Dish of the Day: The Noodle House’s Pad Thai August 21, 2014 The Noodle House opened on Shaftebusry Avenue in April. Ambitious head chef Dariusz Dziadkiewicz aims to give customers a taster of the diverse food of South East Asia, from curries, to noodles to spicy broths. The restaurant serves seven different types of noodle and 17 blends of herbal tea. I joined The Noodle House [...]
Newly rebranded Connect Group extends £215m magazine deal April 22, 2014 CONNECT Group, the London-listed newspaper and magazine wholesaler that is today rebranding from Smiths News, has secured an agreement with Frontline and Seymour worth £215m a year until 2020. Frontline distributes titles from H Bauer, Immediate Media and Haymarket, while Seymour’s titles come from a number of publishers including Future Publishing and Dennis Publishing. The [...]
Asos shares are crashing on chief’s warning March 18, 2014 Asos has reported retail sales up 26 per cent year-on-year in the first two months of 2014 and is, it says, confident of hitting sales of £1bn for 2013/14. But shares have crashed over 20 per cent this morning, following chief executive Nick Robertson’s warning that the company's earnings margin will shrink this year to [...]
H&M eyes further expansion as earnings drop on higher costs January 30, 2013 H&M, the Swedish fashion giant, said it plans to press ahead with ambitious expansion plans this year as it reported an unexpected drop in fourth quarter earnings yesterday. The world’s second largest retailer said it will open 325 stores this year, with most planned in China and the US, up from 304 last year. It [...]
H&M sales drop less than expected January 15, 2013 H&M, the world’s second-biggest fashion retailer, yesterday posted a smaller-than-expected two per cent drop in December sales at stores open a year or more. Total sales in December, the first month of the Swedish budget apparel firm’s fiscal year, were up eight per cent from a year earlier in local currencies, beating a forecast for [...]
H&T spots golden opportunity to polish up poor set of results February 27, 2014 SHOPPERS on the hunt for jewellery and watches are set to be targeted by struggling pawnbroker H&T in a bid to boost its profits. The company said a plunge in the gold price meant there was a growing opportunity to sell trinkets more cheaply to punters. It came as the company reported a 61 per [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 29 November 2013 November 28, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Apollo in Aviva’s UK property deal Apollo Global Management is closing in on the purchase of a £400m block of distressed UK property holdings put up for sale by Aviva, the FTSE 100 insurer, said people familiar with the matter. The private equity house has emerged as the preferred bidder for the assets. [...]
Apple Watch and iPhone 6 launch: Share price, spec, features, UK release date and what the analysts say September 9, 2014 Apple has launched two new iPhones, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch smartwatch at a much-hyped launch event in California. Chief executive Tim Cook introduced the iPhones in a short speech calling them Apple's best ever iPhones. The iPhone 6 is 4.7 inches and the iPhone 6 Plus is 5.5 inches [...]
Ladbrokes to close 50 shops as profits dive February 25, 2014 Bookmaker Ladbrokes has reported a collapse in profit before tax of 66 per cent to £67m for the year ended 31 December. The company has been hit hard by tax changes to gaming machines and the rising cost of horse racing picture rights. Richard Glynn, chief executive, commented: While our financial results for 2013 were disappointing, [...]
Engineering merger off as Amec gives up Kentz chase September 12, 2013 After a bid on 19 August, engineer Amec has given up on a purchase of smaller peer Kentz, concluding that "it does not intend to make an offer" (release). Amec's first proposal valued Kentz at £660m, an offer that shareholders found unappealing. Kentz have also commented on the withdrawal of Amec's offer (release): As previously [...]