Five charts showing what happens to London-listed companies when oil prices plummet February 19, 2015 Oil companies have been burned by plunging global oil prices, which have shed around 60 per cent since July, prompting them to abandon projects, and some have even had to make job cuts. Oil prices have crumbled 60 per cent since July last year, skidding to a near six-year low of $45.19 per barrel in January, thanks [...]
Car review: Future-proof your life with the Audi A6 Avant TDI Ultra March 16, 2015 Audi’s family estate is big, economical and comfortable – and that makes it one of the best cars in its class. How best to future-proof your car? There’s one absolute rule: if it’s cheap to run, it’ll serve you well while it’s yours, and there will be plenty of people looking to take it off [...]
11 of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies are in the UK: Marks & Spencer, BT, and the London Stock Exchange January 22, 2015 The UK is home to 11 of the world's 100 most sustainable companies with Marks & Spencer, BT, and the London Stock Exchange all making it into the prestigious ranking. The other UK-based companies listed were Reckitt Benckiser, Centrica, Unilever, British Land, Sky, Pearson, BG Group and Electrocomponents. Each year media company Corporate Knights produces the ranking which measures companies' sustainability in terms [...]
Kate Robertson: Who do you think is sorting out youth unemployment anyway? February 9, 2015 Understandably, David Cameron vaunts the 1.75 million jobs created on his watch. Though this makes those on the opposition benches squirm – I'd just like to point out who's doing the creating. As the political back-and-forth of an election season gains momentum, it’s something we are likely to hear more and more members of [...]
Burns Night 2015: Head to Scotland for a luxury getaway January 18, 2015 Travel northwards this weekend to help our Caledonian brothers and sisters celebrate their very own Bard. Here’s our top five luxury Burns getaways… FAIRMONT ST ANDREWS Luxury hotelier Fairmont offers a number of holiday packages so you get what you want out of a trip north of the border, encompassing Hogmanay, Valentines, “Babymoons”, and even [...]
John Bennett explains why Europe is back in vogue: Stock markets are on form and euro weakness could provide an extra boost April 23, 2015 The Eurozone has lurched from crisis to crisis over the past five years. Despite the best efforts of the European Central Bank (ECB), the region has remained largely unresponsive to resuscitation attempts, and is still on life support. Deflation, non-existent economic growth, and ongoing battles with Greece – the prognosis does not look good. But [...]
Easter snow: A comprehensive guide to the best places to bag a late skiing holiday March 22, 2015 FAMILY FRIENDLY Watching Franz Klammer skiing on the edge of disaster at the 1976 Winter Olympics is not for the faint-hearted. His gold medal-winning run at Innsbruck looked sure to end in catastrophe on several turns. How do you learn to ski like that? According to Klammer – who insists he was perfectly in control [...]
Chateau Gütsch: Journey to Lucerne, the ticking heart of watchmaking January 11, 2015 Overlooking Lucerne, Chateau Gütsch is a belle-epoque retreat with a horological secret. As a writer with a particular penchant for Swiss watchmaking, I probably use the term “chocolate box” far too frequently. Hard not to when describing a springtime visit to an atelier nestled in the verdant Jura foothills, surrounded by cows and their clanking [...]
Francesco Totti: The Champions League’s oldest scorer is freakishly good October 1, 2014 As Francesco Totti’s cool chip nestled in the corner of Manchester City’s goal last night, Champions League history was made. The man once described by former coach Claudio Ranieri as being “as important as the Colosseum is to Rome” became the oldest scorer in Champions League history with his goal for Roma, at an [...]
R&R Ice Cream chief James Lambert talks dessert and bull semen September 7, 2014 It’s often said that entrepreneurs should stick to what they know. Bill Gates knew software, hence Microsoft; Arianna Huffington knew media, hence The Huffington Post. But it’s not a piece of advice that James Lambert, the now-retired founder and former chief executive of Yorkshire-based R&R Ice Cream, paid any attention to. Before starting the business [...]