How I plan to apply the lessons of business to running government September 19, 2012 DESPITE the progress made in cutting the deficit, this country is facing one of its most difficult economic situations. But my experience tells me that it is at these moments that you can generate the best results. It would be a wasted opportunity if we didn’t use it to make fundamental changes to the way [...]
Lincoln is no ordinary biopic January 24, 2013 FILM LINCOLN Cert 12A **** Entitled simply “Lincoln”, directed by Steven Spielberg and with a score by John Williams, you could be forgiven for expecting a slick, grandiose epic. A small town mid-Westerner who educated himself, struck out on his own, became a lawyer and eventually President, Abraham Lincoln’s life is tailor made for the [...]
Hammerson keeps focus on retail ambition July 23, 2012 ANGLO-FRENCH property developer Hammerson said yesterday it is eyeing opportunities to invest in Europe’s depressed property market after recently selling the bulk of its London office portfolio for £518m. The FTSE 100 company, whose portfolio is now 97 per cent retail following the deal with US group Brookfield Office Properties in June, said it had [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 26, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Global role for Citi’s Asia consumer head Citigroup has underlined Asia’s growing importance to the bank by naming its consumer banking head in Hong Kong as global head of retail banking, according to an internal email seen by the Financial Times. Jonathan Larsen has been given the task of bringing all of Citi’s [...]
Top electronic commerce tips August 19, 2012 Six ways to ensure your business profits from the internet ACHIEVING success in e-commerce is not easy. Here are six key points to consider when building an effective e-commerce strategy. 1. USE A GOOD ANALYTICS TOOL Before embarking on any new marketing or design changes, ensure you can measure the impact. Even basic knowledge of [...]
M&S expected to reveal weak non-food sales July 8, 2012 RETAIL giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) is expected to announce weak first-quarter sales at its annual meeting tomorrow, after clothing sales were hit hard by the poor weather. A consensus forecast of 12 analysts compiled by the company predicts a 6.7 per cent drop in clothing and homeware sales compared to the same period last [...]
FTSE edges down as UK borrowing rises July 20, 2012 Telecoms giant Vodafone pushed the FTSE 100 lower while UK government borrowing came in above estimates this morning. The Office for National Statistics said that public sector net borrowing excluding financial sector interventions rose last month to £14.4bn from £13.9bn in June 2011. On London’s blue chip index Vodafone fell 1.3 per cent after the [...]
SIGNS OF LIFE AFTER SHOPPERS RETURN August 5, 2012 LONDON’S retailers were handed a welcome boost over the weekend as shoppers flocked back to stores, though figures released today show Britain’s high streets have seen their worst monthly sales in almost a year. Footfall picked up in the second half of last week and over the weekend, with the capital’s retailers reporting a leap [...]
Deloitte offers tech advice in new digi-arm May 13, 2012 BIG FOUR accountancy firm Deloitte has joined the digital revolution and will today launch a new division to cater for clients seeking tech advice. Deloitte Digital, a practice of over 800 employees globally with 100 staff based in the UK, will provide strategy, creative and implementation advice across the areas of mobile, web, social and [...]
Debenhams sales rise June 28, 2012 Debenhams, Britain’s second largest department store group, showed its resilience in the economic downturn by beating forecasts for quarterly underlying sales and winning market share even though it faced a deluge of rain in April. The firm, ranked second in Britain after employee-owned John Lewis JLP.UL, said on Thursday sales at stores open over a [...]