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I made a mistake!

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Declan Curry | 15:57 UK time, Thursday, 21 January 2010

When I make a mistake on the programme, I want to admit it as soon as I'm aware of it.

It doesn't excuse the error, and doesn't change the fact that I should have been right first time. But owning up to it, and saying I'm sorry for it, is the very least I can do.

So thank you to WL viewer Michael Taylor for spotting my howler in today's stock market report - and emailing me about it immediately.

I was talking about the supermarket Morrison. It had a good Christmas, thanks to our love of party food. Sales of some canapés have almost doubled. Champagne sales were boosted by special offers.

So far, so good.

Then we got to the nitty gritty.

I said Morrison's pre-Christmas sales were 4.3 per cent higher than the same time the previous year.

I then compared that with Sainsbury - which saw its holiday sales rise by 4.2 per cent - and Tesco, which had a sales increase of 4.9 per cent.

If you were watching at home, the obvious inference is that Morrison did better than Sainsbury, but not as well as Tesco.

(That is, by the bye, a perfectly respectable place to be in - and a whole lot healthier than Morrison's perilous state just a few years ago. The turn around in its business has been remarkable.)

Just one problem ...

Morrison's per-Christmas sales were actually up by 6.5 per cent. I had, by mistake, written in a sales increase recorded by the company earlier in the year.

It's a very silly, and very a stupid, mistake and I am correctly ashamed. I'm sorry to you for giving you the wrong information. You deserved better.

And I'm sorry to the thousands of Morrison's employees who worked so hard in the run-up to Christmas to serve their customers and deliver this sales increase. I wouldn't want to undermine their achievement or their efforts.

One other thing I said was that the City had expected more. That much remains correct. The city's analysts saw Waitrose's champagne-popping sales figures earlier this month, and other research which suggested we'd splashed out on treats and better-quality fresh food this Christmas - and had hoped for a larger rise in sales than Morrison's delivered.

That's why its share price slipped today.

You may choose to file that away in the "some people are never happy" folder.

Meanwhile, I'm going to stand in the naughty corner for a bit longer. Well, until Naga lets me out again.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    was talking about the supermarket Morrison.

    Just FYI, I believe it is 'Morrisons'.

  • Comment number 2.

    Talk about adding insult to injury!

  • Comment number 3.

    Hi Declan.
    So sorry but i don't know how to start a new subject, only i noticed you had the guy who runs Lego Land on your show last week.
    If you get the chance please could you ask him or his organisation WHY they charge more for adults than children to entre Lego land. I ask this as the only reason an adult would ever go there would be to look after their own kids. Or is it just me ?

  • Comment number 4.

    I am not surprised that Working Lunch is going to end as it has not been the same since Declan Curry took over.He is a silly man who has very little to offer.

  • Comment number 5.

    Recent changes to the Nationwide Flexaccount have meant quite considerable increases to charges for Customers who use thier debit cards to withdraw money outside the UK.However the most shocking thing is the statement from Chris Rhodes, Executive Director of Marketing at Nationwide that Customes who do not hold thier main current account with the society are "bringing little or no benefit to the Society and it’s other members “ This could be despite the facy that they have several other financial products with the organisation and coukd have considerable savings and investments with them.Chris Rhodes has stated that those who hold a Flexaccount with the Society “have the deepest relationship with Nationwide “and these are the people who will “receive the most benefit “I am shocked and stunned at this attitude and feel belittled and undervaled by Nationwide.

  • Comment number 6.

    If we ever bring back Working Lunch Declan Curry must not be on it

  • Comment number 7.

    All this user's posts have been removed.Why?

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