E-book readers, 3D TVs and tablet PCs compete to be top dog of 2010 January 10, 2010 HYPE and prototypes dominated the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week. From the Ford car that lets you send Twitter messages while driving, to the scuba diving mask that can shoot high definition video at depths of 130 feet, the vast majority of products on display will not hit the mainstream. The [...]
Spending down for Xmas November 29, 2009 SPENDING was down over the Black Friday weekend in the US, data out yesterday showed, although more people turned out to peruse the shops than last year. In the post-Thanksgiving period, which traditionally kicks off the holiday shopping rush, average spending was down 7.9 per cent a person as shoppers reined in their spending and [...]
A brilliant debut novel that tells of tragedy in the City rings all too true February 24, 2010 THIS BLEEDING CITY BY ALEX PRESTON Faber, £12.99 You’d have thought the time had passed for another book about the City and its pre-crunch pulse of money, aspiration and the personal damnation all that can lead to. Certainly, there have been countless stories about “what really went on” – the strip clubs, the arrogance, the [...]
Vodafone to close final salary scheme November 25, 2009 VODAFONE is set to shut its £755m final salary pension scheme to 4,000 staff, in a fresh round of cost-cutting by chief executive Vittorio Colao. Colao is aiming to offset plummeting revenue at the mobile phone operator. The firm is following the lead of Barclays, Whitbread and Fujitsu, who are also blocking current workers from [...]
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 [...]