WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 1, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES HIT HAMSTER RANGE LIFTS CHARACTER GROUPToymaker and distributor The Character Group has predicted Christmas shortages of its most popular lines of children’s gifts, including Go Go Pets, based on a range of battery-powered interactive hamsters. John Lewis, the department store chain, has already imposed a limit of one order per customer for the [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS October 19, 2009 ALLENS BUTCHER GOES ONLINETime-poor, meat-loving Londoners will rejoice to know that they can now order their meat online from the famous Mount Street butchers. Alongside a stellar selection of beef, lamb, pork, veal, poultry, game and sauces, you can order seasonal favourites such as the Scottish beef-filled Steak Box and Christmas turkey. A new feature, [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 30, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES CARLYLE SUED OVER COLLAPSED FUNDA prominent Kuwaiti conglomerate is suing the Carlyle Group in a local court, alleging that the US private equity firm misrepresented the safety of its affiliate, Carlyle Capital Corp (CCC), a public debt fund that collapsed in 2008. The firm, National?Industries Group, invested $50m in CCC, which was marketed [...]
LLOYDS PUSHES ON WITH PLAN TO RAISE 21BN October 29, 2009 LLOYDS Banking Group will retain a 25 per cent share of domestic current account customers under restructuring plans agreed with the European authorities to avoid the government’s asset protection scheme (APS). The European Commission and the Treasury last night gave the bank the go-ahead to market a £20.5bn capital raising programme, consisting of a £13bn [...]
What’s in the box? Not very much December 3, 2009 FilmTHE BOXCert: 12A WHAT would you do if a stranger with half a face offered you a box, and explained that if you pressed the button inside it you could win $1m but a stranger would die? Probably send him packing and check what you’d been drinking, but if you were Cameron Diaz and James [...]
BRANSON PLANS SPACE-AGE PARTY AS BUTTON BRINGS HOME THE GOLD October 19, 2009 RICHARD Branson may have revealed that he’s unlikely to stump up the cash to sponsor Formula One team Brawn GP again next year after its spectacular season, but it doesn’t mean the canny entrepreneur is stepping back his involvement now that the team has won the championship. The Virgin tycoon was unable to make it [...]
BRANSON PLANS SPACE-AGE PARTY AS BUTTON BRINGS HOME THE GOLD October 19, 2009 RICHARD Branson may have revealed that he’s unlikely to stump up the cash to sponsor Formula One team Brawn GP again next year after its spectacular season, but it doesn’t mean the canny entrepreneur is stepping back his involvement now that the team has won the championship. The Virgin tycoon was unable to make it [...]
Keep your eyes on the pies December 2, 2009 CHRISTMAS without mince pies would be like a British summer without rain – simply not possible. We love our mince pies – at least before a month of over-eating them makes us a stone heavier and permanently nausceous. But they can vary in quality. At their best, they are a combination of sweet, sour, gooey [...]
Farepak starts to send cheques out, three years after its collapse September 28, 2009 Administrators acting for the collapsed Christmas hamper firm Farepak yesterday said they have started sending out cheques to customers who were left out of pocket by the group’s demise. BDO Stoy Hayward, which is acting as liquidator, said cheques worth a total £240,000 have been sent to 6,000 customers who placed orders in the company’s [...]
Best City spots for a winter warmer November 18, 2009 When there’s a nip in the air, there’s nothing quite like getting your mitts around a nice, hot glass of mulled wine. In these days of online shopping and alternative Queen’s speeches, not a lot remains of the traditional Dickensian Christmas – so when you see a spot of hot wine infused with spices, you [...]