Watch out for wearable tech at MWC 2014 February 26, 2014 Keep your friends close and your technology closer: the latest wrist-friendly gadgets Mobile World Congress is a phone geek’s dream – a time when the great and good of the mobile industry showcases what we can look forward to for the rest of the year. While recent years have been somewhat thinner on the ground [...]
Tills ring out as retailers record best quarter in over five years October 17, 2013 RETAILERS saw a bumper quarter between July and September, as official statistics yesterday confirmed the best sales of any three-month period since 2008. The quantity of sales in the sector rose by 1.5 per cent in comparison to the second quarter of the year, marking the second-best performance in nine years. The quantity of sales [...]
Focus on… Mayfair: The playground of the international super-rich October 24, 2013 IF YOU grew up in Britain, chances are you’ll know Mayfair is the most expensive property in Monopoly. In the classic game, buying the dark blue street sets you back an astronomical… £400. These days you’ll do well to buy a square centimetre in Mayfair with that kind of money. The area’s grand regency mansions [...]
London Report: Rio Tinto holds up FTSE despite housing drop November 28, 2013 HeAVYWEIGHT miner Rio Tinto helped keep the FTSE 100 in positive territory yesterday, offsetting weakness in housebuilders after the Bank of England removed a mortgage support scheme. Rio Tinto enjoyed hefty gains in an otherwise subdued session – adding six points on its own to the FTSE 100 – as investors responded bullishly to the [...]
The owner of the Dorchester Hotel posts five-star revenue November 4, 2013 THE OWNER of London’s Dorchester Hotel and nine other luxury sites across the world has bucked the tough consumer market to post record sales last year. The Dorchester Hotel Group, which also runs the Beverley Hills Hotel in Los Angeles and 45 Park Lane – the former site of London’s Playboy Club – reported a [...]
US home sales fall for fourth month running in September October 28, 2013 US pending home sales have fallen by 5.6 per cent to 101.6 in September, after estimates of just a 0.5 per cent fall and last month's decline of 1.6 per cent. The index, which is based on contract signings, is at its lowest since December 2012 (101.3). The National Association of Realtors' Lawrence Yun said: "declining [...]
City Moves for 13 December 2013 | Who’s switching jobs December 12, 2013 Quintant Partners The insurance and technology firm has hired Guy Shepherd as director for technology and solution design. He has over 20 years’ experience developing insurance technology solutions. Shepherd was formerly at PwC, where he was head of its insurance modelling practice. TSB The bank has announced the appointment of Susan Crichton as general counsel. [...]
Harrods pays its directors £100m in bumper year November 4, 2013 HARRODS has paid its Qatari owners a dividend of £100m this year after turnover rose 10 per cent to £716m. According to Companies House accounts, the record figure came from increased demand for luxury items such as watches and jewellery. Despite the ringing tills, operating profits for England’s biggest department store dropped 13 per cent [...]
US existing home sales dip in September October 21, 2013 The number of completed transactions on home sales in the US has fallen 1.9 per cent, with existing home sales index coming in at 5.29m, with prices rising at their slowest pace for five months. The reading follows expectations of 5.30m (revised from 5.37m) and after August's near four-year high of 5.39m (revised from 5.48m). [...]
Arts and lifestyle highlights for the next twelve months January 5, 2014 From Glastonbury to Shakespeare to Matisse, you won’t be short of things to do in 2014 MUSICArcade Fire confirmed as headliners for Glastonbury 2014The Glastonbury 2014 lineup is being kept under-wraps until summer, but that hasn’t stopped rumours surfacing thanks to loose-tongued artists and hints dropped by organiser Emily Eavis. Arcade Fire instigated a flurry [...]