Hedge your stocks with short-term bonds February 4, 2014 AFTER a volatile start to 2014 for equities, with the MSCI world index yesterday down more than 5 per cent year-to-date, investors will understandably be thinking about capital preservation. And while the prospect of monetary tightening in the West will be problematic for fixed-income, a careful selection of bonds could help to dampen portfolio volatility. [...]
Cyber Monday to smash online sales records December 2, 2013 ONLINE retailer Amazon has said it expects to receive more than 4m orders today as UK shoppers flock to online stores on so-called Cyber Monday, a rise of around 15 per cent on the same day last year. Amazon also claimed that its new fashion store, which has signed up 50 brands this year, will [...]
City Moves for 03 October 2014 | Who’s switching jobs October 2, 2014 JLL The real-estate focused professional services firm has announced three appointments to its UK workplace consultancy team. Trevor Alldridge (pictured) will head the team. He was previously managing director of AOS. John Symes joins as director of workplace strategy from AOS, where he was director of workplace strategy and project management for Europe, Middle East [...]
Chelsea pick five players with just one appearance between them in Champions League squad September 6, 2014 Chelsea have picked five players with just one first-team appearance between them as part of their Champions League squad, in order to comply with Uefa regulation. Champions League rules state that clubs must name at least eight home-grown players in their squad 25-man squad. The Blues have complied by selecting youngsters Mitchell Beeney, Jeremie [...]
Shock tactics: What business can learn from charity marketing campaigns March 10, 2014 @AnnabelPalmer1 ANOTHER week, and another hard-hitting charity campaign causes public outcry. This time it’s Save the Children, with its “If London was Syria” video for its Syria Crisis Appeal. Before that, Pancreatic Cancer Action arguably torpedoed advertising boundaries with its “envy” campaign, which some condemned as “insensitive”. It’s hard not to feel a sense of [...]
Arsenal still need a defender and Manchester United haven’t spent a penny – is this the most boring January transfer window ever? January 21, 2015 Are we in the middle of the most boring January transfer window ever? Almost three weeks have passed since the window opened on 3 January and it seems as if not much has happened. Arsenal were supposed to need a new defensive midfielder but have since discovered a hidden genius of Francis Coquelin, Manchester United [...]
M&S sales lose their shine after poor Christmas January 6, 2014 MARKS & Spencer is set to report poor festive trading this week as heavy discounting activity in the run-up to Christmas failed to spark a late surge in spending. Analysts predict the retailer will report a drop in third quarter general merchandise sales of as much as 1.5 per cent, despite a highly publicised revamp [...]
Victoria set for £4bn investment as Armani and Jimmy Choo relocate February 10, 2014 Victoria is set for a £4bn investment over the next decade as developers cash in on companies following in Armani and Jimmy Choo's footsteps and relocating their headquarters to the area. London’s busy transport hub has undergone a major shift over the last ten years as government departments who were traditionally the biggest office-users in [...]
Apple falls out of favour with UK consumers January 15, 2014 Apple has fallen out of favour with UK consumers, losing its coveted spot as one of the UK’s top 10 brands. Last year Apple’s iPad held the No 6 slot on YouGov’s BrandIndex report, but this year the technology giant is nowhere to be found. UK Top Brands 1. BBC iPlayer (no change)2. John Lewis [...]
Bottom Line: From wardrobe staple to the bargain bin January 6, 2014 AS WE wait for the Marks and Spencer Christmas trading figures later this week, expectations are that its fashion sales won’t show much sign of festive cheer. If so, it needs to start the new year with a long, hard look in the mirror. It is true that general conditions won’t have helped: figures from [...]