Tips from business, suppliers and buyers on getting your product noticed September 22, 2016 If there's one thing we’ve learned since Brexit, it’s that the UK’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) always have big ambitions. No one ever said it was easy. Some of Britain’s largest and most influential businesses started out with nothing but an idea. Often, the most successful had very little initial investment, but made up [...]
Adidas tees up and prepares its golf brands for sale May 4, 2016 Adidas has confirmed plans to sell its loss-making golf business after putting it up for review last year. The German sportswear group said it will start seeking out buyers for its TaylorMade, Adams and Ashworth golf brands. However, it plans to keep Adidas-branded golf shoes and clothing, which account for about 40 per cent of the business. "TaylorMade [...]
Prepare to salivate: John Lewis predicts the 10 things we’re going to go nuts for in autumn/winter 2016 April 22, 2016 Yes, the summer has only just arrived (or has it? Is this really it?) but retailers are already one step ahead of us, forecasting what we'll be buying this autumn/winter. Well it is only 246 days until Christmas. So while you might be daydreaming about which holiday clothes you're going to splurge on, the buyers [...]
Women must have a crucial role in saving the high street – a retailer’s survival may depend on it June 7, 2016 Retailers will breathe a sigh of relief today as the joint British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG sales monitor for May shows a modest recovery on the high street. But the respite may be brief as customers remain cautious with their spending. The sector is facing many challenges. Too many retailers are disconnected from their [...]
Beautiful Things: The items on our shopping list this month, from fetish cakes to copper plated shot glasses April 29, 2016 SCP Armchair £1,508, scp.co.uk Luxury furniture retailer SCP unveiled its new collection at this month’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, including this quietly stunning chair from Reiko Kaneko. It features a steel frame, walnut or oak arm rests, an upholstered backrest and a feather seat cushion on an upholstered pad. Its minimalist aesthetic and small footprint [...]
Google’s Apple Pay rival Android Pay is finally here in the UK May 18, 2016 Good news for anyone eager to pay using just the swipe of their mobile, but who doesn't own an iPhone. Google's Android Pay is launching in the UK today, bringing the tap and pay technology to millions of smartphone users across the country. A rival to Apple Pay which launched last year, the app lets users pay by [...]
Maserati Levante review: The Italian carmaker goes off-road with its first ever SUV August 1, 2016 M aserati. Such a cool name to say out loud, isn’t it? Tell your friends you drive one and your cool factor instantly swells. Soak up the kudos from becoming a suave, stylish Italianate and observe how they suddenly start to slightly resent the fact they chose a Porsche. Maserati’s traditional approach has been making [...]
Soubry says any wrongdoing over sale of BHS will be “taken very seriously” as MPs blast Sir Philip Green for the failure of the store June 6, 2016 Anna Soubry, minister for small business, industry and enterprise spoke strongly today in the House of Commons over the sale of BHS, saying any wrongdoing on the part of the directors of the company over its sale will be "taken very seriously." In a statement to the House of Commons, Soubry said: "Any wrongdoing will be taken very [...]
Working Lunch review: Absurd Bird in Spitalfields brings the unfussy grub of the Southern States to the East End June 14, 2016 Absurd Bird 54 Commercial Street, E1 What? A gourmet fried chicken restaurant bringing the taste of the Southern States to the East End. As you’d expect, the menu is packed with poultry in all its forms – grilled, fried, even a whole smoked chicken – and there’s a “wing shack” out front for takeaway. A [...]
Many insurers are worried the technology-centric startups will steal their business June 13, 2016 Technology has got insurers shaking in their boots, as research out today shows many are worried technology-focused startups will snatch their business out from under them. The report by professional services firm PwC discovered that almost half (48 per cent) of insurers are concerned that as much as a fifth of their business could be [...]