GOLDMAN CASE STRIKES FEAR INTO HEARTS OF PRUDENT COMPETITORS July 8, 2010 THE SEC’S fraud case against Goldman might have proved an almighty headache for the bank’s own staff, but at least it’s spawned a valuable lesson for rivals. Citi took the opportunity to send employees a missive in the wake of the accusations, imperiously titled “Think Before You Write: Avoiding Improper Electronic Communication”. The 11-page illustrated [...]
GOLDMAN CASE STRIKES FEAR INTO HEARTS OF PRUDENT COMPETITORS July 8, 2010 THE SEC’S fraud case against Goldman might have proved an almighty headache for the bank’s own staff, but at least it’s spawned a valuable lesson for rivals. Citi took the opportunity to send employees a missive in the wake of the accusations, imperiously titled “Think Before You Write: Avoiding Improper Electronic Communication”. The 11-page illustrated [...]
All eyes on Christmas for Thorntons as sales jump October 7, 2009 CHOCOLATE retailer Thorntons yesterday said it was well-positioned for Christmas as it posted a 2.3 per cent rise in first-quarter sales, sending its shares up by five per cent in morning trading. Thorntons, which trades from 378 stores and 199 franchises, said its total sales increased to £46.8m in the 14 weeks to 3 October, [...]
All eyes on Christmas for Thorntons as sales jump October 7, 2009 CHOCOLATE retailer Thorntons yesterday said it was well-positioned for Christmas as it posted a 2.3 per cent rise in first-quarter sales, sending its shares up by five per cent in morning trading. Thorntons, which trades from 378 stores and 199 franchises, said its total sales increased to £46.8m in the 14 weeks to 3 October, [...]
Real men only apply July 6, 2010 For a while, a few years back, it looked like the US trend for vast trucks and pickups was going to catch on here. Stateside rappers wearing signet rings the size of dinner plates applied the same “bigger is better” approach to all of their purchases, and cars like the mahoosive Hummer were suddenly very [...]
Brett Easton Ellis is back with a chilling seventh novel July 21, 2010 IMPERIAL BEDROOMS BY BRETT EASTON ELLIS PICADOR, £16.99 BY ZOE STRIMPEL ONCE part of the American literary brat pack of the 1980s that included Jay McInerney and Tama Janowitz, Ellis is in many ways the most intriguing and – thanks to his famed use of violence in 1991’s American Psycho, about Manhattan yuppie serial killer [...]
WILL THE WORLD CUP ENABLE PACE TO BEAT EXPECTATIONS IN 2010? April 19, 2010 JONATHAN IMLAH | ALTIUM “Pace’s quarter one management statement confirms that trading has continued in line with expectations against a backdrop of robust demand for the company’s products. With regard to margin outlook, the statement confirms that gross margins are expected to increase.” IAN ROBERTSON | SEYMOUR PIERCE “ High definition and 3D are seasonal [...]
Sainsbury’s sales up but VAT alarm raised May 13, 2010 SAINSBURY’S yesterday reported a 17.5 per cent rise in pre-tax profits but warned that a sudden VAT hike from the new government could strangle the high street recovery. The company saw profits of £610m for the year to 20 March – £10m ahead of what was expected by the City. But chief executive Justin King [...]
A fraught journey through exile, family and religion May 12, 2010 NOMAD BY AYAAN HIRSI ALI Simon & Schuster, £12.99 **** AYAAN Hirsi Ali is one of the political world’s most direct speakers – if not its most direct. Even the most controversial commentators balk at using her kind of polarising terminology and crystalline rhetoric. In part this is because 40-year old Ali, who works at [...]
M&S staff to get £80m bonus pot after sales rise April 8, 2010 MARKS & SPENCER sales rose by 5.1 percent in the 13 weeks to 27. The hike was driven by sales of formalwear and knitwear and the figures outstripped analysts’ forecasts of a 1.7 per cent rise M&S said full-year pre-tax profit would be around £630m, in its trading statement. The first day of the Christmas [...]