Mothercare to focus on larger stores November 18, 2009 MOTHERCARE, the pregnancy and early childhood retailer, will increase the number of its large-format stores as it prepares to close up to 90 smaller high street locations. Chief executive Ben Gordon said the company’s out-of-town parenting centres, which combine the Mothercare and Early Learning Centre brands under one roof, account for 40 per cent of [...]
Election timing is all as the economy wobbles January 17, 2010 It’s not supposed to be easy being Prime Minister, but even this one must wonder what he did in a former life to incur such wrath. Within a few days of launching election mode yet another miserable attempt at a coup had been made and failed, damaging the Government’s chances of re-election still further. Post [...]
OUT OF OFFICE November 17, 2009 FAHRENHEIT TWINS AT THE BARBICANThere’s seasonal fun of a very cold kind at the Barbican, taking you into the world of two siblings who live with their scientist parents on a remote Arctic exploration station. This adaptation of Michel Faber’s novel is devised and performed by two person stage company Told By An Idiot (Hayley [...]
Wounded Castres are here on a Euro revenge mission December 17, 2009 KICKING INTO TOUCH WITH BRENDAN VENTER THE good news was our performance and result at Castres last weekend has left us on the verge of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup. The bad news is we have to do it all again tomorrow night. Toulon’s 70-point mauling of Rovigo means we will probably [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS December 6, 2009 WM MORRISONGalvan Research says that plenty of time has now elapsed at Wm Morrison to allow the shares to absorb any doubts over a possible like-for-like sales slowdown, and the surprise departure of Marc Bolland. It says the stock is holding up well within striking distance of year highs, and there is every likelihood the [...]
CAN DE BEERS REFINANCE WITHOUT HELP FROM ANGLO AMERICAN? November 30, 2009 CHARLES KERNOT EVOLUTION“Investing in De Beers would be a positive move for Anglo – there’s little opportunity to increase supply in diamonds and we are looking at a shortfall in supply over demand into 2010. As De Beers is in talks to restructure its debt, it could be that the banks want to see some [...]
GREEN GEARS UP FOR XMAS November 11, 2009 BILLIONAIRE Sir Philip Green yesterday helped to launch a shopping initiative in London’s West End, ahead of the key Christmas trading period. The Top Shop-to-Bhs entrepreneur was promoting a traffic free day on 5 December to help lure shoppers to Oxford Street and Regent Street. Last year the event generated £150m of sales for West [...]
Borders in talks to sell off more stores November 22, 2009 BORDERS, the ailing bookseller, was showing further signs of floundering yesterday, as it entered into rescue talks and looked to sell off further stores. As the threat of failure looms, the private equity-backed retailer is understood to be in talks with record store HMV and stationers WH Smith to buy up its stores. Borders wants [...]
Airline search schemes boosting security firms January 4, 2010 IT is probably fair to say that 2009 was a bad year for the airline industry. Afflicted by strikes, falling passenger numbers and fluctuating fuel prices, the year was topped off with a security alert onboard a Detroit bound Delta Airlines flight on Christmas Day. In the aftermath of another terrorist attempt, European and American [...]
London must not be sacrificed in age of austerity January 3, 2010 As was recently reported, I am taking a hands-on approach to the Mayoralty – from basting the family Christmas Turkey down in the kitchens of Mansion House to defending the City’s interests against Nicholas Sarkozy’s plans for European domination, I am not afraid to get my hands dirty! That is why, if I were to [...]