The Restaurant Group to report dip in sales as it prepares for another tough quarter January 25, 2017 The Restaurant Group expects to report a dip in sales for the 53 weeks to 1 January, and said the company is gearing up to make significant changes. The figures Total turnover was up 3.7 per cent on the previous year, hitting £710.7m, but like-for-like sales dropped 3.9 per cent. In the fourth quarter, like-for-like sales [...]
Surge in spoof humour book sales boosts WH Smith on the high street – but travel’s still the stationer’s lifeblood January 25, 2017 Well, it couldn't rely on adult colouring books forever, could it? The fad around adult colouring books might be slowing, but WH Smith has instead seen a surge in sales of spoof humour books, such as Five on Brexit Island and Five Give Up the Booze, spoofing Enid Blyton's The Famous Five. There's also the Ladybirds for Grown-Ups series, [...]
Tube drivers will stage a 24-hour strike on the Central and Waterloo & City lines from 9pm tonight January 25, 2017 Tube drivers on Central Line East will start a 24-hour strike from 9pm tonight, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced. The union said the strike, also affecting the Waterloo & City Line, will finish at 20:59 on Thursday 26 January. RMT said the dispute is over the "forced displacement" of staff. Read more: [...]
Donald Trump plans “big day” for national security including setting the foundations for Mexico border wall January 25, 2017 The President has said a "big day" is planned on national security – and that includes an update on the proposed wall on the border between Mexico and the US. Donald Trump tweeted: "Among many other things, we will build the wall!" Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will [...]
Now is the time for new coalitions in the Brexit debate January 25, 2017 We live in topsy-turvy times. Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping recently emerged as the world’s unlikely flag-bearer for global capitalism, telling dignitaries in Davos: “Pursuing protectionism is just like locking oneself in a dark room: wind and rain might be kept outside but so are light and air.” Xi’s pleasingly poetic and [...]
Thomas Cook’s new advert has sent its brand soaring January 25, 2017 January is traditionally a time for holiday companies to appeal to potential customers, as people return reluctantly to work under grey skies following the Christmas break. Thomas Cook is one company that is aiming to appeal to future holidaymakers dreaming of sunnier climes. It launched its “you want, we do” campaign after Christmas, but there is a [...]
We’re still paying tax on the Olympics – even though the debt has been paid off January 25, 2017 Londoners are still paying tax for hosting the Olympic Games, despite having paid off the debt for the sporting event. According to the Conservatives at City Hall, London mayor Sadiq Khan hasn't removed the Olympic precept from his first budget, and is using it to fund other projects. It was set up before the games [...]
Ranked: the world’s most corrupt countries as Qatar leads the Middle East down January 25, 2017 Perceptions of corruption in Qatar have soared as it prepares to host the football World Cup in 2022, according to an influential index. Corruption perceptions in the Middle East rose more than any other region in the face of instability and crackdowns on freedom, according to non-governmental monitor, Transparency International. The Middle East has seen war [...]
Breaking EU up will take time to do: Brexit will go on for years January 25, 2017 As expected, the Supreme Court has told the Prime Minister that she needs to get the authority of Parliament before moving forward to remove the rights of EU citizenship from the British people in line with the referendum result. She should have done this from day one. Even the most devoted of Theresa May’s fans [...]
The NHS will never have enough cash: Our national religion needs a reformation January 25, 2017 We British like traditions. A well-established one which comes round every year is the “winter crisis” in the NHS. Health provision is a political hot potato not just for this government, or indeed for any particular UK government, but for governments across the developed world. One of the key assumptions made by economists about human behaviour [...]