Apple Mania January 25, 2010 SHOPPERS snapped up Apple’s iconic Mac computers, iPhones and iPods in the run-up to Christmas, helping the US consumer electronics giant to notch up forecast-busting profits ahead of tomorrow’s long-awaited launch of its tablet device. Sales of the company’s Mac computers hit a record in the first quarter, rising 33 per cent on a year [...]
BILL OF THE WEEK December 13, 2009 IT SEEMS there’s a new trick on the canny corporate’s radar – the Christmas client breakfast, which is easy to book, cheap as chips (well, in comparison to an evening blowout, anyway) and doesn’t leave you with a sore head for the next three days. Take this group, for example, who turned up to swanky [...]
Waitrose and Sainsbury’s boost their brands January 12, 2010 RETAILERS have had a bumper Christmas according to the British?Retail?Consortium, but here is my review of 2009 as far as supermarkets are concerned. Graph 1 shows the share of total attention that each of the six received on BrandIndex. Over the course of 2009, Aldi and Asda dropped, Tesco and Morrison’s stayed steady, and Waitrose [...]
London’s best sales growth for 3 years December 13, 2009 LONDON enjoyed its best sales growth since October 2006, with central London retail sales for November 13.3 per cent higher on a like-for-like basis than a year ago, according to the latest survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) out today. “These are great figures,” said Stephen Robertson, BRC’s director general. “These figures show that [...]
Looking out for Santa November 23, 2009 BY all accounts UK households are digging in for a frugal Christmas this year. Surveys from research groups like retail specialist Verdict predict that, with the threat of rising mortgage rates and tax increases in 2010, shoppers won’t be feeling too jolly this festive season, and spending will drop year-on-year for the first time on [...]
Q&A: SALES November 12, 2009 Russell HuntDIRECTOR OF PROPERTY HUNT Q.Dear Russell, There’s not a lot on the market and I keep losing out. With Christmas coming up, I’m really tempted to put my search on hold until January. A.People are always asking about how best to succeed when there’s a lack of stock on the market and I would [...]
Retail is a sell as customers desert the UK’s high streets January 10, 2010 THE BRITS lived up to their reputation as a nation of spenders and splashed their cash with abandon over the festive period. Major retailers swept up and some, like fashion chain Ted Baker, saw sales rise 20 per cent in the latter part of 2009. John Lewis, Next, Marks & Spencer and J Sainsbury also [...]
Ferguson dodges FA rap as Mancini talks up City appeal January 4, 2010 MANCHESTER United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has received a timely boost after being told he will not face more punishment from the Football Association for his latest verbal attack on officialdom. Ferguson, who must pick up his team following their FA Cup exit to Leeds in time for tomorrow’s Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City, [...]
Ferguson dodges FA rap as Mancini talks up City appeal January 4, 2010 MANCHESTER United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has received a timely boost after being told he will not face more punishment from the Football Association for his latest verbal attack on officialdom. Ferguson, who must pick up his team following their FA Cup exit to Leeds in time for tomorrow’s Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City, [...]
Cheltenham Festival Trading Strategy January 7, 2010 I got food poisoning over Christmas because my mother got her timings muddled up when it came to cooking the stuffing. Funnily enough, I got my timings muddled up a few days later by not locking in a profit on Double Dizzy as it jumped the last at Cheltenham with a clear lead and then [...]