Theresa May forced to back down in row over Brexit legal advice November 13, 2018 Theresa May has been forced to publish the legal advice she receives on her Brexit deal after Labour, the DUP and eurosceptic Tories backed her into a corner. The government backed down in a row over whether the advice from the attorney general – which traditionally remains private – should be given to MPs before [...]
Red Bull caught by the horns in trademark row November 13, 2018 Fans of Red Bull may insist it reigns supreme, but the beverage-maker and sports-backer faces several challengers in the energy drinks market. One such challenger-brand is called Big Horn. In a blow to Red Bull, on Monday the High Court sided with Big Horn over a trademark dispute. Red Bull claims Big Horn has infringed [...]
John Lewis risks looking old hat as Iceland nails ad virality November 13, 2018 John Lewis’s Christmas adverts always provoke a huge reaction – generating the sort of headlines and cut-through that are the envy of marketers and company bosses everywhere. However, as we await this year’s effort, it is worth looking back to last year’s ‘Moz the Monster’ campaign. YouGov BrandIndex data from Christmas 2017 showed that while [...]
The six big ideas that could fix auditing November 13, 2018 With nearly all the major expected responses to the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) probe into the audit sector released or leaked, consensus on how to fix the scandal-hit sector is scattered – and there’s no silver bullet. Here are six suggestions the CMA has been sent by auditors, industry bodies, stakeholder groups and academics [...]
Fifty-year-old wedding dress chain Berketex Bride crashes into administration November 13, 2018 Wedding dress chain Berketex Bride announced today it had ceased trading and gone into administration. The chain, which had been trading for more than 50 years, said all of its stores had closed and will not re-open. Berketex had 11 branches in the UK, including one in the West End and one in Croydon, and [...]
Profits crash again as ‘frail’ McCarthy & Stone outlines plan to cut costs November 13, 2018 Profits collapsed at retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone today as it posted its full year results. Profit before tax fell 37 per cent year on year to £58.1m, down from £92.1m in 2017, as the housebuilder blamed a rise in building costs, rising operating costs, as well as extra marketing to promote its latest homes. [...]
Melrose waits for GKN takeover to bear fruit as automotive revenues stay flat November 13, 2018 Turnaround investor Melrose said today that it is trading in line with board expectations after buying engineering firm GKN in an £8.1bn hostile takeover earlier this year. The FTSE 100 firm, which specialises in buying and improving underperforming businesses, told investors that GKN offers "an outstanding opportunity for value creation over the medium term". Melrose reported "strong" revenue growth in its [...]
Theresa May to present Brexit deal to emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday November 13, 2018 Theresa May has rolled the dice on a epic Brexit gamble as she presented a draft deal to key members of her cabinet. The Prime Minister invited leading ministers into Downing Street for one-to-one briefings on an agreement struck by negotiators in Brussels. The full cabinet will meet at 2pm on Wednesday to sign off the deal, [...]
Erdogan: Audio recording of Khashoggi murder is ‘appalling’ November 13, 2018 Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today recordings of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder are "appalling" and shocked the Saudi intelligence officer who listened to them. Erdogan's comments came after he spent the weekend in Paris for Remembrance Day commemorations He discussed the murder of Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate with the US, French and German leaders over [...]
Flipkart chief executive Binny Bansal resigns after misconduct investigation November 13, 2018 The chief executive of Indian online store Flipkart resigned today following an investigation into an allegation of “serious” personal misconduct. Binny Bansal, who co-founded the online retailer in 2007, denies the allegation, but has stepped down as the company said the claim risked becoming a distraction. Bansal’s departure comes after Flipkart carried out an independent [...]