City & Gild: Post Luis Suarez, has the World Cup lost its bite? June 27, 2014 For some, football is more than a game; it’s a matter of life and death. But for me – the Suarez incident aside – the World Cup has lost its bite. As my mind wanders to Wimbledon and the hope Murray doesn’t let me down as badly as the England team, I struggle to [...]
How to make the most of to-do lists July 30, 2014 Be ruthless and think small – but don’t forget to include the unusual and personal niggles. They are the little lifesavers that many of us have out of both habit and necessity. A 2008 Microsoft survey found that nearly 70 per cent of Brits keep at least one to-do list, and report that they [...]
Administrator works to save Comet stores November 18, 2012 COMET’s administrators will this week begin pulling down the shutters on some 40 stores as eleventh hour talks to save the stricken electricals giant’s remaining stores and brand continue. Accountancy firm Deloitte, which was called in earlier this month, said it is still in talks with a couple of potential buyers who have expressed an [...]
Administrator works to save Comet stores November 18, 2012 COMET’s administrators will this week begin pulling down the shutters on some 40 stores as eleventh hour talks to save the stricken electricals giant’s remaining stores and brand continue. Accountancy firm Deloitte, which was called in earlier this month, said it is still in talks with a couple of potential buyers who have expressed an [...]
Former Matalan boss Darren Blackhurst decides to B&Q-it January 21, 2014 After a six month silence, the former chief executive of Matalan Darren Blackhurst has popped back over the parapet, this time as commercial director of DIY chain B&Q. The moves marks an unusual step back for Blackhurst, who was a leading contender to replace former Asda chief executive Andy Bond back in 2010 (a role [...]
Interserve’s boss keen to take outsourcing firm to new heights June 29, 2013 Adrian Ringrose sees fresh opportunities WATCHING the former head of Virgin Galactic give a presentation to Interserve’s top management last year, Adrian Ringrose was struck by the public trust placed in a brand with no track record in a given sector. “You can get people to believe that you really are going to build a [...]
History repeating? The Walkie Scorchie’s Plan B February 11, 2014 SHIELD your eyes, the curtain has been pulled back on the plans for the Walkie Scorchie and its indiscriminate burn beams. Land Securities has been working with Rafael Vinoly’s architecture firm to create a solution to stop the building’s curved surface from reflecting super-strong beams of sunlight onto the road below (as happened in September, [...]
Kingfisher hopes efficiency savings will recover ground February 22, 2013 KINGFISHER is looking to further efficiency savings to offset a worse than expected sales fall and allow it to meet full-year profit forecasts. The group, which owns B&Q in the UK as well as Castorama and Brico Depot in France, has been hit along with other European retailers by a weak demand for “big ticket” [...]
Ukraine will only be the start April 21, 2014 Traders set to increasingly feel the pinch from flare-ups in petro-states FOR ANY traders not paying close attention to energy markets, recent events will have come as a rude awakening. Brent crude shot up from just above $104 per barrel in February to over $109 at the end of last week, while energy firms embroiled [...]
Vodafone and BSkyB lifted by deal rumours December 27, 2013 BSkyB is one of the FTSE 100's biggest risers this morning, up by over 1.6 per cent on reports of a possible deal with Vodafone to offer a quad play deal – internet, television, landline, and mobile provision. Vodafone is also trading higher, with shares up by around 0.4 per cent. Marc Kimsey, senior trader [...]