Intelligent luxury for smart skiers at Les Domaines February 2, 2011 THE new Alpine luxury is understated, contemporary elegance in a traditional-looking wood building, with lots of hand-crafted features and discreet state-of-the-art facilities. It is located in a small and original village – not a purpose-built concrete bunker. These days, intelligent luxury means completely no-hassle holidays – you own your own property, but it is fully [...]
Home Retail Group says profit to dive by a quarter September 9, 2010 Home Retail Group forecast a 20-25 per cent reduction in first-half profit, with sales at its Argos stores continuing to fall as low income shoppers cut back on spending. The firm, which also owns the Homebase DIY business, said it expected to make a year to the end of February 2011 underlying pre-tax profit of [...]
Terry Smith to launch an asset management firm September 12, 2010 STOCKBROKING veteran Terry Smith is expected to step down from Collins Stewart within the next few months to concentrate on launching an asset management business. The venture, entitled Fundsmith, will give both high street and professional investors the opportunity to invest alongside Smith. The tough-talking former analyst has ploughed several millions of pounds from his [...]
Virgin ends strike threat September 8, 2010 VIRGIN Atlantic averted the threat of the first strike in its 26-year history yesterday, after it reached an agreement with pilot’s union Balpa over the time off its members take. Under the deal Virgin pilots remain entitled to “at least 120 days off” a year, equivalent to an office worker’s weekends and bank holidays. Virgin’s [...]
Virgin ends strike threat September 8, 2010 VIRGIN Atlantic averted the threat of the first strike in its 26-year history yesterday, after it reached an agreement with pilot’s union Balpa over the time off its members take. Under the deal Virgin pilots remain entitled to “at least 120 days off” a year, equivalent to an office worker’s weekends and bank holidays. Virgin’s [...]
Apple rides high but iPad falters October 18, 2010 Apple last night smashed expectations to post record fourth quarter profits and revenues, boosted by blockbuster sales of its new iPhone 4. However, its landmark iPad tablet device lagged behind analyst forecasts as supply issues continued to dog the world’s biggest technology firm. Apple shifted 4.2m iPads in the quarter, falling well short of analyst [...]
Apple rides high but iPad falters October 18, 2010 Apple last night smashed expectations to post record fourth quarter profits and revenues, boosted by blockbuster sales of its new iPhone 4. However, its landmark iPad tablet device lagged behind analyst forecasts as supply issues continued to dog the world’s biggest technology firm. Apple shifted 4.2m iPads in the quarter, falling well short of analyst [...]
DSG revertsto Dixons in name swap September 8, 2010 DSG International will revert to being called Dixons Retail after shareholders yesterday approved the plans at the electrical group’s AGM. The rebranding to DSG was aimed at being more appealing to an international market but the move has fallen flat. The company, which owns Curry’s and PC World, has been forced to restructure its overseas [...]
Halo: Reach sets sales record September 16, 2010 MICROSOFT has enjoyed the biggest gaming sales bonanza of the year, after a global stampede for the latest instalment of its Halo video game franchise generated over $200m (£128m) of revenues in just 24 hours. Sales of Halo: Reach, a first-person shooter game, stormed past the three-day opening weekends of blockbuster films like Toy Story [...]
Tax boss performs U-turn to apologise for PAYE blunders September 12, 2010 BRITAIN’S top tax official was forced into an embarrassing U-turn this weekend after initially refusing to apologise to more than a million people facing surprise bills. Dave Hartnett, permanent secretary for tax at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), said he was “deeply sorry” that administrative errors meant 1.4m people would have to pay an average [...]