Barnes & Noble ends deal with Microsoft December 4, 2014 BOOKS giant Barnes & Noble has struck a deal to buy Microsoft’s stake in Nook Media, ending a two-year partnership and clearing the way for it to spin off its loss-making e-reader and digital content division. The value of the cash and share deal is about $125m.
Mulberry “Win Christmas” campaign drives traffic after disastrous year but chairman Godfrey Davis is unfazed December 4, 2014 The luxury firm faces an uphill battle to win back shoppers but chairman Godfrey Davis is unfazed It has been a disastrous year for Mulberry. However, the luxury goods group puts on a brave face in its light-hearted Christmas campaign, which features a woman in an old country pile receiving more and more elaborate gifts [...]
James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 causes a Spectre-cal at London Film Museum’s new exhibition launch December 4, 2014 There was Bond fever at Covent Garden last night, as Aston Martin helped to launch the Bond in Motion exhibition at the London Film Museum – shortly after the details for the new Bond movie Spectre were announced. News of Daniel Craig’s return as Bond was joined by the big reveal of Aston [...]
The John Lewis Monty effect? Devonshire Square p-p-p-picks up a penguin for one day only December 4, 2014 We're not sure if it’s the John Lewis effect or just a coincidence, but it seems one’s Christmas party isn’t complete these days without a troop of live penguins. This week, it was Devonshire Square, which rolled out the ice carpet for the Antarctic’s best export – hosting a group of the animals in [...]
Estate agents in late-night stamp duty deal rush after Autumn Statement tax band change December 4, 2014 It was the early hours of the morning in Hong Kong when the phone rang. The person whose phone was ringing grew angry over the caller’s persistence at such an hour, but any frustration probably subsided when the individual ended the night £20,000 better off than they would have been otherwise. The deal [...]
Greene King reports lacklustre interims despite record sales December 4, 2014 BRITISH pub operator and brewer Greene King yesterday reported underwhelming interim results for the first of the 2015 financial year, in spite of record sales in the period. The Suffolk-based brewer recorded a 3.5 per cent decline in profit before tax and exceptional items to £82.6m for the first half, primarily on the back of [...]
House price growth slows but could be boosted by tax reform December 4, 2014 THE HOUSE price boom continued to cool in November, data from a UK mortgage provider shows. House prices climbed 8.2 per cent year-on-year in November, down from 8.8 per cent in October, figures released yesterday by Halifax show. Although still high, year-on-year house price growth has fallen for the past four months after peaking at 10.2 [...]
Irn Bru-maker loses its Fizz as sales slow December 4, 2014 AG BARR said yesterday it was confident of hitting full-year targets despite reporting a slowdown in third-quarter sales. The Scottish company behind Irn Bru said like-for-like sales for the 18 weeks to 30 October fell by 0.6 per cent, blaming tough comparisons with the “very strong growth” in the first half. Revenues for the year-to-date have [...]
Christmas charity: Lord Mayor Alan Yarrow calls on City to support disabled children December 4, 2014 This Christmas, City A.M. is presenting five of our favourite charities to provide our readers with some inspiration for festive charitable giving. Lord Mayor Alan Yarrow is still settling into his new role, but he’s already put in place a strong case for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal and the main charities it is [...]
Tui Travel posts soaraway profits in final results before merger December 4, 2014 UK TRAVEL operator Tui Travel yesterday reported a higher profit for its last financial year driven by strong demand in the UK, Germany and Netherlands for its higher margin “unique holidays”. The Thomson and First Choice owner said it had also halved losses from its French tour operating business. In its last set of results [...]