Racing betting: Label Des Obeaux might just be a class above at Kempton February 11, 2016 Trainer Alan King’s fine season can continue at Kempton on Friday when he saddles LABEL DES OBEAUX in the novices’ hurdle (1.35pm). The five-year-old found Grade One company a little too hot when finishing a well-beaten third to Barters Hill in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury over Christmas. He should prove very hard to beat now [...]
Can money buy happiness? Material possessions make you happy in a different way to experiences, scientists say December 22, 2015 It's the thought that counts when it comes to buying Christmas gifts – and while the old adage might suggest money can't buy you happiness, a new study seems to have contradicted that, finding that splashing the cash on material possessions really can cheer you up. Buying a new coffee maker, portable speakers or even some reindeer leggings, brings [...]
Prime Minister’s Questions: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pushes David Cameron on cancellation of flood protection schemes January 6, 2016 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pushed Prime Minister David Cameron on the cancellation, delay and cuts to a number of flood defences that left communities devastated over Christmas when storms hit. Corbyn said a £190m flood defence scheme was cancelled in 2011 in Leeds, a city that was subsequently flooded, and that spending on flood defences in Cumbria was also [...]
The Uniwheel is the British-made alternative to last year’s cheap, exploding hoverboard toys January 21, 2016 The last time I attempted to ride a hoverboard, the device turned on me. The supposedly self-balancing bastard hurled my innocent body to the ground and shattered my left elbow before zooming off, filling the air with triumphant bleeps and bloops as it made good its escape. If this was the first punch thrown in [...]
Bah, humbug: A quarter of businesses are ditching plans for a Christmas party this year December 3, 2015 It seems the corporate world is suffering from a lack of festive cheer this year, after new research showed a quarter of businesses are planning on ditching their Christmas party. The survey, by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), found 25 per cent of organisations won't throw a party. That sort of behaviour was [...]
Is the John Lewis Christmas advert never knowingly over commercial? November 11, 2015 Christmas comes but once a year – as does John Lewis’ much-heralded festive TV ad campaign. And, regular as clockwork, its Man on the Moon ad was released on Friday as part of the retailer’s £7m campaign. As usual, it’s a heart-warming story played out over a now customary cover of a classic song, Oasis’ [...]
FTSE 100 index opens up on supermarkets as share price of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer rise following Morrisons results January 12, 2016 The FTSE 100 index opened higher this morning as housebuilders and supermarkets made gains. The UK's blue-chip index rose 0.2 per cent to 5,883 points, led higher by Tesco, Sainsbury's and housebuilder Berkeley Group. The index made gains despite continued scepticism about the state of the Chinese economy. Read more: And they’re off – Shire and Baxalta agree $32bn [...]
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and even Lidl supermarkets slash Christmas 2015 advertising spend December 22, 2015 Britain's beleaguered supermarkets have slashed the amount of cash they are spending on advertising over Christmas this year, with Tesco and Sainsbury's cutting budgets by as much as 30 per cent. Troubled Tesco made the biggest cuts to its festive advertising, spending almost £3m less in a four week run up to the big day compared to last [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: John Lewis will have to beat sales on iPads, Nutribullets, Samsung TVs and De’Longhi coffee machines to improve on last year’s bargain bonanza November 25, 2015 Black Friday 2015 is around the corner and many retailers – including Amazon, EBay and Currys PC World are already offering huge discounts on a wide array of TVs, computers and other must-have electrical devices. John Lewis has so far kept its powder dry and will only be unveiling its offers on the day itself [...]
London had 1m contactless Tube journeys in a single day January 14, 2016 The number of contactless journeys on the Tube made with Visa surpassed one million for the first time in just a single day in the lead up to Christmas as paying with just a swipe of a card or phone grows in popularity. The use of contactless Visa increased 166 per cent annually in December alone and commuters spent £339m taking 7.75m [...]