Why the British love of greeting cards could help this company float on the stock market April 22, 2014 What employs 100,000 people around the country, has sales of £1.6bn and is stocked by one in six retailers around the country? No, not booze, it’s greeting cards. One of the biggest players in the sector, The Card Factory, this morning unveiled plans to float on the stock market. The company has used the British [...]
Three things you didn’t know about… May 11, 2014 CEO of Caxton FX Rupert Lee-Browne 1 His family owns copyright to a certain line of The Twelve Days of Christmas – “Five Gold Rings,” to be exact, as his great grandfather was one of the composers. “When the BBC decides to use that particular line we get a tuppence ha’penny.” 2 Rupert spent his [...]
Keep burglars at bay with this home security tech August 13, 2014 Thousands of us are preparing to head for the hills for the last few weeks of summer, squeezing in a few precious days of R&R before the long slog towards Christmas. But leaving a home full of laptops and expensive jewellery can be a persistant niggle – and replacing them in the event of a [...]
BSkyB built its empire on live football – ignoring that could cost it dear July 23, 2014 WHEN BSkyB reports its results tomorrow, most expect them to be well received. The fast-moving satellite group will likely report strong profits and growth prospects, and will have much to say about innovative new products like Sky Go, Sky Store and Now TV, all intended to make it easier to consume its broadening content. However, [...]
Save money on your overseas transfers and payments July 21, 2014 More people are finding it necessary to send money overseas, whether they are buying a property abroad, paying a mortgage or service fees on a property they already own, or work internationally and need to move money cost-effectively around the world. Even if you simply buy goods from overseas, or want to send money to [...]
Days of future present May 28, 2014 The future is here and it’s slightly terrifying. We present some soon-to-be-released technologies straight out of science fiction. Swallowable sensors Whatever the future holds, we’re going to be seeing a lot more sensors; sensors in clothes, sensors in flower-beds and even swallowable sensors, which US company Proteus Digital Health is preparing to trial in the [...]
The 24 hour Tube is a triumph for London – but we can go further November 21, 2013 IN AN open letter to passengers, the mayor and Transport for London have committed themselves to a 24 hour Tube. It’s an exciting announcement, and will undoubtedly deliver a boost to London’s £8bn a year dining and entertainment industry. But there are wider implications for the capital. For decades, the Underground has run New Year’s [...]
Why Asos shares have shrugged off warehouse fire damage news June 23, 2014 Despite slumping by around three per cent in early trading, Asos shares have seen a recovery after Friday's warehouse fire. Traders have been waiting until today to respond to a fire at the company's Barnsley distribution centre, where around 70 per cent of the company's total stock is held. South Yorkshire Police are treating the [...]
Royal Mail plans to trial Sunday parcel delivery May 21, 2014 THE NEWLY-PRIVATISED Royal Mail is to start delivering parcels and opening its collection offices on Sundays to try and keep up with the demands of online shoppers and other postal companies. Royal Mail, which will post its first full-year results as a listed company today, plans to deliver parcels within the M25 seven days a [...]
Retailers set for best Xmas sales since pre-crisis October 14, 2013 BRITISH retailers are set to enjoy their best growth in Christmas sales since the financial crisis, according to a report published yesterday that forecast consumers would spend at least £2bn more than in 2012. Market research specialist Verdict predicted that spending in the fourth quarter would rise 2.2 per cent from the same period in [...]