Baby goods retailer Mothercare sees UK turnaround plan pay off November 20, 2014 MOTHERCARE posted a small rise in first-half profit and said lower losses and improving sales in the UK provided early encouragement for its new turnaround plan. While Mothercare’s overseas business is profitable, fierce competition from supermarkets such as Tesco and internet retailers like Amazon has hit it hard at home. This has left the baby [...]
Black Friday UK 2014: John Lewis and Marks & Spencer set for bumper sales weekend as mega deals entice customers November 24, 2014 You can hardly move for Black Friday promotions this week. Everyone from Amazon to Asda and John Lewis to Very is getting in on the day. Electricals like TVs, tablets and other gadgets, designer watches, clothing and toys will all have cut price offers for the weekend that starts with Black Friday and ends with [...]
Royal Mail has taken a battering but is still valued brand – Brand Index December 16, 2014 THE CHRISTMAS period is always one of great stress and pressure for the delivery sector. With Royal Mail’s hold over the industry beginning to be threatened, I can use YouGov BrandIndex data to assess how it has been performing in the run up to this crucial time. Of course, Royal Mail has been repeatedly in [...]
The selfie stick: A short history of this year’s most popular Christmas present January 6, 2015 It's been mirthlessly mocked, dubbed "the wand of Narcissus" and generally cited in descriptions of the downfall of society. But nobody could have predicted just how much the selfie stick – a small, articulated monopod with a clever bit of plastic attached that can reach where human arms can't – would catch on. In fact, [...]
2014 Black Friday to push UK Christmas spend to £91bn November 26, 2014 Half of Britain’s shoppers are set to storm online stores, shopping centres and supermarkets tomorrow in what is expected to be one of the biggest shopping occasions of the year. Some 47 per cent of shoppers are preparing to take part in Black Friday, which is expected to help push the UK’s Christmas spending up [...]
Google shares drop 3 per cent as it misses expectations October 16, 2014 Google's profits fell but its revenues jumped 20 per cent as its results fell just short of expectations. Wall Street had been expecting revenue excluding commissions of $13.22bn, but the figure came in at $13.17. Earnings per share were $6.35 rather than the $6.53 analysts had predicted. Google's shares were down 1 per cent on [...]
Struggling through Dry January? Load up on coffee instead January 13, 2015 Pact coffee delivery service Broaden your coffee horizons with this delivery service that will supply you with weekly or fortnightly bags of precious beans. You’ll also get tasting notes so you can learn as you drink. There’s no contract and if you use the code “onepound” you’ll get your first delivery for £1. Well worth [...]
Why the smart data revolution creates opportunities for firms of every size January 25, 2015 We are witnessing a transformation of our economy, with data becoming one of the key drivers of every business. Increasingly, everything we do is digital, leaving a data trail that can be analysed to gain new insights and power innovative business ideas. This offers opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups that we have not seen since [...]
Why you won’t find Black Friday discount deals at Aldi and Lidl summed up in a single tweet November 28, 2014 Aldi has taken an overt swipe at its supermarket rivals over Black Friday deals with a single tweet. As shoppers wrestled each other over discount deals in Tesco and Asda, Aldi tweeted: "Hmm, we think we did #BlackFriday last week. Although it was just called 'Friday'. And it's the same every day!" Hmm, we think [...]
Starbucks beware. OECD proposes rules aimed at corporate tax avoidance September 16, 2014 New international tax rules proposed yesterday could eliminate structures that have allowed companies such as Starbucks, Google and Amazon to lessen their tax bills. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced a series of measures that, if implemented by members, could stop companies from employing many commonly used practices to shift profits into [...]