BHS to target younger customers as it makes a comeback in the UK September 26, 2016 You may have thought BHS had shut up shop for good but now a Qatari group wants to rebuild its fortunes in the UK by targeting younger customers. The British brand – but not its shops – was acquired by The Al Mana Group back in June, along with BHS.com and BHS' international business. Since [...]
John Lewis Christmas advert 2015: Everything you need to know about Man on the Moon, including when it will air online and on TV, who sings the cover song and what it’s all about November 6, 2015 Good news, Christmas fans – the wait is nearly over. No, not for the big day itself, but for the official start of the season that comes with the launch of John Lewis' Christmas ad. The embargo for the video lifts at 8am today, but before that the department store is allowing a drip feed [...]
Christmas adverts 2015: It’s not just about John Lewis – here are all the other adverts including Marks & Spencer, Burberry, Waitrose, TK Maxx, Curry’s PC World, Argos – but nothing from Tesco yet November 6, 2015 Yes, yes, we know, there's a mournful man on the moon and a girl with a telescope and the whole of the UK is crying. But Christmas is not just about the John Lewis advert. There are some other retailers with festive ads of their own to share. Here's the best Christmas adverts the UK [...]
Is Britain a BBQ nation? Laura Ivill thinks so and she’s spent the last few days of summer learning some grill skills September 1, 2016 Brits love to BBQ. I count the quality of the summer by how many BBQs I’ve had. A couple of years ago I had a New Zealand friend staying. So in tune with the BBQ lifestyle are the Kiwis that his family would have a cook-up on Christmas Day. On balmy evenings we would fire [...]
John Lewis smells like teen spirit June 14, 2015 THREE business-savvy teenagers are in the running to win £100,000 of venture capital funding for their company, as part of John Lewis’ business accelerator programme JLab. Alex Waterhouse, 17, George Streten, 15, and James Anderson, 17, are the brains behind Space Lounges, one of five companies shortlisted to win the prize money. John Lewis works [...]
A shortage of land could kill off London’s e-commerce revolution September 13, 2016 Recent reports that Amazon is set to test drone deliveries in partnership with the UK government is just the latest salvo in the fiercely contested battle between the e-commerce giants that are transforming the way we shop. The move also demonstrates the challenges of a constantly evolving logistics sector. City A.M. readers are at the [...]
These are Britain’s best companies for customer service: First Direct, Amazon and John Lewis July 15, 2015 Anyone who detests being taken for granted by a company will be pleased to know there's a list of firms offering shoppers the best customer service experience. Online bank First Direct scored 87 for the overall level of customer satisfaction, helping it overtake better-known brands such as Amazon and John Lewis in a ranking compiled [...]
Pizza chain Zizzi to cut staff perks in wake of the National Living Wage April 25, 2016 Zizzi's staff have had their perks cut as the National Living Wage puts a strain on the business. The private-equity owned restaurant chain has become the latest business to respond to changes in the minimum wage. Waiting staff have had their free meal choices limited while a cap has been imposed on how much they can earn from [...]
City Moves for 12 July 2016 | Who’s switching jobs July 12, 2016 UBS UBS has appointed Chris Gibson-Smith vice chairman of corporate client solutions, EMEA.Chris brings to UBS more than 40 years' experience across a wide range of sectors including oil, aviation and banking. He has nearly 30 years’ cumulative FTSE 100 main board experience, 20 of which in the role of chairman. Most notably, Chris [...]
A senior Tory is leading a cross-party fightback to protect House of Commons speaker John Bercow February 16, 2017 A cross-party group of MPs is riding to the rescue of House of Commons speaker John Bercow, with Tory defence committee chair Julian Lewis at the forefront. Bercow has been facing repeated questions over his impartiality relating to Brexit this week, with some MPs also angered by his public vow to fight against Donald Trump making an [...]