Ollie Phillips’ Six Nations predictions: England to bully poor Italy; impressive Ireland won’t be pushovers for France; Scotland too good for Wales February 12, 2021 It’s not as if we didn’t see the problems coming with England before their defeat to Scotland in last week’s Six Nations opener. Physicality is the minimum requirement at international rugby but you need more than that. England had lacked ingenuity. And, sure enough, Scotland totally outfoxed the holders at in every area of the [...]
Apple becomes first US company to reach $2 trillion valuation August 19, 2020 Apple has become Wall Street’s first $2 trillion company, doubling its valuation in just over two years. As shares hit $457.77 in morning trading, the tech giant became the first Wall Street company to achieve the $2 trillion market cap in public markets. It is the second in the world to do so. The day [...]
Oak Furnitureland to cut 160 jobs amid store closures July 27, 2020 Oak Furnitureland is preparing to permanently close 27 showrooms, putting 163 employees at risk of redundancy in the latest blow for the UK retail industry. The furniture retailer, which was bought by investment firm Davidson Kempner Capital Management last month, said adverse trading conditions after the coronavirus lockdown had forced it to close stores. All [...]
Green List: Get Viking fit the Icelandic way on the troll peninsula May 17, 2021 I slip away from breakfast early. Outside, the Icelandic sky is still dark, tiny clustered constellations gleaming like antique diamond brooches. I head downstairs, through the womb-like cavern of the spa and slide open the floor-to-ceiling glass door. The breeze needles my cheeks as I ease down into the warmth of the geothermal pool. Steam [...]
Republican civil war looms as Trump stance splits party November 6, 2020 With Democratic candidate Joe Biden closing in on a 2020 election victory, senior figures in the Republican party are split on whether to back Trump as he pedals baseless claims about election fraud. In the last 24 hours Donald Trump has spread falsehoods about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, having claimed mass election fraud [...]
More retail job losses forecast unless office workers return, industry warns September 4, 2020 More store closures and retail job losses are expected unless office workers return and consumers are encouraged to visit city centres, a retail industry body warned this morning. Despite an uptick in footfall in the final week of the month due to back to school shopping and the final days of the Eat Out to [...]
Boots revenue falls as beauty faces ‘a challenging year’ October 12, 2018 The parent company of Boots has blamed a drop in UK pharmacy funding for its lacklustre final quarterly results, after sales at the health and beauty specialist dropped amid retail's difficult trading environment. Walgreens Boots Alliance said fourth quarter sales in its international retail pharmacy division, which houses Boots UK, fell 1.9 per cent from [...]
Apple overtakes value of entire FTSE 100 September 1, 2020 US tech titan Apple today overtook the entire market capitalisation of the UK’s FTSE 100 companies. The iPhone maker’s market capitalisation topped $2.2 trillion (£1.6 trillion) today, overhauling the combined value of the UK’s blue chip index. Apple’s share price has leaped 75 per cent this year and last month the company became the first [...]
Mike Ashley’s firm should pay its debts to pensioners and taxpayers before it tries to buy Debenhams December 8, 2020 We are living in extraordinary times. At all levels of society people are being asked to make sacrifices — and this includes businesses. This week, news broke that Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group is making a last-minute bid to purchase Debenhams. His company — of Sports Direct fame — has been thriving throughout the crisis, and [...]
Bentley Continental GT Speed review: supercar in a Savile Row suit July 3, 2021 The Bentley Continental GT has been given newfound focus for 2021. We take the GT Speed to Silverstone for a suitably sideways first drive.