P542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:54:20 —————————————————————————— SUPERMARKETS DO THE HUSTLE The shakeout in the grocery retailing sector may have just begun as Asda announces another round of price cuts. The move puts further pressure on the margins of the bigger supermarkets who may try to match the cuts. The Competition Commission is also expected to issue a report on April 7 on whether a monopoly exists in the sector. Analysts say that takeovers may bj delayed until the report is issued. ——————————————————————————————————1/10— bz Claire Hunte NEED LEGAL ADVICE? see p215P542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:54:14 —————————————————————————— SUPERMARKETS HUSTLE Asda, the third-largest retailer in the UK, is setting the pace and competitors are playing catch-up. Bolstered by the deep pockets of its parent, US discount giant Wal-Mart, its price cuts aim to match US prices. A pleasing prospect for UK shoppers who are benefitting from lower prices and other forms of initiatives from their grocer — like home delivery and internet shopping. ——————————————————————————————————2/10— Teletext "mortgage of the week" 545 ANY PURPOSE LOANS - SEE p627 OR CALL WILMSLOW FREE ON 0800 269315 Advice Property Savings CityP542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:55:29 —————————————————————————— SUPERMARKETS HUSTLE Asda has cut the prices of 200 products in its stores. Richard Perks of retail analyst company, Retail Intelligence, say that this is not likely to lead to a price-cutting war. Richard Hyman of retail analyst Verdict Research agrees that there is an acceleration of price cutting in the market. "Competitive pricing in the sector is still a couple of years away," he adds. ——————————————————————————————————3/10— Is it worth investing in a PEP? 543 NOW IT'S EVEN EASIER TO FIND LOVE: TELETEXT DATING ITV p390 Advice Property Savings CityP542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:45:03 —————————————————————————— SUPERMARKETS HUSTLE Food is not the only area where Asda has slashed prices. It also cut £45m from the cost of around 2,000 lines in home and leisure. CD prices which have caused public outcry dui to the differences in cost worldwide were rolled back in November to match US prices. Asda's top management has pledged to work with six UK record companies in a bid to reduce CD prices to under £10. ——————————————————————————————————4/10— "Best buy" savings tables 546 Looking for a great mortgage deal? See p675 Advice Property Savings CityP542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:40:28 —————————————————————————— SUPERMARKETS HUSTLE Boots chairman Lord Blyth was reported in November last year to have said that Wal-Mart would not have an impact on UK retailing. Since then, the 'non-threatening' Asda has had a negative impact on Boots' shares. In the last eight months Boots shares have been hit hard by, among other factors, Asda's move to lower prices on health and beauty products. ——————————————————————————————————5/10— Can endowments pay the mortgage? 544 MONEY-SAVING OFFERS ON CENTRAL HEATING FROM BRITISH GAS ITV p357 Advice Property Savings CityP542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:40:23 Advert MONEY >>> PHONE GET UP NEED TO 35% MORE! CASH? DON'T SURRENDER ORSELLYOUR ENDOWMENTPOLICY WITHOUTTALKINGTOAAP 6/10 Regulated by the Personal Investment Authority Advice Property Savings CityP542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:46:07 —————————————————————————— SUPERMARKETS HUSTLE Last year's profit levels of Safeway and Sainsbury suffered from the intense market competition. In response new tactics and strategies emerged. Safeway announced in November last year a new concept where every store will run like a small business. Sometfield had to change focus after plans to convert just brought Swig-Save into higher-priced Somerfield stores failed. ——————————————————————————————————7/10— "Best buy" savings tables 546 CITY NEWS x500P542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:47:12 —————————————————————————— SUPERMARKETS HUSTLE The third-largest grocery retailer in addition to cutting prices, Asda is also adding new stores — creating up to 27,000 jobs over the next five years. It plans to open up to 50 of its so- called 'Fresh' small stores to the tune of £75m. It promises the same fresh food, level of sjtvice and value as its larger stores in half the space. Asda is also boosting its internet shopping site. ——————————————————————————————————8/10— Are you a Premium Bond winner? 549 CITY NEWS p500P542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:47:46 —————————————————————————— SUPERMARKETS HUSTLE Richard Hyman, retail analyst at Verdict Research, agrees that the grocery sector will see an acceleration of prices gradually over the short to medium term. He expects Christmas trading statements to make a positive impact on food retailers. Mr Hyman contends that Sainsbury, Tjsco and Safeway remain vulnerable to takeovers. ——————————————————————————————————9/10— How many pesetas to the £? 548 INSHORE FORECAST IS NOW ON p158P542 Teletext 542 Jan12 22:58:15 —————————————————————————— SUPERMARKETS HUSTLE Matching prices are not the only things grocery retailers will have to do to stay competitive. Smaller companies are going to suffer, says Richard Perks of Retail Intelligence as the larger companies will have more money to invest. Retailers like Iceland and Sometfeld will have to refocus their strategy as convenience stores. Even Sainsbury now has its Sainsbury Local stores. ——————————————————————————————————10/10 New Web site — create a share portfolio www.teletext.co.uk/finance