Harrods posts a profit despite tough trading conditions November 2, 2016 Upmarket department store Harrods posted a robust profit last year, despite the difficulties faced by the retail sector. Harrods reported in its accounts for the year that profit was up 16.9 per cent to £129.7m, compared to £110.9m the year before. Group turnover for the period ending 30 January 2016 came to £788.9m, up from £769m [...]
Gatwick’s airlines are swapping terminals: Here’s where easyJet, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will be flying from January 10, 2017 Those heading to Gatwick Airport in the near future will want to double check which terminal they need. A mass airline merry-go-round is taking place this month, affecting thousands of passengers. EasyJet will move to the North Terminal from 24 January, while British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are swapping terminals – BA will move to the South [...]
Weak retail sales in December have pushed sterling below $1.23 January 20, 2017 The pound plummeted today after retail sales figures were much weaker than analysts expected. Sterling fell 0.47 per cent to 1.2284 against the US dollar. Sales in December fell by 1.9 per cent month-on-month – the largest monthly fall since May 2011 – which was considerably more than the 0.1 per cent drop analysts predicted, Martin Beck, senior economic advisor at EY said. [...]
Merry Christmas everyone: RMT union has changed its Southern strike dates to a 48-hour walkout on 19 December December 1, 2016 The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has changed its strike dates on Southern rail. It has called off a three day walkout from 22 December and instead announced 48 hours of industrial action from 19 December, following consultation with reps and members. RMT's general secretary Mick Cash said: "Our guards on Southern are in daily contact [...]
Baggage handler Aviator pulls out of UK airports including Gatwick October 20, 2016 Scandinavian baggage handler Aviator is preparing to close its UK operations, spanning Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle airports, ahead of Christmas. The move by Aviator, which is understood to be ending its contracts for financial reasons, is set for the end of November and would leave the four airports short of around 1,700 staff. It is [...]
The Central and Piccadilly Lines didn’t have enough trains for peak times once last month January 26, 2017 Perhaps not the best day to break this to strike suffering Central Line commuters, but they may well have suspected it anyway… There wasn't a single weekday last month when the Piccadilly and Central Lines had the required amount of trains during peak evening times. The daily service requirement at peak time for the Piccadilly Line is 79 trains [...]
Consumer spending growth was at its second highest since 2011 last month December 6, 2016 Consumer spending received its second highest boost since 2011 last month, even though consumer confidence was flat. Spending growth was 5.1 per cent year-on-year, according to data from Barclaycard. The highest consumer spending growth that Barclaycard recorded (5.5 per cent) was in October. Read more: Black Friday: Customers of this lender are spending £32,000 a [...]
Merlin Entertainments reports strong Halloween period and says it’s on track to meet profit expectations in 2016 November 29, 2016 Alton Towers owner Merlin Entertainments said it's on track to grow profits and meet expectations for this year, in a trading update published this morning. The leisure group said its theme parks operating group "enjoyed a strong Halloween period", which was helped by good weather. In its midway attractions operating group, underlying trading has remained consistent with [...]
Bankers urge Hammond to push for transition periods ahead of Autumn Statement November 13, 2016 Bankers are calling on the chancellor to push to secure important rights post-Brexit ahead of his first Autumn Statement later this month. The British Bankers' Association (BBA) has used its Autumn Statement submission to urge Philip Hammond to provide further clarity on transition periods and a more transparent negotiating timetable. "The outcome of the referendum vote has generated [...]
One reason you should hold off on going berserk this Black Friday – the January sales will be even better November 24, 2016 There are plenty of great deals that will go live at midnight tonight – but it might be better to hold off on spending all your hard-earned cash. The January sales will be better. Retail analyst Richard Hyman has done the maths and found that last year 65 per cent of the retail industry was on [...]