Carrot or stick? For Aldi and Lidl, equal pay goes hand in hand with commercial success December 13, 2018 Kevin the Carrot, who once again features in Aldi’s Christmas advert, is proving a bigger hit with shoppers than even Elton John, star of the John Lewis ad. Soft-toy versions of the animated vegetable sold out at 4am on the day of release in some areas and have reportedly provoked fights among customers desperate to [...]
Consumer spending falls in October as shoppers continue to abandon the high street November 13, 2018 UK consumer spending dipped in October after having risen for two months, with an e-commerce rebound propping up a two per cent fall in face-to-face sales. Expenditure has fallen in six of 10 months so far this year, adding to a cocktail of concerns for bricks-and-mortar retailers, according to Visa UK Consumer Spending Index data [...]
City Moves for 9 November – who’s switching jobs at Baker Botts, Duff & Phelps and Just Eat? November 8, 2018 Who’s making a move on up today? Baker Botts Baker Botts, the international law firm, today announced that Matthew Levitt has joined the firm’s antitrust practice as a partner. Matthew, recognised as one of the leading competition lawyers in Europe, will be based in the Brussels office. Matthew’s practice has focused on EU and international [...]
High street horror: Supercuts owner Regis UK asks landlords to slash rent in CVA proposal October 12, 2018 Hairdressing chain Regis UK is teetering on the verge of administration, it told landlords this week, as it urged them to slash rents for its Supercuts and Regis brands. If landlords don’t approve its plans the firm will likely fall into administration, it said. Regis has set out a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) asking for rent [...]
H&M enjoys boosted sales in third quarter from heavy discounting and weak currency September 17, 2018 Sales at Sweden's fashion giant H&M received a boost in the third quarter as the store offered heavy discounts and benefited from a weak crown. The figures Local-currency sales including VAT rose four per cent between June and August from a year earlier, compared with a Reuters poll which suggested sales would go up by [...]
H&M enjoys boosted sales in third quarter from heavy discounting and weak currency September 17, 2018 Sales at Sweden's fashion giant H&M received a boost in the third quarter as the store offered heavy discounts and benefited from a weak crown. The figures Local-currency sales including VAT rose four per cent between June and August from a year earlier, compared with a Reuters poll which suggested sales would go up by [...]
Barbies and princesses: The game-changer in gender-stereotyped toys May 13, 2019 "Can I be an astronaut if I’m a girl?” That was the question asked by Katy Alexander’s four-year-old daughter, Zabel. To the New Jersey-born mother, this question came as a surprise. “Until then, I’d never really noticed that the characters in the space books she had been reading and the games she had been playing were [...]
Faltering England face a tough test of their mettle in feisty Six Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield February 6, 2020 England face Scotland in the Six Nations on Saturday in a match which carries huge significance, both historically and for the tournament. Eddie Jones has opted to make five changes as England attempt to wrestle back momentum following their disappointing 24-17 defeat against France in the opening game. They were poor in Paris, but I [...]
Shoppers ditch high street in one of the worst Augusts on record for retail September 7, 2018 Shoppers ditched the high street in August, making it one of the worst months on record, new figures have shown. Sales dropped at their steepest rate for three years, accountancy and business advisory firm BDO said in its latest high street tracker, released today. The 2.7 per cent year-on-year decline also marked the seventh month in [...]
Beleaguered Grayling set to announce major new review of rail services September 16, 2018 The government is set to launch a major review of the UK’s railways this week, following widespread criticism and a series of operational problems. Transport secretary Chris Grayling is expected to appoint Keith Williams, the former boss of British Airways, to undertake a systematic, 12-month review of the country’s rail services. Williams is the deputy [...]