10 Ways to avoid stress August 5, 2008 Relaxing during a busy day need not take up time and money, says Zoe Strimpel There’s a lot of stress out there at the moment, what with holidays being cut short and cancelled, workloads ratcheting up and lunchtimes shrinking even more than normal. You probably need to de-stress, but sometimes popping out a massage or [...]
Water world August 4, 2008 Piedmont is wet, but perfect for the outdoors enthusiast, discovers Katie Hope Every nation has its eccentric national pursuits. The Japanese play pachinko – an addictive cross between pinball and a fruit machine which pays out metal balls; the Dutch eat chips with mayonnaise; the Spanish fight bulls. And in Northern Italy, come the weekend [...]
Next cautious after half year sales fall 6 per cent July 31, 2008 Next, the second largest clothing retailer in the UK, saw sales fall in the first half of the year and said the trend was likely to continue this year. Second quarter sales actually fared better than expected, down 2.4 per cent on the same quarter the previous year, as the warmer summer weather coaxed shoppers [...]
Woolworths profits hit by retail slump July 30, 2008 Sweets-to-DVDs retailer Woolworths issued a profit warning yesterday, blaming a marked downturn in trading conditions, as it scrapped plans to sell out of DVD publisher 2 Entertain, sending its shares to a new low. The 100-year-old group, which last month agreed to part company with chief executive Trevor Bish-Jones, said it planned to rebuild its [...]
Hot Chi Minh July 28, 2008 Foreign investment means tourism is coming to Vietnam’s capital, says Ben Griffiths Intoxicating Ho Chi Minh is the best place to experience the myriad changes taking place in Vietnam, a country on the fast-track to becoming one of the hottest spots in Asia. The downtown area encapsulates all the sights and sounds of Asia juxtaposed [...]
Branson’s boy unveils new look at the polo July 28, 2008 There’s no event quite like the polo to bring the royals, celebs and business bigshots together in droves, is there? After the 24th Cartier International Polo day at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park yesterday, guests flocked to the Chinawhite tent for Rock the Polo, the event’s afterparty, where they were treated to [...]
Profits surge at pizza chain July 22, 2008 Pizza chain Domino’s yesterday reported a 33 per cent rise in first-half profits, as cash-strapped customers save money by getting a takeaway instead of dining in a restaurant. The country’s largest pizza delivery firm said that pre-tax profit for the first half of the year was £10.9m, compared to £8.2m last year while sales at [...]
London bucks retailer gloom July 21, 2008 Central London retailers are defying the economic gloom, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium. Retail sales in June were 8.7 per cent higher than a year ago, although the rate of growth is weaker than in 2007 when an increase of 11 per cent was reported. Footfall was also higher than in June [...]
Ebay posts bumper earnings July 17, 2008 Online auctioneer eBay posted a 22 per cent rise in second-quarter net income to $460m (£230m) beating market forecasts and helped by further auction activity and a boosted sales from its PayPal secure payment unit. Revenue rose 20 per cent to $2.2bn. The company also said it bought back 19 million eBay shares worth $566m [...]
Mutuality stages a comeback as Co-op buys Somerfield for £1.56bn July 17, 2008 Three months ago Co-operative Group chief executive Peter Marks unveiled a bold three-year plan to double the group’s profits. The fortunes of the mutual store group were flagging, with 2007 profits down almost 50 per cent and the group offering little competition to the main supermarket chains. Yesterday, the first phase of Marks’ plan to [...]