B&M eyes more stores as sales jump by a third May 28, 2015 Bargain retail chain B&M has hiked its store expansion targets after reporting a near 30 per cent jump in revenue in its first year as a public company. The company, which sells everything from toys to electrical goods and furniture, yesterday said sales jumped 29.5 per cent to £1.6bn in the year to 28 March, [...]
Scottish independence: BT, TalkTalk, EE, Telefonica, Vodafone and Three warn of increased costs if Scots vote Yes September 14, 2014 Six of Britain's leading telecoms companies are the latest to warn of potential price rises if Scotland votes Yes to independence. The chiefs of BT, TalkTalk, EE, Telefonica UK, Vodafone UK and Three UK have issued a joint letter warning that the uncertainty around regulation and spectrum allocation, which mobile networks use to operate, could [...]
Marks & Spencer recruits Silicon Roundabout entrepreneurs for new website May 1, 2014 MARKS & Spencer has been recruiting Silicon roundabout’s finest to help develop its new website and to help lure the 19m customers a year who shop in its stores but do not use its website. The 130 year-old high street retailer broke away from its technology supplier Amazon and launched its own custom-built £150m [...]
John King steps down as CEO of House of Fraser February 18, 2015 HOUSE of Fraser chief executive John King has stepped down after eight years at the helm of the department store chain, with chief operating officer Nigel Oddy taking his place. King joined House of Fraser in 2007 just after its was bought by a consortium of investors called the Highland Group which included retail entrepreneur [...]
Apple Pay: How does it work and is it any quicker? A guide for the new contactless payment system July 15, 2015 Apple Pay has finally arrived in the UK. Well, sort of. If you have the right iPhone and the right bank and you shop in the right place and if the sun is shining at just the right angle – then you can use Apple Pay (okay, we made the bit about the sun up). [...]
Financial policy committee gets new member January 27, 2015 THE BANK of England has appointed Alex Brazier to its financial policy committee (FPC). Brazier was previously private secretary to governor Mark Carney. He first joined the bank in 2001 as an economist before working his way up the ranks. The FPC’s main task is to oversee system-wide risk in the financial sector. He will [...]
BHS confirms new chief executive is Darren Topp as the retailer makes transition to new owners March 17, 2015 BHS has confirmed Darren Topp as its interim chief executive, following the departure of long-standing head Richard Price. Topp has been at BHS for six years, and steps up from his current role as chief operating officer with immediate effect. The change at the top comes just days after the department store chain [...]
London Collections: Men – the lowdown on the latest menswear trends June 4, 2015 The Breton Stripe is a summer classic. Get the long-sleeved T-shirt from Ralph Lauran at mrporter.com, £110, the chinos from AMI at mrporter.com, £155, the Steve McQueeninspired shades from Persol at davidclulow.com and the “Classic Batchel” shoulder bag from The Cambridge Satchel Company, £130, cambridgesatchel.com Sketches: Emma Hopkins LC:M – aka London’s men’s [...]
Cannock Chase can see off Huxley rivals May 6, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS DAY TWO OF CHESTER’S MAY MEETING SIR MICHAEL Stoute hasn’t quite scaled the heights that we have come to expect over the past few seasons, but four winners at Royal Ascot last June secured him the top trainer award at the meeting and he has a powerful squad for this campaign. He [...]
Retailers’ woes in focus after a festive slump – London week ahead January 4, 2015 RETAILERS’ woes will be centre stage this week as J Sainsbury, Tesco, WM Morrison and Marks & Spencer update the market after what is expected to have been a relative slump in trading over the festive season. Tesco’s trading announcement on Thursday will be of particular interest, as new chief executive Dave Lewis will outline [...]