Festive intruders in Heron Tower’s fish tank December 20, 2012 Visitors at the City’s Heron Tower cannot miss the giant fish tank residing in the lobby. The aquarium is the largest privately owned one of its kind in Britain, and home to 67 different species of fish. It was also home to two festive guests on Wednesday, when divers donning Santa suits entered to give [...]
IRN-BRU maker AG Barr’s sales fizzing ahead of Britvic merger December 10, 2012 IRN-BRU maker AG Barr’s revenues fizzed nine per cent higher than last year in the 18 weeks to the start of December. The Scottish drinks maker, which is set to merge with Britvic, also saw volume increase by 6.6 per cent for the same period year-on-year. Year-to-date revenues as of 1 December also increased 6.5 [...]
Best of the Brokers January 2, 2013 DOMINO’S PIZZA Numis upgraded the takeaway pizza business to “buy” from “add” and keeps its target of 625p, believing the company is likely to generate strong growth in 2013. Numis expects to see new developments, such as a gluten free menu and higher ecommerce advertising, greater expansion with new stores in the UK and the [...]
Consumer spending weak even with Christmas a month away November 28, 2012 SPENDING fell slightly going into the second half of November, data revealed yesterday, despite the proximity to Christmas. Spending was down 0.8 per cent in the four weeks to 19 November, figures from Visa revealed, despite a 1.2 per cent increase going into the last week of that period. This meant spending was some 3.7 [...]
Swann’s way has brought profit but not boosted sales January 23, 2013 CHRISTMAS should hardly have been a season for merriment at WHSmith, judging by the latest trading update, with like-for-like sales down five per cent for the 20 weeks to 20 January, and total sales down four per cent. Yet the stationery, books and impulse goods seller was chipper, pointing to good profits thanks to careful [...]
Nokia on road to recovery as Lumia sales finally pick up January 10, 2013 NOKIA showed early signs of putting its recent troubles behind it yesterday, as it announced that sales of its Lumia smartphones had been better than expected in the months leading up to Christmas. The Finnish company has posted repeated billion-dollar losses in recent months as it has failed to attract customers buying iPhones and Samsung [...]
Gloomy start to Christmas as shoppers look out for bargains December 20, 2012 RETAIL sales are barely kept pace with inflation last month, according to official figures out yesterday, with squeezed consumers waiting for discounts rather than splashing out for Christmas. The quantity of goods bought in November rose 0.9 per cent on the year, while the amount spent increased 1.5 per cent, showing a small rise, the [...]
Celebrate Christmas in style this year December 6, 2012 1. Slava’s Snowshow at the Royal Festival Hall 17 Dec – 7 Jan After a sell-out session last Christmas, Slava’s Snowshow returns to London’s Royal Festival Hall this month. The internationally acclaimed show is ideal for a family day out, featuring performances from clowns and musicians with a finale that leaves the audience knee-deep in [...]
Boss at Punch trades pints for Greggs pasties January 24, 2013 PUNCH TAVERNS boss Roger Whiteside will give up happy hours for elevenses when he becomes the new chief executive of bakery chain Greggs next month. Whiteside, who has been a non-executive director at Greggs since 2008, will succeed Ken McMeikan on 4 February, the firm said yesterday. McMeikan, who drove the government to retreat on [...]
How to eat well and cook little this festive period December 17, 2012 Head chef, Paternoster Chop House ONE OF the things I love about the festive period is the opportunity to do very little cooking at home. Yes, there is the main Christmas Day meal to be prepared and perhaps some party food for evenings with friends. But after all that, I relish being able to graze [...]