Sparing the rod could spoil the group November 22, 2012 IT WAS easy for shoppers in the UK to see what was wrong with Mothercare. Shabby stores and a generally low-end feel to the product range damaged the brand and left it open to competition from hipper contenders like Mamas & Papas. Yet that ignored its performance outside the UK, which accounted for 54.5 per [...]
Construction begins on Crossrail nature reserve September 17, 2012 CONSTRUCTION work officially kicked off yesterday on a project to create the largest man-made nature reserve in Essex. Wallasea Island, close to Southend-on-Sea, is being transformed from farmland into a huge wildlife sanctuary to attract birds and other wildlife to the area. The 670-hectare park, which will feature marshes and mudflats, is being constructed from [...]
Why pigs in space are worth your time: The case for playing Angry Birds March 29, 2012 THIS may make me an addict turned dealer, but here’s my advice for the weekend. First, read this article. Then buy the Angry Birds Space app. It’s important to get the order right. In a world where time and resources are scarce, playing a computer game seems perverse: it expends time and money without any [...]
SVG Capital to refocus on new investments October 22, 2012 SVG Capital, the listed private equity giant, yesterday said it has shrunk its exposure to Permira’s portfolio of companies as it set its sights on investing in less mature assets. The FTSE 250 firm said it will sell its stake in Permira’s pan-European buyout fund Permira III for £90.2m but will keep a 50 per [...]
100 residential towers planned across London October 29, 2012 DEVELOPERS have tall ambitions for London’s skyline, with more than 100 residential towers being built or planned across the capital, new research shows. Soaring residential land values and a booming population has prompted a revival in high-rise towers, which lost their popularity after a backlash against the concrete block disasters of the 1960s. A report [...]
British Bankers’ Association mulls merger in hunt for cash December 12, 2012 SUPERMARKET own-label ranges, package holidays and … City lobbying groups? Punters’ desire for value-for-money appears to be stretching further than ever in gloomy economic times. That’s the conundrum confronting my fellow City A.M. columnist Anthony Browne, recently installed as chief executive of the British Bankers’ Association (BBA). Relinquishing its role in supervising the Libor-setting process [...]
Politicians are powerless to curb our shrinking corporate tax base December 17, 2012 IT IS shocking, isn’t it? Despite UK sales of £7.6bn between 2009 and 2012, Amazon paid almost no corporation tax to the UK Treasury. Starbucks has not paid UK corporation tax in 14 of the past 15 years. Big corporate interests, it seems, are not paying their fair share of tax. An open and shut [...]
Don’t forget the batteries this Xmas October 10, 2012 Angry Birds Mega Smash £24.99 The latest creation from the makers of the all conquering smartphone game sees you destroying real-life pigs. Smashing fun. www.toysrus.com Leap Frog LeapPad 2 £89.99 Over 200 cartridge and downloadable games make learning fun for ages 3-9 – and ensure your kids are kings of the tablet generation. www.leappad2.co.uk Web [...]
Don’t forget the batteries this Xmas October 10, 2012 Angry Birds Mega Smash £24.99 The latest creation from the makers of the all conquering smartphone game sees you destroying real-life pigs. Smashing fun. www.toysrus.com Leap Frog LeapPad 2 £89.99 Over 200 cartridge and downloadable games make learning fun for ages 3-9 – and ensure your kids are kings of the tablet generation. www.leappad2.co.uk Web [...]
First baby steps towards growth for Mothercare October 18, 2012 MOTHERCARE yesterday said its embattled UK business was showing some signs of recovery as it managed to stem the decline in like-for-like sales in the first half. Chief executive Simon Calver, who was parachuted into the company earlier this year, launched a three year turnaround plan in May pledging to be “ruthless” on costs and [...]