Microsoft splashes cash on video game streaming startup Beam August 11, 2016 Microsoft is getting in on the live games streaming action with its latest acquisition. The tech giant – fresh from snapping up LinkedIn in a $26bn (£20.1bn) deal – has acquired Beam, a Seattle-based startup which live streams video games. Read more: YouTube has launched its own live gaming service It will be rolled into Microsoft's Xbox operations, and [...]
Argos to launch same day delivery from UK stores as Amazon extends click and collect in London October 8, 2015 Home Retail Group is going head-to-head with Amazon and other retail rivals after announcing that Argos will offer same day delivery and collection from all of its UK stores. From today, customers will be able to order online by 6pm and get an item delivered by 10pm the same day, including Sundays, Argos said. [...]
Is your house a smart home? Or is it a big idiot made of bricks? Sort it out with our list of the best connected home gadgets June 1, 2016 Best for Heating Up Your House: Nest Thermostat £249 – nest.com/uk Easily the object on this page that most resembles the homicidal computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the super clever Nest thermostat gradually learns how to heat your home, switches the heating off while you’re out and warms things up in time for your [...]
Debenhams’ share price falters after retailer announces drop in sales June 22, 2016 Debenhams share price fell this morning as the struggling department store posted a drop in sales. The figures Like-for-like sales at the UK chain fell 0.2 per cent in the 15 weeks to 11 June. Discounting the effect of currency movements, this figure adjusted to a 1.6 per cent fall in sales. Online sales grew by seven [...]
Yes, Selfridges has just opened its Christmas shop and this is what it looks like August 1, 2016 Is that a little bit of Scrooge spirit we sense spreading across the capital? That would be because Selfridges became the world's first department store to open its Christmas shop. Bah, humbug. The retailer has put 50,000 decorations on display, with plans to expand the store later this year to accommodate another 70,000 decorations. When the [...]
Debenhams target share price cut by Investec due to post-Brexit foreign exchange concerns and an expected slowdown in UK demand July 20, 2016 Brexit is beginning to bite for retailers. Investec this morning said Debenhams face a "foreign exchange headwind" that will hit the department store in 2018. Read more: Debenhams raids Amazon for new chief executive Retail analyst Kate Calvert cut Debenhams' target share price to 52p. The cut comes after analysts expressed concerns about Sports Direct at the beginning of the [...]
My Inspiration: Artist Lauren Baker on vows of silence, an infinity coffin and her love of John Everett Millais’ Ophelia September 22, 2016 Artist Lauren Baker talks about her love for John Everett Millais’ Ophelia In Shakespeare’s play, Ophelia is picking flowers in the forest and falls into the river, where her billowing dress keeps her afloat for a while before she slowly drowns. In the painting she’s pale white with long, gingery hair, so I kind of see [...]
It’s facile to blame the referendum for everything: Digital killed the TV star, not Brexit October 26, 2016 It matters not which sector you work in, if something has gone wrong since June, chances are it was the fault of Brexit. Just try it, it’s easy: “_______ happened, due to Britain voting to leave the European Union”. Feels good, doesn’t it? As sinecures go, doomsayers have only just stopped short of blaming Brexit [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Amazon, Argos and Littlewoods already offering deals on TVs, cameras and games ahead of retail bonanza day on 27 November November 9, 2015 There's just three weeks to go before Black Friday, the day analysts are tipping as the biggest shopping day of the year (for the second time running). But for those who can't wait until 27 November (or even 23 November, as Amazon prepares for a week of deals) fear not: there are plenty of huge offers [...]
Drop in supermarkets sales leads to UK plc revenues sliding August 15, 2016 Dwindling supermarket sales have weighed heavily on the performance of UK plc, causing listed companies’ revenues to dip 2.2 per cent to £341.7bn in the last quarter, according to new research from retail stockbroker The Share Centre. Supermarkets, which account for nearly one third of the UK's publicly listed companies, saw sales fall below £100bn [...]