As London Fashion Week AW16 nears, designers must pay attention to the increasing problem of copycat rip-offs February 18, 2016 As London Fashion Week gets underway, it's another reminder that designers must be vigilant to ensure their coveted designs aren’t copied by high-street retailers. Today’s copyists are quicker and better than ever before. The minute a model sets foot on the catwalk, a copycat design is already being sketched and, within a matter of weeks, or sometimes days, the [...]
Millennials, houses, retirement and expectations: Why 20-somethings shouldn’t dismiss the idea of saving £800 a month if they want a nice lifestyle in retirement February 18, 2016 It’s quite interesting reading some of the articles around at the moment regarding problems for the younger generations today. It seems as though priorities and squeezed disposable income are something new, when in reality most generations have faced financial difficulties through their lifetime. There are always exceptions to the rule, so I apologise in advance for generalising. The older [...]
Asda sales fall again after Walmart-owned supermarket suffers one of its toughest years yet February 18, 2016 Asda has reported its sixth consecutive quarter of decline, after what the supermarket chain described as one its the toughest years yet. Like-for-like sales slumped by 5.8 per cent in the 13 weeks to 1 January, its fourth financial quarter, taking full-year sales down by 4.7 per cent. This was an acceleration on the third [...]
London house prices: As with Crossrail, all major transport projects must now define themselves within the property debate February 18, 2016 Last week at the London Assembly’s Transport Committee hearing, Lord Adonis provided evidence on how he will assess the case for Crossrail 2. As chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, his views will be pivotal in deciding the fate of the embryonic scheme. Of particular interest was what Adonis said about the difference between Crossrail 1 [...]
Is the UK heading for a recession? It’s too early to call – but this is how investors can potentially avoid missteps February 18, 2016 The troubled performance of credit and equity markets in the last six months suggests the chance of an imminent UK recession has risen. We’re not calling it yet but it pays to know what happened in the last financial crisis to avoid missteps. We studied the FTSE 350 earnings-per-share and stock price trends seen during [...]
You are what you eat: How our eating habits have changed since the 1970s (and what to expect by 2050) February 18, 2016 If we are what we eat, the UK has changed from being a nation of canned mik puddings and canned peas to one of frozen pizzas and pasta. A major new study of 150,000 households in the UK has found just how much our eating habits have changed since the 1970s – and it's fair [...]
Oxford Street, Blackwall Tunnel, Southwark and Holborn teams win Transport for London funding to build streets for the future February 18, 2016 London's streets might not be paved with gold but they are about to become home to something arguably more interesting. Four schemes have been awarded funding by Transport for London, including an "intelligent" energy-generating side-street in the West End and a "noise-absorbing barrier" near the Blackwall Tunnel. The four grants have been awarded as part of its future [...]
Centrica’s share price rises as losses narrow, while British Gas profits soar 31 per cent February 18, 2016 British Gas parent Centrica's share price rose this morning as the firm revealed it had narrowed its losses for the full year and gave a confident update on its plan to circumvent falling oil prices. The figures Revenues at the UK energy giant dropped five per cent to £28bn, while adjusted operating profit slumped 12 per [...]
Nestle’s share price falls as it warns of “even softer pricing” ahead while profits slip on currency headwinds, Maggi noodles scare and L’Oreal disposal February 18, 2016 Nestlé's share price fell this morning after revealing profits slipped last year as currency headwinds, the L'Oreal disposal and the Maggi noodles scandal hurt its bottom line. The food and drinks business has warned 2016 will bring more challenges on pricing. The figures Total sales were up 4.2 per cent to CHF 88.8bn, at the lower end of Nestle's guidance, with a foreign [...]
Company voluntary arrangements and pre-packs harm landlords, suppliers and staff: Something has to change February 17, 2016 With Brantano being put into administration by Alteri and then bought back shortly after (minus key outstanding debts) by – you guessed it – Alteri, it is clear that legislation is required to avoid further misuse of a financial instrument that was originally intended to help retailers through a difficult time – not a mechanism for [...]
