Ocado/Morrisons

And it's not even April Fool's day. Yes, Ocado, a company I love and use because I know they can't make any money out of me and yet provide a good service, are going to sell spare capacity to Morrisons, a shopping experience that you just won't run back to who think people need their amazing product at des res in the Home Counties. Hmm...

In the middle, Waitrose. A store whose brand is such that house prices rise when one opens in the neighbourhood. How Waitrose react will be critical. Ocado seem to have come up with a good plan whereby they have in effect sold their distribution centre that they had no ability to use.

This probably screws Waitrose who have a no compete clause, but by selling the business Ocado will think they have managed around this. The devil will be in whether Waitrose can find a way to get at Ocadao through their delivery management agreement with Morrisons.

Clearly the market thinks Ocado have pulled it off as the share price is up 30% this morning. Indeed, it is a company saver as they had invested in a white elephant that they have managed to sell. However, long term their relationship with Waitrose will end and they still never make any money and lose on every delivery. it's a real dotcom business model, sometimes like Amazon they work in the end of course...

Question Time - EU Again! edition

  David Dimbleby presents Question Time from Ipswich.{recent gains to 11 seats up from just 1 for UKIP}

On the panel: defence secretary, Philip "reservists" Hammond MP; 

shadow immigration minister, Chris "underpants" Bryant MP; 

former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Charles " I may have had a wee problem but don't you wish I was leader now?"Kennedy MP; 

 Financial Times journalist Gillian "global crisis" Tett; 

and the chair of Arts Council England, Peter "Baguette" Bazalgette.

This tournament is sponsored by 

Timbo 614

  

Week 16

DtP 115 -

Measured 102

BQ(MP) 98

  Timbo614 98

ND 94

 Hopper 91

Budgie 83 
Malcolm Tucker 82
  GSD 82

 Botogol 65

kynon 66

Blue Eyes 64

Idle 48
Taff -45

CU 41

Sackerson - 11
 Andrew -13

James Higham - 7 
anon - 3
 Phil5 - 2

BQ thinks 

1} Is Cameron the new Major?

2} Were the Pakistani trafficers targeting white girls, or are there just less Asian girls in care homes?

3} NHS 111 & A&E crisis - Should GP's be made to open back up on weekends?

4} Afghan withdrawal . Longer tours and "Why are we there?"

5}Oil companies fixing the price at the pump.

DImbletie - A bit orangey.

Woe is us!

Having had one of those days yesterday (triple whammy of duff events) there is nothing else to cheer oneself up than looking around to see everyone else is suffering too. This I fear places me firmly in the realm of a socialist, so this will be a one off post and normal service will be resumed shortly.

The fact that everyone else is suffering is being well reported by the OECD with Britain making marked falls in the overall well being tables. The excuses given out are what we all know, unemployment, higher taxes leading to lower disposable income.

Overall the effect is to say that we are as poor as we were in 2005. Now this bit I can agree with, I definitely remember a time of going on holidays and being able to buy new cars, TV's etc, this does now though seem like a dim and distant memory - but 2005...golly!