Black Friday 2015: A third of British and American retailers say the sales bonanza is unprofitable November 16, 2015 Britain's biggest online shopping fixture Black Friday is dividing the retail industry, with a third of major retailers saying it is unprofitable while the same number believe it provides a major fillip, research by LCP Consulting shows. The business consultancy firm’s annual Omnichannel report released today found that retailers with an established presence both in bricks [...]
Americans bring Thanksgiving to UK retailers as spending soars December 16, 2015 Black Friday’s online bargain frenzy may have dampened sales on the high street. But international shoppers helped to keep tills ringing, with spending up by 10 per cent in the year to November. The biggest jump in spending came from US tourists, up 55 per cent, despite still accounting for just five per cent of [...]
Former directors at City Link deny failure to inform of hundreds of job losses in court November 5, 2015 **Waiting on a comment from EY by 5. **Link to Express & Star story: http://www.expressandstar.com/business/city-news/2015/11/05/city-link-bosses-failed-to-tell-ministers-of-redundancies/ Short hed: City Link denies criminal charge in trial City Link's three former directors are denying that they failed to inform officials of hundreds of job losses in the first day of a two-day trial. The collapsed parcel delivery company, which [...]
Christmas Jumper Day: Have you pulled on your festive woolies? December 11, 2014 The day has finally arrived. It’s probably the only day in the year when the brighter, the sillier, the more glittery jumper imaginable will get you props at work. Flashing lights will get you a gold star. It’s Christmas Jumper Day, of course. Singer (turned housing tax critic) Myleene Klass The festive attire [...]
Saudi Arabia under stress: Opec leader is adapting to $30 Brent crude prices and its widening budget deficit by privatising state-run oil company Aramco – and will not cut oil supply January 28, 2016 No-one thought oil prices would stay this low, for this long. When the price of Brent crude first halved to $50 a barrel in June 2014, most commentators thought it would be back up again by Christmas. Eighteen months later and oil has continued to go south. It is now priced 70 per cent cheaper than [...]
Five ways London companies can recruit top talent to technology jobs December 14, 2015 1. It’s not all about the money We find 80 per cent of candidates accept interviews based on factors other than the highest salary offered, so take the time to promote what makes your company unique in order to engage candidates. For early stage startups that can’t compete with larger companies on salary, perks like flexible working hours [...]
Argos owner Home Retail Group hits back at claims it could be the next Comet October 21, 2015 Home Retail Group’s boss hit back at claims that Argos was at risk of becoming the next Comet, the collapsed electronics chain, after a profit warning sent shares crashing yesterday. The FTSE 250 retailer, which also owns Homebase, said investment in its new same day delivery service, weak sales of electrical goods, and uncertainty around [...]
Black Friday UK 2015: How to survive the chaos as a quarter of Brits admit they’ll use force to get the best deals November 19, 2015 Have you got your game plan ready for Black Friday 2015? Or are you planning to sit it out and let everyone else get caught up in the inevitable bunfight? The deals day (which falls on 27 November) is almost certain to descend into chaos at some point. Research from parcel delivery firm Doddle claims 24 per [...]
Next’s share price falls as retailer reports disappointing sales, with warm weather deterring shoppers January 5, 2016 High street giant Next's share price fell this morning after it reported disappointing sales in the run up to Christmas, as the warm weather took its toll alongside growing competition online. The figures Sales over the 60 days to 24 December nudged up 0.4 per cent across the group, with Next Directory growing two per cent, [...]
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 [...]