McDonald’s to take legal action against Russian restaurant ban August 27, 2014 Fastfood giant McDonald’s yesterday hit back against the closure of five of its restaurants in Russia over what the country’s food regulator Rospotrebnadzor claimed were sanitary problems. Maxim Titarenko, a lawyer representing the fastfood company, protested: “The violations mentioned by the Rospotrebnadzor have already been eliminated or are being eliminated.” McDonald’s said in a statement: “We do [...]
US stocks lifted by welcome for Visa in China – New York Report April 22, 2015 US STOCKS ended stronger yesterday as Visa’s potential expansion into China and talk of a turnaround at McDonald’s helped investors look beyond a mixed bag of quarterly earnings. All of the 10 major S&P 500 sectors rose, with the tech index gaining 1.09 per cent, propelled by Visa and MasterCard. Visa ended 4.07 per cent [...]
US wages up for discussion – The week ahead on Wall St May 10, 2015 LABOUR expenses will be a key focus during retailers’ earnings conference calls in the coming weeks, with many companies under pressure to boost workers’ wages at a time when low US unemployment levels have given workers more leverage. Wal-Mart, Target Corp, T.J. Maxx, Gap, and McDonald’s have already announced wage increases, and the trend appears [...]
Tesco’s ban on sugary drinks is fine – as long as the government keeps away and consumers can still vote with their feet July 28, 2015 As a libertarian, I don’t quite know what to think about Tesco’s decision to drop Ribena and other sugary drinks for kids. On its own, I can see the advantages. As part of a broader trend, it’s a little worrying. So why might Tesco be doing this? Let’s take it for granted that Tesco [...]
Balls joins Ford exec in warning against Brexit March 3, 2015 SHADOW chancellor Ed Balls last night described the prospect of Britain leaving the EU as the greatest threat to London – echoing warnings from some business leaders. “The whole of Britain benefits from London’s growth and dynamism,” Balls told London First, a business group in the capital. “We should have no truck with the argument [...]
Russell Brand and BBC lift Audioboom’s podcast audience April 20, 2015 Online podcast provider Audioboom has been living up to its name lately, reporting explosive growth in content and registered users in yesterday’s performance update. Audioboom, home of The Russell Brand Podcast, signed on over 150 new content partners in March, acquiring programs like BBC Radio’s Six O’Clock News and the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. The additions [...]
McDonald’s profits take a dive as German outlets perform poorly July 22, 2014 McDONALD’S shareholders were left with a sour taste yesterday, as another disappointing earnings report sent shares in the hamburger chain tumbling by more than two per cent in early trading. The fast-food giant said its profit for the second quarter fell one per cent in the three months to June, while same store sales dropped [...]
Does Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis’ leather jacket make him a hell-raiser, protector or just a fading rocker? Either way, he’s going to have to be a tough guy February 20, 2015 The Holy Grail for most brand managers is to create a powerful identity icon, a shorthand which cuts to the heart of their offer. There are a number of options open to the budding marketer, but the standard fare breaks down into three options, visual – like the Nike tick; verbal – like Audi’s ‘Vorsprung [...]
US stocks may be vulnerable after jobs data – New York Report March 1, 2015 THE US stock market was quiet last week – too quiet. Wall Street has traded in a tight range of late, with both volatility and trading volumes drying up as the earnings season winds down and Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen’s recent Congressional testimony delivered no surprises. While markets have held near record levels, there [...]
Mobile World Congress 2015: Samsung unveils curved screen Galaxy S6 smartphone March 1, 2015 Samsung just unveiled two flagship Galaxy S6 smartphones in Barcelona marking the start of this year’s Mobile World Congress. The S6 and its curved screen sibling, the S6 Edge, are the South Korean conglomerate’s latest attempt to restore growth to its smartphone division which has seen margins and profits erode in the face of competition. [...]