Black Friday powers John Lewis’ best week ever December 2, 2014 John Lewis has reported its best-ever week for sales in its 150 year history, thanks to the power of Black Friday. The sales bonanza, which the department store had invested heavily into, resulted in sales of £179.1m, up 21.8 per cent year-on-year, and 56.8 per cent up on the previous week. It easily [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK date: Why the crazy discount and deal day chaos is coming early this year (and will last longer) October 26, 2015 Be prepared for Black Friday to come early this year. There's a month to go until the day which brought us frenzied scenes of bargain shoppers, but one company believes retailers will begin their discounting even earlier than 27 November when it falls. "Retailers are likely to discount earlier than Black Friday but spread the offers over [...]
John Lewis sales remain strong following bumper Black Friday December 9, 2014 The UK’S largest department store group John Lewis saw sales grow 10.8 per cent to £160m last week compared with the same week last year, with colder weather boosting sales of knitwear. Due to the roaring trade during Black Friday the week before, John Lewis saw its biggest ever week for sales in its 150-year [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Sainsbury’s big deals on Celcus TVs, Dyson vacuum cleaners and HP laptops among the best bargains this year November 26, 2015 Sainsbury's is one of the last retailers to reveal what's up its sleeves for Black Friday this year, but there are plenty of big name brands whose prices are being knocked down for the bargain bonanza. Top deals include the Celcus 32" HD Ready LED TV with Freeview, on sale for £100 instead of £180, the Dyson DC44 [...]
Brexit and the City: Here are the names you need to know September 25, 2016 As rumours circulate that Article 50 could be triggered towards the start of next year, many in London are more than a little curious as to what the City will look like post-Brexit and who will be fighting to keep their best interests front and centre during the course of the negotiations. City A.M. profiles some [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Business rates regime scrapped by chancellor George Osborne in “revolutionary” move November 25, 2015 George Osborne has delivered a much-needed fillip to struggling town centres and bricks and mortar retailers by abolishing uniform business rates. Under plans announced during the Autumn Statement today, the much-hated regime will be ditched in favour of letting councils decide whether to cut rates to make their town centres "more attractive to businesses". "Elected [...]
TSB results: Chief executive Paul Pester says the big banks have it far too easy as his challenger bank reports 22 per cent increase in customer lending for 2015 January 28, 2016 TSB Bank chief executive Paul Pester told City A.M. that the challenger bank "definitely went from strength to strength" in 2015, as the lender announced its full-year results this morning. The retail and commercial bank, which was carved out of Lloyds Banking Group in 2014, reported profits were ahead of expectations, with management profit before tax of £105.7m, while [...]
Black Friday 2015: A third of British and American retailers say the sales bonanza is unprofitable November 16, 2015 Britain's biggest online shopping fixture Black Friday is dividing the retail industry, with a third of major retailers saying it is unprofitable while the same number believe it provides a major fillip, research by LCP Consulting shows. The business consultancy firm’s annual Omnichannel report released today found that retailers with an established presence both in bricks [...]
Monty the Penguin buoys John Lewis sales November 11, 2014 John Lewis’ sales jumped 5.1 per cent to £95.7m in the week to Saturday 8 November, buoyed by the launch of its Christmas campaign featuring Monty the penguin. Week-on-week sales rose 3.9 per cent. Online sales were up 17 per cent, with “Monty” the most searched term on its website. The advert featuring a boy and his [...]
Silverstone boss Patrick Allen ousted for being “too close” to tycoon plotting takeover August 9, 2016 The home of Formula One’s British Grand Prix has been thrown into turmoil by the unexpected departure of its boss Patrick Allen who has been suspended. Allen is managing director of the Silverstone track in Northamptonshire and was seen there last month at the British Grand Prix when 139,000 spectators watched local hero Lewis Hamilton [...]