Has the PR industry missed the search marketing boat? February 8, 2017 Do you know how the Google search engine ranks websites? When you enter a search term, its “bots” scan billions of web pages and, in milliseconds, follow 200 or so “signals” to decide what to present to you in a SERP (Search Engine Results Page), that list of sites that you see. Google’s chief concern [...]
Dipped into your overdraft recently? You might have been better off with a payday loan February 8, 2017 Bad news for anybody who has gone into their overdraft recently – you might have been better off with a payday loan. Research published today by consumer group Which? found charges from the big high street lenders could cost as much as 180 per cent of the amount borrowed. Customers needing as little as £100 could find [...]
The euro dips against the dollar and the pound as investors refocus on Marine Le Pen and Greece February 8, 2017 The euro fell against the pound and the dollar in morning trading as political fears come increasingly into focus. The euro fell as low as $1.0641 against the US dollar, its lowest point since the end of January. Meanwhile the pound rose against the euro to highs of €1.1751. Recent turmoil in the right wing [...]
Asda is turning friend against friend with this saucy ketchup poll February 8, 2017 Remember that time #thedress caused rifts in families, turned friends against each other and generally broke the internet? Now Asda has done it again, causing a condiment conundrum by asking one simple question: do you keep your ketchup in the fridge? Yesterday the supermarket said one of its stores had begun experimenting with storing ketchup in both [...]
British Gas is planning to hit millions of customers with increased energy prices February 8, 2017 British Gas is to roll out an increase to energy prices that could add nearly £100 a year to millions of its customers' annual bills, according to reports. The energy giant will raise bills for 11m customers by as much as nine per cent, the London Evening Standard originally reported. The hike could come as soon [...]
Maersk shares sink as profits take a hit from impairment charges February 8, 2017 Shares in Maersk sank in morning trading after the company reported a huge loss in 2016 due to impairment charges caused by oversupply and low demand. The figures AP Moller-Maersk fell to the bottom of the Stoxx 600 index this morning after reporting an annual loss of $1.9bn (£1.5bn) compared with a profit of $925m the previous year. The Danish shipping [...]
Delays on London overground due to train incident at Dalston Kingsland February 8, 2017 There are severe delays on the London Overground network due to a fire alert at Dalston earlier this morning which left a number of people injured, with four taken to hospital. A workman’s drill which had overheated started smoking. Firefighters extinguished the battery and placed it in a bucket of sand. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said [...]
L’Oréal explores sale of The Body Shop February 8, 2017 French cosmetics group L'Oréal is considering selling The Body Shop for €1bn (£851m), according to reports. L'Oréal acquired The Body Shop 11 years ago for £652.3m, but is now working with bankers at Lazard to sell the struggling skincare range, according to the Financial Times. It is thought Lazard and L'Oréal are exploring various options for the future of [...]
Tailbacks as far as Fenchurch Street as Bishopsgate is closed after collision February 8, 2017 Tailbacks spread as far as Fenchurch Street this morning, after the northbound lane on Bishopsgate was closed following a collision between a van and a motorcycle. City of London police tweeted that the motorcyclist had been taken to hospital in a "serious condition" after the collision. #Bishopsgate is closed northbound due to a collision between [...]
RSA inks deal to dispose of £834m of UK legacy insurance liabilities February 8, 2017 RSA announced this morning it has signed contracts to dispose of £834m of UK legacy insurance liabilities to Enstar Group. The FTSE 100-listed insurer said the transaction "initially takes the form of a reinsurance agreement", effective from 31 December 2016. The group also said the deal was a boon to its capital position and added [...]