Do schmaltzy Christmas ads cheer up revenues? November 15, 2016 What do a robin, a boxer dog, a cartoon character called Dave and Mrs Santa Claus have in common? It may sound like the start of a bad joke but this motley crew all have starring roles in 2016's Christmas adverts for major retailers. So far, the M&S ad appears to be the biggest hit [...]
Cheap iPhones and Apple Watches? Here are the best Apple Black Friday deals November 25, 2016 Retailers always go big on tech and electronics for Black Friday, but Apple itself did not jump into the fray last year. In 2016, the company has changed its tune and will hold a "one day shopping event" on Black Friday. The exact deals have not yet been revealed, but will be available here, so [...]
Brands need to grow a backbone and stop pandering to the left’s virtue signalling December 5, 2016 On both sides of the pond, a censorious precedent is being set in the name of “brand values”. It’s a petulant reaction to the moral posturing of internet losers. And I don’t mean “losers” in the perjorative, playground sense – I mean literally, those on the losing side of either Brexit, or the presidential election. [...]
So Moneysupermarket? Comparison site is on track for a “record year” November 1, 2016 It looks like the men in hotpants are working for Moneysupermarket.com, whose chief executive said today it is on track for a "record year". The figures The company's main site, MoneySupermarket.com, reported revenues of £76m in the three months to the end of September, up 13 per cent on the same time last year. That was pushed up by a 12 per [...]
The biggest Christmas adverts of 2015: From John Lewis’ Man on the Moon and Sainsbury’s Mog the Cat to Justino, Warburtons and Burberry December 3, 2015 John Lewis and Sainsbury’s have tussled over our affections pitting Man against Cat in their bid to create this year’s most heartwarming Christmas advert, with the retail giant's tear-jerker finally beating the supermarket's more upbeat offering. Sainbury’s Christmas advert featuring Mog the Cat was quickly crowned 2015’s winner by City A.M.’s own reviewer, who praised [...]
John Lewis, Amazon & Lush: UK shoppers’ favourite retailers revealed as Black Friday 2015 draws near November 23, 2015 Amazon, John Lewis and Lush are UK shoppers’ favourite retailers, according to a new ranking showing that customer service has beat out price to become our top priority when shopping. Amazon held the top spot in the hearts of the 10,000 shoppers surveyed by OC&C for its annual Retail Propositions Index, with an approval rating [...]
Landing cards to be scrapped under Home Office plans to modernise border control August 5, 2017 Non-european travellers will no longer have to fill in landing cards when arriving in the UK under new proposals announced by the Home Office today. The paper-based system, which has been in use for nearly half a century, is expected to be scrapped in the autumn. Read more: Ryanair boss warns of “no holidays” in [...]
Christmas adverts 2015: New John Lewis Man on the Moon advert released as part of Age UK campaign November 20, 2015 John Lewis has allowed another organisation to use its Christmas advert for the first time as part of the next stage of its campaign with Age UK. Behind-the-scenes footage from the Man in the Moon film has been used for a new advert aimed at encouraging viewers to donate to the charity and help older [...]
John Lewis opens £35m store in Brum September 25, 2015 JOHN LEWIS yesterday opened its new £35m Birmingham shop, the retailer’s largest shop to open in four years and one of its biggest stores in Britain. The 250,000 sq ft shop, which anchors the city’s new Grand Central retail development, has created 650 new jobs across Birmingham. Andy Street, managing director, John Lewis said: “Today [...]
Retailers should “play Black Friday down”, warns John Lewis boss October 19, 2015 The boss of John Lewis – one of the UK's most vocal supporters of Black Friday – has urged other retailers to “play it down” in future years after the sales bonanza led to havoc on the high street. Although the business reported record sales for the week in which Black Friday (November 28) [...]