Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour’s first Budget in 14 years, announcing £40bn of tax rises, Central London Alliance comments
Absolute rubbish: Waste entrepreneur Bruce Bratley on building his recyling empire March 6, 2017 Did you know that it takes 10 days to recycle a cardboard box, and for it to become a new cardboard box? When the material is too old to re-use in the same guise, it’ll become an egg box. Another recycling factoid: coffee grounds are recycled all over London and turned into biofuel. It’s easy [...]
Editor’s Notes: It’s hard to see how Corbyn’s Labour party could sink any lower, Brexiteers attempt some cheer and Michael Gove takes to Twitter like a duck to water March 3, 2017 An American has taken out an advert in the Times to lay claim to the British throne. Allan Evans, of Colorado, says he is a descendant of a royal Welsh line dating back to the third century, and that “in 30 days’ time” he “shall claim his royal estate”. I was reading about Evans’ dubious [...]
Why the UK is falling out of love with fashion: M&S, Debenhams and Ted Baker offer solutions to the high street clothing crisis January 24, 2017 In 2016, Britons were focused less on fashion, and more on enjoying themselves. We ate out and drank more, but spent less on clothes. In other words, we “shifted towards the experience economy”, according to Richard Lim, chief executive of Retail Economics. “Since Brexit, the components within the economy holding up well have been consumer expenditure [...]
Ted Baker boosts sales against a “tough trading backdrop” January 11, 2017 Ted Baker's share price climbed 2.79 per cent this morning after the luxury brand reported an 18 per cent jump in sales over the festive trading period. Like many retailers, a large chunk of Ted Baker's sales were made online this year. Online sales jumped 35 per cent year-on-year in the eight weeks between 13 [...]
Enclothed online stylist review: get someone with better taste than you to post new clothes to your house December 1, 2016 I’m the kind of shopper who ensures menswear will always remain relatively more expensive than womenswear. I don’t enjoy the experience, and therefore do it as little as possible. Once or twice a year, I realise I have nothing seasonally appropriate that wouldn’t cause embarrassment in our office full of hip young gunslingers, and force [...]
Back in fashion? Austin Reed is braving a return to the high street months after collapse November 23, 2016 We only just heard the news that the UK high street was losing another retail name in office chain Staples, but Austin Reed wants to buck the trend with a return to bricks-and-mortar. The menswear retailer is coming back to the high street as part of a £100m three-year revival plan, according to the owner [...]
Ted Baker’s share price rises as retailer hikes dividend and posts 21 per cent profit October 11, 2016 Retailer Ted Baker has shrugged off "challenging trading conditions" to hike its dividend and post robust double-digit profit growth in the first half of the year. The figures Revenue at the clothes and accessories maker rose by 14.4 per cent to £259.5m in the 28 weeks to 13 August, while profit before tax grew by 20.5 per cent [...]
Ted Baker’s on track for a boost in pre-tax profits October 9, 2016 Brexit blues aren’t expected to hit Ted Baker’s stride anytime soon. The retailer is forecast to post six-month profits in the realms of £19m-£21m – up on £17m for the same time last year. Analysts at Exane BNP Paribas describe it as a brand with “growing desirability”, noting it has delivered stable, consistent growth for nearly 30 [...]
French Connection is facing a rebellion from an activist shareholder demanding the end of the FCUK brand July 31, 2016 French Connection is facing rebellion from an activist shareholder who has built up an eight per cent holding and is reported to want the retailer to drop its famous FCUK branding. Gatemore Capital Management has criticised French Connection’s performance since 2008, according to the Sunday Times, and urged founder Stephen Marks to split his joint roles [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 14, 2016 Brexit fears are dragging down markets and Germany's 10-year bond yield has turned negative. Here's what you need to know before the market open at 14:30 London time. US futures are pointing down again today, suggesting the bad start to the week is going to continue. The S&P is off by 0.22 per cent. The Nasdaq is 0.26 [...]