Black Friday UK 2014: Where are the best bargains for must-have Christmas toys? November 25, 2014 As the countdown to Black Friday – November 28 if you're wondering – continues, the big question is exactly which items will be going on sale. Luckily for you, the Toy Retailers Association has today unveiled its DreamToys, the gifts that the industry has judged “must have” Christmas crackers. The list has pedigree [...]
Tax competition is good for Europe: Don’t let Jean-Claude Juncker muddy the waters January 21, 2015 At the end of last week, the European Commission disclosed a preliminary finding that Amazon’s tax arrangements in Luxembourg could have constituted “state aid”. While Amazon has said that it had received no special treatment, this is not good news for the Duchy’s former Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, now president of the Commission. Yet the [...]
Thomas Piketty rejects France’s Legion of Honour award January 1, 2015 France's rock star economist Thomas Piketty has turned down France's highest state honour because, in his view, it is not the role of the government to dispense these kinds of awards. The economist made waves in 2014 and topped the Amazon bestseller list with his book Capital in the 21st Century, which postulated that inequality [...]
CES 2015 in Las Vegas: The greatest show on earth January 4, 2015 This week 3,500 of the world’s biggest tech giants are coming to Sin City. Las Vegas will be transformed from a gambling hub in the middle of the desert into the nerve centre of global technology as Samsung, Sony, LG as well as hundreds of smaller tech firms come to the annual Consumer Electronics Show [...]
Amazon has (finally) started delivering goods to the Amazon February 7, 2014 On Friday Amazon started selling its Kindle online across Brazil. This particular product launch has a special resonance for the world's largest online retailer. The Kindle Paperwhite will now be sold in the region of the world where the prestigious online company takes its name – the Amazon. This marks the first time Amazon has [...]
Treasury will reveal tax structures targeted by Google Tax this week December 7, 2014 THE TREASURY will this week unveil details of how it will implement the so-called Google tax, targeting firms that shift profits to overseas tax havens, as well as a list of the “artificial arrangements” used by businesses to dodge UK tax. The draft 2015 Finance Act will be published on Wednesday along with guidance on [...]
Mulberry hires fashion guru as non-executive December 2, 2014 MULBERRY said yesterday it had hired former Barneys fashion director Julie Gilhart as a non-executive director as the troubled luxury brand continues on a hiring spree to help turn itself around. Gilhart, 56, spent 18 years at the US department store, working in various roles. However, she was forced to step down in 2010 as [...]
City says Asos a takover target October 6, 2014 ASOS shares soared nearly 15 per cent yesterday after analysts at UBS said the troubled online retailer was “ripe” for a takeover, with rival Amazon the most likely suitor. The company, which has issued three profit warnings in the past seven months, has been subject to previous takeover speculation, with eBay and Amazon cited as [...]
Why Amazon is about to become a first class citizen in the living room April 2, 2014 At 4pm this afternoon Amazon is set to launch its own mystery TV box to finally elevate the retail giant to more than a second class citizen in the video streaming space. During its “update to our video business” Amazon is expected to reveal a way for its users to access Prime Instant Video, formerly [...]
Royal Mail and miners weigh heavily on FTSE – London Report November 19, 2014 THE FTSE 100 ended a four-day rally yesterday as falling iron ore prices hit mining stocks and trading updates from Royal Mail and testing firm Intertek disappointed investors. Hit by its heavy weighting in commodity-related stocks, the blue chip index underperformed European peers, dropping 12.53 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 6,696.60 points. One of the [...]