M&S is having an identity crisis: Only radical action can save it now July 8, 2014 Thousands of articles have been written about, and just as many reasons given for, the ongoing struggles of Marks & Spencer (M&S). The latest one, given only yesterday by none other than the chief executive himself, Marc Bolland, was the “settling-in” period of the new website. This, of course, is balderdash, or at least peripheral [...]
Radley plots ambitious growth plans after strong sales figures May 11, 2014 RADLEY, the purveyor of handbags stamped with its famous Scottish Terrier logo, is set to follow in the footsteps of other British fashion brands by pushing into Asia to tap the region’s burgeoning middle class consumers. The private equity backed company, which started life on a market stall in Camden, is eyeing ambitious growth plans [...]
Buyers flock to buy a slice of Battersea May 7, 2014 NEARLY all 254 homes planned for the second phase of the Battersea Power Station development have been snapped up by buyers eager to get a slice of the landmark building, with 75 per cent of them British residents, its owners said yesterday. The Battersea Power Station Development Company said it has taken reservations for 95 [...]
Letters to the Editor – 08/05 – Housing crisis, European defence, Best of Twitter May 7, 2014 Housing crisis [Re: An inconvenient truth about Britain’s growing housing crisis, yesterday] I’m glad you acknowledge the importance of understanding the figures when talking about the housing crisis. Empty property exaggerations are just the start. What of Labour’s posturing about landbanking, allegedly largely responsible for low building rates? As City Hall has shown, three quarters [...]
London Report: Unemployment figures set to show recovery July 14, 2014 UNEMPLOYMENT figures this week are expected to show that the number of people out of work has dropped again, as the UK recovery takes hold. Jobs data is likely to show an unemployment rate of 6.5 per cent in the three months to May, down from 6.9 per cent in the quarter to February. Despite [...]
B&Q owner Kingfisher’s shares are tumbling. Here’s why May 29, 2014 Kingfisher shares have shed 6.1 per cent, despite the home improvements retailer announcing a £100m special dividend this morning. Like-for-like sales at B&Q jumped 9.7 per cent to £1bn in the first quarter, with Screwfix seeing a 12 per cent increase, to £192m. But investors may not have been so filled with confidence over the [...]
Average age of UK house buyer has fallen to 36 May 12, 2014 THE AVERAGE age of a home buyer dipped in April, falling as the housing market recovers and signalling that the onset of new mortgage rules is not having a major effect on sales. Across the UK, the typical home buyer is now 36 years old, according to research released today by Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB). [...]
Giles Insurance Brokers swing to profit ahead of US takeover May 14, 2014 GILES Insurance Brokers, which was bought last year by Arthur J Gallagher, grew its turnover and swung to profit in the year leading up to its takeover, while its former parent took a £72.5m charge on the sale, recent accounts show. The company’s name change to Arthur J Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited was made official [...]
Selling that Derby dream June 7, 2014 Bill Esdaile speaks to Tattersalls’ Jimmy George about how to sell the best horses in the world WHEN John Magnier raised his hand for the last time for Lot 172 at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale back in 2012, he did so with today’s date firmly in mind. He’d just paid 525,000 guineas on behalf [...]
It’s not just Nintendo’s share price that’s crumbling June 10, 2014 The news that Sony has overtaken Nintendo in terms of total number of console games for the first time in eight years has struck another blow to the House of Mario. While these figures reported by Japan's Nikkei business news site are no cause for celebration at Sony either – they are only ahead [...]