Waitrose checks out 22,000 items a minute on busiest day ever January 8, 2014 Waitrose saw its most successful Christmas on record, with sales for the twelve trading days up to 31 December up 6.5 per cent on the same period of 2012. In the five weeks to Christmas Eve, total sales (excluding fuel) rose 5.4 per cent from a year earlier. The store added that on the 23 [...]
Mulberry profit warning sends shares tumbling 27pc January 29, 2014 Luxury brand Mulberry has issued a surprise profit warning this morning, after Christmas trading in the UK got worse and wholesale cancellations in Korea were worse than anticipated. Shares have nosedived on the news, currently down well over 25 per cent. The fashion house, which has furnished the likes of Victoria Beckham and Katherine Jenkins [...]
MPs grill energy chiefs on power cuts over Xmas January 21, 2014 A COMMITTEE of MPs yesterday lambasted the bosses of energy distribution network companies, after hundreds of thousands of customers were left without power over Christmas. Basil Scarsella, chief executive of UK Power Networks, which distributes energy in London and the south east of England, said that the company’s “tried and tested” plans had struggled to [...]
Will Ebola reach the UK? Screening to begin at Manchester and Birmingham airports to prevent spread October 17, 2014 Ebola screening is to take place at Birmingham and Manchester airports, according to Public Health England. Passengers arriving from the affected countries in west Africa will be screened for the deadly virus, which has already killed more than 4,500 people according to World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates. Screening at the two airports will [...]
Eight charts that sum up 2014 December 22, 2014 This year will be remembered for the fragmentation of mainstream politics, Scotland's near exit from the 307-year old union and an economy which the Bank's chief economist Andy Haldane described as "writhing in both agony and ecstasy." What does all that look like? Here are eight charts that sum up the year. (Source: Getty) 1. [...]
Focus on… Greenwich: Grass is always greener in Greenwich February 27, 2014 THE ROYAL Borough of Greenwich is a leafy haven bursting with heritage. Newly royal – the title was bestowed upon the town in 2012 – it was the birthplace of Tudor kings, the sanctuary of injured sailors, a popular holiday resort, and now the home of time itself. Like time, houses prices stand still for [...]
Environment minister warns risk of flooding remains high January 6, 2014 MORE flooding could be on the way this week as the recent bad weather looks set to continue, the environment minister has warned. Owen Patterson gave a statement in the House of Commons yesterday and warned residents to remain vigilant after bad weather claimed the lives of seven people over the Christmas period. The minister, [...]
FTSE rises after Glaxo sets out recovery plan – London Report October 22, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index yesterday ended higher, with motor insurers advancing on news of an increase in car premiums and drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline rising after its results. The FTSE 100 finished 0.4 per cent higher at 6,399.73 points. It had fallen more than 10 per cent in four weeks before making a marginal recovery since late [...]
Dixons Carphone reports “good start” but mobile sales drop September 9, 2014 Dixons Carphone will breeze into the FTSE 100 on 22 September, the newly formed company announced today. The £3.6bn merger of Dixons Retail and Carphone Warehouse was completed on 7 August, and the company says it has made a "good start" in the period since. Dixons Retail recorded a four per cent increase in like-for-like [...]
From City currency trader to football manager: the rise of Mark Warburton January 21, 2015 The City's trading floor is not the archetypal breeding ground for Premier League managers but Brentford’s Mark Warburton stands on the cusp of trailblazing his way to English football’s top-flight and completing a sporting odyssey. Just under half the season remains in one of the most unrelenting and competitive divisions in Europe and Warburton and [...]