Hair today, krona tomorrow November 4, 2013 ANDERS Borg, the finance minister of Sweden, has shocked his homeland by appearing in public without his trademark ponytail. The former chief economist at Stockholm’s ABN Amro Bank, who has been finance minister for seven years, was recognisable for his haircut, an uncommon choice among the world’s finance ministers. On Twitter, the surprise change was major [...]
Burberry chief executive to miss out on £18m in share awards October 20, 2013 DEPARTING chief executive Angela Ahrendts will waive her rights to a long-term incentives worth £18m when she leaves the fashion retailer to join Apple. Ahrendts was entitled to share awards worth £7.6m this year and an additional £4.6m next year from Burberry. Ahrendts already owns £6.5m shares of Burberry, where she has worked for eight [...]
New name for Babcock unit September 29, 2013 FTSE 100 engineering group Babcock International is renaming its civil nuclear division as Cavendish Nuclear, it emerged yesterday. Babcock was forced to change the unit’s name after a court ruled that it had infringed its trademark, following the divestment of an energy business with the Babcock name in the 1990s, which is now owned by [...]
Newcastle Uni brands students RUNTs October 7, 2013 Rebrands are tricky at the best of times, risking alienating customers or spending a fortune on a new logo nobody notices. But Newcastle University is sure to get noticed if some of its brand ideas make it to the public. It has applied to trademark the Research University of Newcastle upon Tyne [...]
Newcastle Uni brands students RUNTs October 7, 2013 Rebrands are tricky at the best of times, risking alienating customers or spending a fortune on a new logo nobody notices. But Newcastle University is sure to get noticed if some of its brand ideas make it to the public. It has applied to trademark the Research University of Newcastle upon Tyne – or RUNT, [...]
Any Other Business – 03/09 September 2, 2013 A few corks, or bottle tops, will be popping at supermarket Asda over the news that the chain’s own-brand Extra Special Golden Ale (pictured) is all the rage in Japan. The bottled drink is the second-best-selling beer over all the 368 branches of Japanese supermarket chain Seivu, according to the Grocer magazine. In fact, it [...]
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 [...]
Argos replaces catalogues with tablets in stores October 23, 2013 ARGOS is to launch a “handful” of new “digital concept” stores next month that will see the retailer’s trademark printed catalogues replaced with tablets for the first time. Argos owner Home Retail Group has already opened a trial store in Camden where the familiar laminated catalogues have been scrapped in favour of iPads for browsing [...]
Profile: Christopher Bailey October 15, 2013 WHEN Christopher Bailey emerges onto the catwalk at the end of a Burberry fashion show, the audience erupts with loud applause. However yesterday’s share price fall following his appointment as both chief executive and chief creative officer suggested a less warm reception. The 42-year-old Yorkshireman, who was described by outgoing Burberry boss Angela Ahrendts yesterday [...]
Hatton tips Frampton to be world champion October 20, 2013 BRITISH super-bantamweight boxer Carl Frampton will “definitely” become world champion, according to retired Ricky Hatton. Frampton stopped Jeremy Parodi of France in round six on Saturday in front of an 8,500 sell-out crowd at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast to earn a title shot against Kiko Martinez next year. And Hatton, himself a multiple former [...]