Borneo to be wild March 30, 2014 Elizabeth Fournier treks to the home of the orang-utan and discovers honeymoon bliss BORNEO isn’t the sort of place people just go. The world’s third largest island, shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, is a Serious Destination; usually found on those top five lists that honeymooners browse, vying with African safaris or the Maldives for [...]
Russia’s Ukraine attack is end of Pax Americana March 3, 2014 THIS is the week Western foreign policy was finally exposed as a sham. Russia has started to invade Ukraine, an independent nation supposedly backed by the West, in what could be the most significant geopolitical crisis since 9/11, and what is anybody going to do about it? Nothing. Pax Americana had been on its death [...]
Savers will pay a terrible price for Europe’s latest stealth tax February 17, 2014 MONEY, money, money – there is much still to learn from Abba, the wonderful Swedish band, especially when it comes to economics. Take their garish outfits: the crazed hotpants, the white boots and the bizarre shirts. It turns out that they were chosen for tax reasons: under the crippling Swedish tax system under which Abba [...]
Asda hires new finance chief as Richard Mayfield joins Walmart November 26, 2013 ASDA has appointed a new chief financial officer after announcing yesterday that Richard Mayfield is to leave the retailer after just a year in the role to join parent company Walmart. The grocery chain said Alex Russo will join the group in January from Peruvian restaurant franchise specialist Delosi, which works with brands including Starbucks, [...]
Permira vows to protect heritage in £300m Dr Martens brand deal October 24, 2013 PRIVATE equity firm Permira yesterday pledged to “respect the heritage” of iconic British footwear brand Dr Martens after it paid £300m to snap up the family-run firm which makes the boots. The deal will see Northampton-based R Griggs Group join Permira’s other fashion brands, which include Hugo Boss and New Look. David Suddens, chief executive [...]
Freezer King bags £542m as AO.com soars February 26, 2014 AO WORLD founder John Roberts is sitting on cash and shares worth around £542m after the online white goods empire he founded 14 years ago made a grand entrance onto the London Stock Exchange yesterday, with shares leaping 32 per cent. Roberts has reduced his 40 per cent stake to 28.6 per cent, the company [...]
O’Connor’s Irish debut ends in narrow defeat to Northampton November 3, 2013 NEW London Irish signing James O’Connor’s Aviva Premiership debut ended in a 19-14 defeat to Northampton Saints. The Australia back set up the Exiles’ only try, scored by Sailosi Tagicakibau, but 14 points from the boot of Stephen Myler earned victory for the Saints. Meanwhile, Saracens inflicted a 40-3 defeat on Newcastle Falcons, Harlequins triumphed [...]
Shop prices fall again to ease Christmas costs December 3, 2013 SHOP prices fell again in November, industry figures showed yesterday, recording the seventh consecutive month of deflation on the high street. Overall prices fell 0.3 per cent compared with the same month of 2012, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said. Food prices increased by 2.3 per cent on the year, but other products saw an overall dip [...]
John Lewis sales reach £100m a week for the first time this year November 18, 2013 AFTER a warm start to the winter, Christmas shopping began in earnest last week with John Lewis reporting sales in excess of £100m for the first time this year. Sales in the week to 16 November jumped 10.7 per cent from a year ago to £101.4m – the earliest week that sales have ever topped [...]
Iceland moves back into white goods market with online tie-up November 27, 2013 FROZEN food specialist Iceland is moving back into white goods by starting an online appliances store in partnership with DRL Limited – the parent company that launched Appliances Online more than 10 years ago. Iceland stopped selling non-food products in 2009 when chief executive Malcolm Walker decided to close its in-store electricals showrooms and use the [...]