Black Friday transactions jump 10 per cent on 2017, according to Barclaycard data November 24, 2018 The number of transactions on Black Friday jumped ten per cent year-on-year but the amount spent plummeted compared to 2017, according to credit card data. Consumers spent 12 per cent less while shopping using Barclaycard yesterday compared to Black Friday the previous year. Barclaycard processed an all-time record number of transactions yesterday, hitting 1,087 transactions a [...]
John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, or M&S? Whose Christmas ad was best this year November 20, 2018 So this is Christmas. And what have you done? Another year over, and the festive ads just begun. Yes, ’tis the season for brands to splash the cash on fancy holiday-themed adverts in hope of attracting that sweet Christmas shopping revenue. Retailer John Lewis has been the reigning champion of the season for the past [...]
Corbyn plots to establish publicly owned rival to Facebook August 23, 2018 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has outlined plans to build a publicly owned social media platform to rival the likes of Facebook. In a speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Corbyn set out his idea to create the British Digital Corporation (BDC), a publicly owned entity that would also create entertainment content to rival streaming giants Netflix [...]
Black Friday shoppers prepare to spend £2.4bn – here’s what they’re buying November 22, 2018 UK shoppers are set to spend a record £2.44bn on Black Friday tomorrow, with £2.95m being spent every minute as people prepare to do their Christmas shopping early. High streets will attract the majority of the spend despite a tough year of declining sales, as retailers expect to net £1.41bn from brick-and-mortar stores. Digital isn’t [...]
FTSE 100 roundup: Today’s winners and losers February 1, 2019 The FTSE 100 finished 0.74 per cent up today, nudging just above 7,000 points to finish on 7,020.22. The index was bolstered by weakness in the pound after the release of further disappointing manufacturing statistics this morning. Sterling has had a tough end to an already difficult week, falling 0.3 per cent against the dollar, striking a [...]
Ofcom boss calls on British broadcasters to create Netflix rival November 28, 2018 Public service broadcasters should work together to create a ‘Brit Player’ to rival Netflix, the head of Ofcom said today. Sharon White told the Outside the Box conference in London that broadcasters should pull together their on-demand services to create a platform offering popular British shows such as Broadchurch, Blue Planet and Bake Off in one [...]
Cooked: Apple shares spiral as investors fight back in securities fraud lawsuit January 3, 2019 Shares in Apple opened 8.6 per cent down on Wall Street this afternoon, after a shock revenue warning from chief executive Tim Cook caused shivers across global markets and exchanges. In an open letter to investors published last night, Apple cut its revenue forecast for the busy Christmas quarter by 7.8 per cent. The tech giant is [...]
Google parent Alphabet ducks revenue estimates amid sexual harassment furore October 25, 2018 Alphabet edged below consensus estimates on revenue in its third quarter results tonight, despite profits rising higher than analysts anticipated. The Google parent firm’s share price fell more than four per cent in after-hours trading, as revenues hit $33.74bn (£26.3bn) in the third quarter compared with estimates of $34.02bn as collated by S&P Global Market Intelligence. [...]
Keep an eye on these shares during General Election November 8, 2019 The UK is holding a general election on 12 December. All the political parties are keen to return discussion to domestic policies after years of neglect because of Brexit, but the UK’s proposed departure from the EU will continue to dominate the debate. Still, whichever party wins (or parties, if it results in a hung parliament) [...]
Apple soothes investor fears by topping estimates in festive quarter results January 29, 2019 Californian tech giant Apple assuaged investor concerns tonight, having narrowly beaten analyst predictions for its first fiscal quarter of 2019. Reporting for the three months to 31 December, Apple said it took in revenue of $84.3bn (£64.1bn), slightly above consensus estimates of $84bn as collated by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Sales were down five per cent [...]