John Lewis is set to create a new restaurant August 14, 2013 JOHN Lewis is poised to launch a new restaurant concept in a move to diversify its catering range and attract more customers into its department stores. Chief executive Andy Street said while John Lewis’ restaurants and cafeterias were profitable and provided good quality, “middle of the road” food, they were not “cutting edge” brands. “There [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 04 November 2013 November 4, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Aircraft carrier cost to rise to £6.2bn Britain will this week reveal another substantial increase in the cost of building its two new aircraft carriers, declaring that total funding for the programme will rise by another £800m to £6.2bn.Philip Hammond, defence secretary, is expected to say that a new set of demands – [...]
Sales blooming at Cath Kidston August 12, 2013 CATH KIDSTON, the quirky British retailer known for its brightly coloured floral prints, said yesterday sales topped £100m for the first time last year thanks to strong demand in the UK and overseas. The homewares and accessories chain, founded by the eponymous designer 20 years ago, said it now has more stores overseas than in [...]
John Lewis is set to create a new restaurant August 11, 2013 JOHN Lewis is poised to launch a new restaurant concept in a move to diversify its catering range and attract more customers into its department stores. Chief executive Andy Street said while John Lewis’ restaurants and cafeterias were profitable and provided good quality, “middle of the road” food, they were not “cutting edge” brands. [...]
Before the open – 04/09 September 4, 2013 London's leading index, the FTSE 100, is expected to open flat this morning. #FTSE called flat to slightly up ahead of open, stocks to watch include Ryanair, Ashtead Group & Hargreaves Landsown. — Sales Traders CMC UK (@SalesTradersCMC) September 4, 2013 European services data is expected to show that sector order books have returned to [...]
Any Other Business – 12/08 August 11, 2013 ■ If you’ve ever fancied your own private jet, now would be the perfect time to buy. According to business aircraft manufacturer Beechcraft, 20.8 per cent of the light and midsized private jet market in the UK is currently up for sale, with 19 per cent on the market across Europe. Anything over 10 per [...]
Carphone Warehouse completes £650m refinancing with lenders August 26, 2013 MOBILE phone retailer Carphone Warehouse announced today it has signed a huge refinancing deal with its banks, helping to fund the recent £470m buy out of its joint venture partner Best Buy in Europe. The London-listed group has sealed two loans worth £650m from its syndicate of lenders, in one of the largest underwritten deals [...]
Phones 4u sells off UK’s biggest mobile phone insurer for $160m September 5, 2013 HIGH STREET retailer Phones 4u yesterday dialled up a £100m deal to sell the UK’s biggest mobile insurer to a Wall Street-listed insurance giant. The phone shop’s parent company, Phones 4u Finance, will sell Crewe-based Lifestyle Services Group (LSG) to Assurant for $160m (£107m) after being approached by Assurant to buy the business earlier this [...]
EBay and Argos launch national trial of Click & Collect for merchants September 24, 2013 Online mega auctioneer EBay and high street retailer Argos have announced the launch of a national trial that will offer Click & Collect for EBay merchants. The UK collection services will be trialled at 150 Argos stores for six months. Large merchants will be able to take advantage of the new system, while smaller merchants [...]
Beware the unintended consequences of making a Living Wage mandatory November 4, 2013 IT’S LIVING Wage week, and many are endorsing the principle of raising low pay, whether by boosting the minimum wage, or by forcing local authorities and pressuring other private employers to pay the Living Wage. It’s an attractive proposition, advocated by politicians as varied as Ed Miliband and Boris Johnson. But it is worth pausing [...]