After a volatile week for global markets, is there still time for a Santa Rally? December 17, 2014 Adrian Lowcock, head of investing at Axa Wealth, says Yes. The so-called Santa Rally relates primarily to the last two weeks of the calendar year – the weeks of Christmas and New Year. In this two-week period, the FTSE 100 has put in its best performance of the year every year since 1986. A major [...]
PlayStation 4 sales reach 18.5m worldwide to cheer Sony following cyber-attack January 6, 2015 The PlayStation 4’s popularity as a Christmas present this holiday season has pushed sales of the Sony games console to 18.5m worldwide. According to the company, around 4.1m units were sold over the period from 23 November to 4 January. Despite the well-documented problems plaguing other areas of the company, Sony will undoubtedly [...]
HMV beats Amazon and reclaims top spot as Britain’s biggest retailer of physical music January 16, 2015 HMV is making a comeback on the high street, reclaiming the top spot as the UK's biggest seller of physical music, with vinyl sales soaring to their highest in over 20 years. Total sales climbed to £365.7m in the year to December, up from £311.2m from the same period the previous year. Like-for-like CD sales [...]
London Christmas markets 2014: Where to shop, eat and be merry November 24, 2014 One of the best things about Christmas in London is the variety of markets on offer. Whether you want to browse, eat, drink or do some dedicated Christmas shopping, there will be somewhere nearby when you're in the capital. From the traditional stalls in Belgravia market to the funky arts and crafts market [...]
New Year’s Eve 2014 in London – how to spend it December 29, 2014 It’s that time of year again – when everyone’s asking you what you’re doing on New Year’s Eve.Some are lucky enough to already have the evening planned, but many Londoners are still trying to work out how to mark the occasion. If you’re unsure of what to do, here are some ideas to help ensure [...]
International Greetings blames currency headwinds for sales fall December 3, 2014 INTERNATIONAL Greetings yesterday blamed volatile foreign exchange movements for a decline in half-year sales. The company, which makes greetings cards and gift packaging, said sales fell 1.5 per cent to £111.9m in the six months to 30 September due to a £2m hit from currency headwinds. However, sales were slightly up when excluding currency movements, [...]
The Interview makes £9.6m from online sales December 29, 2014 The Interview pulled in $15m (£9.6m) from online rentals and downloads in just four days, making it the studio's most successful online film to-date. The movie, which swept to notoriety following the hack into Sony Pictures, attracted two million rentals and purchases over the festive period as fans clamoured to see what all the fuss [...]
Sainsbury’s Christmas sales slip as outlook remains “challenging” January 7, 2015 Festive cheer failed to save supermarket Sainsbury's as it reported third quarter sales which were the worst in a decade. Like-for-like sales in stores open for more than a year fell 1.7 per cent in the 14 weeks to January 3, excluding fuel. Despite this, sales actually beat expectations, with analysts forecasting a drop between [...]
Tesco quarterly sales show sign of turn around following profit warning December 16, 2014 Tesco has enjoyed its best quarterly sales performance since June, according to the latest industry data, giving investors in the troubled supermarket chain some reason to cheer following last week’s profit warning. Sales fell by 2.7 per cent in the 12 weeks to 7 December, a slowdown on the 3.7 per cent decline recorded in [...]
Looking for a new job in 2015? Here are nine ways you can prepare now December 29, 2014 We may still be in the 12 days of Christmas, but if you're planning on searching for a new job in 2015, now is the perfect time to get ready for the inevitable scramble for new roles that will begin in earnest in January. Whether you're looking to change careers entirely or just want a [...]