H&M comparable sales fall during June for the first time since March August 15, 2013 THE WORLD’S second-biggest apparel retailer Hennes & Mauritz yesterday unexpectedly posted a small decrease in July like-for-like sales, the first monthly drop since March. Sales in stores open at least a year at the Swedish budget fashion firm were down one per cent in local currencies in July from a year earlier. Total sales in [...]
Tesco’s share price nears pre-overstatement level for the first time in four months January 14, 2015 Tesco's share price is nearing the level it was before the supermarket admitting to overstating its profits in September, thanks to a sustained rally in the last month. Shares in the UK's largest retailer have risen more than 30 per cent since mid-December and at pixel time this morning the business was up 2.1 [...]
Car review: The Lexus NX 300h is an eco-friendly drive that doesn’t skimp on gadgets October 13, 2014 Pulling away in a car on a wave of silence still doesn’t make sense in my brain. I’ve driven plenty of electric and hybrid cars, but every time I gently move off from a standstill on a peacefully eerie surge of current-fed calm, it still gets me. I’m experiencing this soothing yet unsettling [...]
Ryanair share price rises as it hikes profit forecast and lands 200 new planes November 3, 2014 Shares in budget airline Ryanair opened nearly two per cent higher after it posted pre-tax profits of €907m (£709m) for the half-year ended 30 September, a substantial rise on the €685m (£535.5m) the company enjoyed last year. Passenger numbers in the first half rose four per cent to 51.3m and revenue climbed nine per cent. [...]
11 times The Sun’s Page Three girls showed how deeply they cared about the UK economy January 20, 2015 The end of an era, or good riddance? However you feel about Page Three, there's no arguing with the fact it's a British institution. But today came the news that after 45 years, The Sun has apparently decided to put an end to its traditional topless model slot. The news was revealed by sister title The [...]
The A-Z of the 2015 General Election night: What time do polling stations open, how to find your nearest one, and when results come out May 7, 2015 If you're wondering what time the polling stations open, to how you can you find out which one they need to go to, to how long you'll have to stay up if you want to watch the results as they come out. From absentee ballots to voters who choose "zero", here's our quick A-Z guide of [...]
Jeremy Clarkson’s H982 FKL Falklands car plate fiasco: How likely is it the registration number was an accident? October 4, 2014 Jeremy Clarkson is in the news for the wrong reasons; driven from Argentina by crowds of angry war veterans for an offensive number plate, which read: H982 FKL. 1982, as you will recall, is the year of the (FKL) Falklands conflict. He has previous too: allegedly recited racist nursery rhymes (which he has denied) and [...]
Which banks failed the European stress tests? Italy came out worst, followed by Greece and Cyprus October 27, 2014 25 banks failed the EU-wide stress tests carried out by the European Central Bank (ECB), according to results released this morning. The aim of the tests was to assess the resilience of EU banks to adverse economic developments and determine whether they could withstand another financial crisis. Based on banks' financial health at [...]
Ryanair share price climbs as it raises its traffic forecast September 25, 2014 It's the Ryanair Annual General Meeting (AGM) today, so expect plenty of outspoken soundbites from chief executive Michael O'Leary. Until then, investors will have to make do with a statement issued by the airline this morning, saying it expects "slightly stronger traffic growth in the winter schedule" – 87 million passengers by the end [...]
The good, the bad and the ugly: What the analysts say about Tesco October 23, 2014 It’s another dark day for Tesco. The supermarket's estimated £250m profit black hole was even larger than expected at £263m, £70m of which came prior to the period it initially identified as problematic. Profits collapsed 91.9 per cent as it took the hit of the accounting error, it completely ditched its forecasts, cash flow was [...]