Homegrown factor (at Arsenal) makes Cesc Fabregas more useful to Chelsea June 12, 2014 It's not just incisive midfield play and experience on the big stage that make Cesc Fabregas attractive to Chelsea, who have today signed the former Arsenal captain from Barcelona for £30m on a five-year deal. Fabregas’s value to the Blues has increased markedly since the club decided to part company with two of its [...]
Blair is surprise of the night at charity dinner September 17, 2013 TO VILLANDRY on Great Portland Street, to hear about Great Ormond Street Hospital’s £85m appeal for a children’s rare disease research centre, where former PM Tony Blair was the unannounced guest speaker. Over dinner Blair recalled how, even for him, being an unannounced speaker has its pitfalls. The politician recalled an occasion when in office [...]
Regulator alleges price fixing in sports bra market September 20, 2013 A regulator has alleged price fixing in selling of Shock Absorber bras in UK department stores. The Office for Fair Trading (OFT) today issued a Statement of Objections to a sports bra manufacturer for allegedly fixing the resale price of their Shock Absorber bras. (Release) DB Apparel, the maker of Shock Absorber has, the OFT [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 27 August 2013 August 26, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES MPs step up campaign to break up RBS MPs are stepping up their campaign for a break-up of Royal Bank of Scotland amid suspicions in Westminster that RBS and Treasury officials will try to scupper a good bank-bad bank split. In a letter in today’s Financial Times, the influential Parliamentary Commission on Banking [...]
John Lewis boasts record sales in the Christmas trading period January 2, 2013 JOHN Lewis yesterday reported bumper sales over the festive period boosted by online orders, which now account for a quarter of the company’s total sales. The department store group reported £684.8m of sales for the five weeks to 29 December, including a record take of £31.7m for the first day of its sales in stores [...]
Brand Index: There’s still time for M&S’s autumn range to blossom October 15, 2013 LAST week Marks & Spencer’s general merchandise arm was dealt a blow when a number of respected analysts warned that it is continuing to lose market share in women’s fashion, leading to a fall in its share price. Autumn sales figures won’t be released until next month, but if the naysayers turn out to be [...]
John Lewis decks its halls with shoppers December 16, 2012 JOHN Lewis was the bearer of festive tidings yesterday as the group posted a second week of record trading. Sales at its 39 stores and online outlet reached £147.8m in the week to Saturday, up 11.1 per cent on last year. West End firms today voted to keep representative body New West End Company for [...]
Bottom Line: Head this way for destination retail August 11, 2013 TESCO unveiled its revamped hypermarket in Watford last week to much fanfare. The 80,000 square foot store is a crucial test-bed for the “retail destination” concept Tesco is creating to tackle declining footfall as the digital revolution bites. Tony Hoggett, Tesco Extra head, said the store – with its community room, Euphorium bakery, Giraffe [...]
America is slashing spending – but its economy is still growing November 20, 2013 IF you want to see what real austerity looks like, take a trip to the US. Real federal spending is set to slump by six per cent in the fourth quarter, compared with the same period a year ago, according to Goldman Sachs. That is a massive reduction, more than George Osborne wants to push [...]
John Lewis reports mega sales week December 9, 2012 JOHN LEWIS said sales in the week to 8 December rose to a best-ever total of £142m, up 15 per cent on the same week last year. Its website delivered record-beating sales of £42m, with shoppers spending £7.3m on Mega Monday – up 40 per cent on last year. The group also said it is [...]