2 tech investments the chancellor didn’t mention December 5, 2013 The Global Collaborative Space Programme One thing George Osborne didn't mention in his delivery of the Autumn Statement was the establishing of a Global Collaborative Space Programme. And the £80m, five-year fund to help with UK involvement in the so-called programme. The initiative, says the government, will be "an international pillar to [...]
Call of Duty: Ghosts smashes onto shelves with $1bn of sales November 6, 2013 Video game Call of Duty: Ghosts has seen a staggering £620m (that's over $1bn) of retail sales on its first day, according to the games publisher. The game went on sale at 15,000 locations around the world at midnight last night. The figure refers to "sell-in" to retailers – it doesn't correspond to a "sell-through" [...]
Eat, drink and be merry December 3, 2013 Perfect boozy gifts for the man who wants to unwind in style Bombay Sapphire £29.99 including personalised engraving available at Selfridges on the 10 and 11 December. bombaysapphire.com Mount Gay Rum Old Cask Selection £112.96 thedrinkshop.com Whisky stones ice cube alternatives £15.98 amazon.co.uk Mason Shaker cocktail kit £170 masonshaker.com Crystal Head Vodka £62.50 harveynichols.com Elephant [...]
We’re not witnessing the stirring of another Dot-com tech bubble January 29, 2014 IT MAY be chilly outside but, for those of us analysing the UK tech market, it couldn’t be hotter. It was a stellar year in 2013 for the sector. In the US, the Nasdaq index of technology-focused stocks reached highs last witnessed in 2000 – at the height of the Dot-com boom. Here in the [...]
Bottom Line: Mass appeal keeps tablet on fire September 25, 2013 AMAZON’S new range of tablets give customers a lot of bang for their buck – twice the amount of memory of predecessors, three times the processing power, and access to tech support at the touch of a button on their 323 pixels per inch screens. It’s an impressive set of upgrades for a product that [...]
WH Smith shuts its website to remove pornographic ebooks October 13, 2013 WH SMITH shut down its website yesterday after reports it was selling pornographic ebooks. More than 60 pornographic titles – mostly self-published – were available on the WH Smith site, as well as through Amazon, Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, according to the Mail on Sunday. In a statement yesterday, WH Smith said it had [...]
Brand Index: Never mind the hare and bear – Brits are going budget December 17, 2013 OUR RECENT online focus group of people from the so-called “squeezed middle” revealed that they are not feeling the benefits of the economic recovery and also have virtually no faith in politicians (from any political party) to help improve their lot. This week I will delve into which brands the squeezed middle are warming to this [...]
France has ignored consumers and the digital economy is bearing the brunt January 17, 2014 PRESIDENT Francois Hollande would like us to think that France is about to bounce back. At a press conference yesterday, he detailed plans for a “responsibility pact” with business – a deal to reduce the burden of social levies on companies by €30bn (£24bn) by 2017, in return for businesses pledging to increase hiring and [...]
John Lewis retains crown as Britain’s most trusted retailer October 8, 2013 JOHN LEWIS has been voted Britain’s most trusted retailer, according to research out today that showed that overall trust in retailers has hit a four-year low. Of the 10,000 shoppers surveyed by consultancy firm OC&C Strategy, 96 per cent said they trusted the department store group, followed by other heritage brands Marks & Spencer and [...]
France has ignored consumers and the digital economy is bearing the brunt January 14, 2014 PRESIDENT Francois Hollande would like us to think that France is about to bounce back. At a press conference yesterday, he detailed plans for a “responsibility pact” with business – a deal to reduce the burden of social levies on companies by €30bn (£24bn) by 2017, in return for businesses pledging to increase hiring and [...]