Inflation stays at three per cent despite expectations of a dip February 13, 2018 Consumer price inflation (CPI) remained at three per cent in January, unchanged from the month before, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). CPI is the rate at which the prices of goods and services bought by households rise or fall. CPI including owner occupiers’ housing costs was 2.7 per cent, also unchanged month-on-month. [...]
Coincidence? Retailers’ profit margins have been squeezed since Black Friday hit UK shores, KPMG reveals November 24, 2017 The Black Friday phenomenon seems to be sticking around in the UK, as more and more retailers have extended offers on both sides of the big day. But there could be a darker side to the shopaholic frenzy, according to KPMG. Data compiled by the accountancy firm has found that profit margins of the UK’s [...]
Currys PC World offers deals on TVs, laptops, kitchen appliances, smart toys and more November 24, 2016 Can't make it out on Black Friday to scoop up the latest tech deals? Do not be afeared. Currys PC World has announced deals on more than 3,500 products in a Black Friday event running until 1 December. The electrical retailer's 10-day event has been running since 21 November, but a fresh set of deals will be released on [...]
It 2017 film review: New version of the Stephen King classic starring Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the killer clown buckles under the weight of expectation September 7, 2017 Tim Curry made such a lasting impression as Pennywise in the 1990 version of Stephen King’s It that it’s easy to forget what a terrible, steaming heap of garbage the rest of it was. The made-for-TV miniseries was a clown-car of a show, with pieces falling off left, right and centre – awful pacing, bad [...]
After the hype, this year’s retail extravaganza of Black Friday was a short-lived frenzy November 27, 2017 Just three years ago Black Friday became synonymous with images of customers fighting over heavily discounted goods. The ugly scenes accompanied reports of police and ambulance services being called to stores across the UK, with several people injured in the melees. Fast forward to 2017 and the madness turned to mirth over the weekend as [...]
Interiors: Gather Christmas decoration inspiration for your house from the capital’s best festive hotel installations December 5, 2017 I’ve never felt as festive as I did last year on my tipples ‘n’ trees food and drink crawl of Old London Town. To regain my festive mojo, I’ve been schlepping the streets again in search of the best Christmas decorations and installations to visit with family and friends at this wonderful time of year. [...]
Focus On Vauxhall: Donald Trump might not be keen on it, but international investors dig these skyscrapers south of the river February 2, 2018 Vauxhall got dragged through the mud by no less a figure than the President of the United States recently. The US Embassy’s much touted move to the “off location” was supposedly the reason behind Donald Trump’s cancelled visit to the UK, even though the new building has its own moat. Clearly, tech behemoth Apple didn’t [...]
Chef’s Table: M Restaurant Chef Mike Reid interviews former England and Manchester United star Andrew Cole July 5, 2018 This month, M Restaurant chef Mike Reid cooks lunch for former Manchester United and England striker Andrew Cole, as they discuss the pressure on footballers, recovering from a kidney transplant, and why Australia is terrifying. STARTER: Cured Sicilian red prawns with potato sauce, peas and almonds; Burrata with baby tomatoes, spiced bread and red pepper; [...]
The Amazon Echo is an artificially intelligent speaker and virtual assistant that can play music, order curries and hail an Uber September 14, 2016 The Amazon Echo is a hands-free speaker that you operate using voice commands. Inside it (well, somewhere in the cloud to be precise) lives Alexa, an artificial intelligence and essentially Amazon’s version of Siri. Alexa’s machine-learning algorithms and rapidly expanding skillset make her smarter as time goes on: so while today she can play music, [...]
The pension pitfalls of the gig economy July 19, 2017 Our work lives are becoming increasingly malleable as millions of us turn our backs on steady nine-to-five jobs and choose to go freelance instead. Yes, we can now mould our job into a shape that fits neatly into our personal or financial lives, but this workplace revolution is by no means perfect, and has [...]