Amazon has just launched its Black Friday deals store November 1, 2016 Black Friday: it's either a retail Valhalla or your worst nightmare – either way, it's increasingly becoming A Thing in the UK. And now Amazon has launched a kind of pre-Black Friday Black Friday store. Welcome to retail in 2016. The Countdown to Black Friday store is currently only for US customers, and features almost [...]
Everything you need to know about Black Friday 2016 November 1, 2016 Black Friday 2016 is almost upon us. Falling on 25 November, this year's mega-deals day is already expected to exceed last year's sales bonanza. Already the rumour mill has started up, with deal tip sites suggesting plenty of bargains will be on offer from electricals specialists from Currys to Carphone Warehouse, while the big players Amazon, John Lewis [...]
Black Friday 2016 history: What is it, when did it come to the UK and where will it hit next? November 1, 2016 Black Friday fever is sweeping the nation, with many retailers saying they will get some of their best sales yet. But where did the bumper discount day come from and where will it hit next? Here's a short history. Where did Black Friday come from? Black Friday – like Halloween, McDonalds and theme parks – [...]
All Saints scores fourth consecutive year of growth October 31, 2016 Fashion brand All Saints has posted its fourth consecutive year of growth. In the year ending 30 January 2016, the company clocked up total sales of £252.5m, an increase of nine per cent from £231.3m the year before. Read more: All Saints edges closer to sale amid administration fear UK sales increased 7.4 per cent to [...]
Latest filings by British arm of McDonald’s reveals level of royalty payments to Luxembourg entity October 30, 2016 The British operations of burger giant McDonald's paid £123m for franchise rights last year which are part of a structure that is being investigated by European authorities. The company, whose UK operations are captured in a Luxembourg based company, McD Europe Franchising, reported a profit of $541m for the year to December 2015, almost identical to the $540m it [...]
Employment tribunal ruling could cost Uber over £17m, says employment lawyer October 28, 2016 Today's landmark ruling by an employment tribunal that Uber drivers are not self-employed but entitled to basic workers' rights such as holiday pay, could cost the company in excess of £17m, according to an employment lawyer. Sean Nesbitt, partner in the employment team at law firm Taylor Wessing, said: "It is economically significant to Uber. [...]
Employee rulings in New York and London to have “staggering” impact on the likes of Amazon and Uber October 28, 2016 Amazon has agreed to stump up $100,000 (£82,000) in back-pay to a New York delivery driver whose wage packet was deducted for lunch breaks he didn’t manage to take. In a ruling many American delivery contractors will welcome coming up to Christmas, the state attorney general said the settlement will mean short-term workers are entitled to receive [...]
Amazon’s share price slumps on disappointing results October 27, 2016 Amazon's shares have sunk in after-hours trading as the company posted a disappointing quarterly profit. The e-commerce giant's shares were down 6.8 per cent. It said its net income rose to $252m (£207m) from $79m a year before. But, at 52 cents per share, Amazon's income was less than expected. According to Reuters, analysts' average [...]
Shares in Debenhams leapt this morning on solid annual results. But analysts are still waiting to see what the new chief exec will do October 27, 2016 Department store Debenhams' share price headed north by nearly four per cent this morning after revealing a decline in full year profits that still beat analyst expectations. The figures Gross transactional values, basically the company's sales before taking into account discounting, were up by 1.3 per cent to £2.9bn. However revenues – what it says on the [...]
Here’s how to make the most of investing in Apple, Amazon and major overseas players October 27, 2016 In a globalised world, equity investors need to think big if they want to buy the world’s best companies. “There is no UK equivalent to the likes of Amazon or Facebook. The UK’s own social networking pioneer, Friends Reunited, finally closed its web doors in February this year,” says Michelle McGrade, chief investment officer at [...]