Sales down but market share up as New Look turnaround continues February 10, 2015 New Look has suffered declines in the “unseasonably warm” three months to December 27- but the fast fashion chain is still buoyant after growing market share. The figures New Look's revenues dropped 1.6 per cent in the third quarter, from £406.6m to £399.9m. Adjusted EBITDA was £76.8m, down 2.7 per cent from £78.9m last [...]
Here’s a glimpse into the future of the Internet of Things: A day in the life of the connected city February 9, 2015 Meet Jeremy. He lives in London and as part of a new fitness drive, plays squash two mornings a week. The game ends triumphantly and he checks his smart watch to compare his performance to others and to track how many calories he burned – the device even has a personalised solutions service, advising [...]
Goodbye Jammersmith, hello to Wombling free? Mayor Boris Johnson outlines radical plans to solve capital’s congestion headaches February 9, 2015 London mayor Boris Johnson has unveiled plans to reduce congestion and open up more land for housing developments and public space across some of London's busiest hubs. Five of the capital's biggest traffic pinchpoints – including the A4 in Hammersmith – are going under the knife as part of the plans, which will see [...]
“Magic Circle” firm looks north as London rents soar February 9, 2015 We all know that London rents can be eye-wateringly expensive. Just last week we revealed that rents in the capital have risen six times faster than other parts of the UK and of course we all remember the MP Mark Simmonds who had to quit because his six-figure package wasn't enough to keep up with [...]
Crossrail to excavate 3,000 16th century skeletons including plague victims and former Lord Mayor February 9, 2015 A reputed rapist and black magic advocate who was murdered by an angry mob. Victims of the plague. A former Lord Mayor of London. These are just a handful of the people buried under Liverpool Street, whose remains are being unearthed as part of the Crossrail project. More than 5,000 people buried in what was [...]
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct faces legal challenge over claims sacked USC staff were given 15 minute warning February 9, 2015 Former USC staff who were made redundant when the fast fashion business was put into administration are taking legal action, claiming they received just 15 minutes' consultation over the job losses. The chain, which is owned by Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, was put into administration last month and bought out just a few days later [...]
From Greece to Scotland via BT and EE: What got us talking this week February 6, 2015 It was all Greek to us this week Specifically, Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who visited London as part of a Europe-wide charm offensive to support his plan for solving the small matter of the country's giant debt. Free market think tank Adam Smith Institute gave its backing to his debt restructuring [...]
Is Apple just milking the cow? I have an awful feeling it might be… February 6, 2015 $18 billion of profit in one quarter. More than three times the quarterly profit of Microsoft and Google and according to the World Bank, on a par with the annual GDP of Yemen. What is it that keeps Apple at the top? Why do we all rush down to the Apple store to bag the [...]
Tender process opened to develop Transport for London’s properties February 6, 2015 Property developers are being invited to tender bids for partnerships on more than 50 sites across London as part of Transport for London's plans to turn property tycoon. The transport body revealed last month it was planning to develop 10m sq ft of the 200m sq ft land it owns across the capital as part [...]
GCHQ “contravened” European Convention of Human Rights over mass surveillance February 6, 2015 Mass surveillance of private communication between members of the British public by GCHQ conducted in the past went against European law, a tribunal has ruled. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) said today the British intelligence and security organisation had “contravened” part of the European Convention of Human Rights in relation to the US surveillance [...]