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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Black Friday UK 2015: Amazon, Currys PC World, John Lewis and Asos to be winners – while AO World, Home Retail Group and Game Digital will be losers November 18, 2015 Black Friday is less than 10 days away (27 November for those who haven't marked it in their calendar/had it tattooed on their forehead) and UK retailers are falling over themselves to get the sales bonanza right. Some, like Asda and fashion brand Jigsaw, have walked away from the discount day. But others are planning to [...]
The infinite bookshop: How Chinese architects created a reflective space using mirrors July 7, 2016 With Amazon, ebooks and high street supermarkets pushing bookshops to the brink of extinction, the few independent sellers remaining have sought to reinvent themselves as shrines to literacy, intimate meeting places for authors and their readers, and serene reading grounds amidst the urban noise. One such spot is Zhongshuge-hangzhou, a newly- opened bookshop in Hong [...]
Perform kicks off live sports streaming service in three European countries August 10, 2016 UK-based media company Perform has launched its live sports video streaming service in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. DAZN – inexplicably pronounced Da Zone – is described by Perform as the world’s first dedicated live sports streaming service and allows subscribers to watch games on demand. Football is expected to be the services' top draw with the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A, Frances' Ligue [...]