, united and comfortable, with the right people executing its plans.