G’day? It’s time to stop speaking up January 13, 2014 EVERYONE knows that your language can hold you back in the workplace, but this usually just means you shouldn’t be swearing like a trooper or excessively using slang, yo. But now it seems your upwards inflections could be going against you as well. The habit of ending a sentence as if it’s a question can [...]
The Japanese taste for British and US classics January 13, 2014 WE LOVE a bit of sushi in the City, sipping sake at the top of the Heron Tower or sampling the latest sashimi in Roka – but it looks like our friends in Japan have reciprocated and developed a taste for all things western, snapping up British and American brands faster than you can say “sayonara [...]
Mobile shoppers boost demand at Shop Direct January 13, 2014 SHOP Direct said sales from smartphone and tablets “exploded” over Christmas, boosting the group’s efforts to shift away from its roots as a traditional catalogue business. The online and catalogue retailer, which owns brands such as Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com and isme.com, said total sales rose five per cent in the six weeks to 27 December compared [...]
Retailer Jaeger is back in fashion as online revamp pushes up sales January 13, 2014 JAEGER said efforts to turn itself around were starting to pay off as the 130-year-old fashion retailer said that sales over Christmas jumped by almost a third. Like-for-like sales rose 23 per cent in the 13 weeks to 28 December thanks to changes to its website, which helped boost online sales by 57 per cent. [...]
Mountain Warehouse scales new heights after bumper Christmas January 13, 2014 MOUNTAIN Warehouse was celebrating yesterday after the bleak Christmas weather prompted Britons to splash out on outdoor clothing. Like-for-like sales were up 10.7 per cent at the outdoor retailer over the six weeks to 5 January, the retailer said yesterday, benefiting from the wet and windy weather around Christmas. Its performance was also boosted by [...]
Fortnum’s feasts on a hamper-full of sales January 13, 2014 FORTNUM & Mason said yesterday that record demand for its famous hampers over Christmas helped drive a 13.4 per cent jump in like-for-like sales in the five weeks to 5 January. The group posted a five-fold rise in profits to £1.8m in the year to July on sales up 10 per cent to £65m.
CNBC Comment: UK fraud squad flounders behind US January 13, 2014 HOLLYWOOD loves a swindler. Leonardo DiCaprio’s role as a dwarf-tossing trader in The Wolf of Wall Street proves as much, and reinforces a modern-day misrepresentation of bankers as the real gangsters of New York. “My name is Jordan Belfort,” says DiCaprio in his opening line. “The year I turned 26, I made $49m, which really [...]
DailyFX: Analyst picks January 13, 2014 CURRENCY STRATEGIST CHRIS VECCHIO My pick: Short sterling-Aussie and sterling-yen Expertise: Fundamental and technical analysis Average time frame of trades: A few hours to a few weeks Near-term technical momentum has quickly shifted for the pound, which has seen yields drop over the past week. Tomorrow’s December UK consumer price index (CPI) report could affect [...]
French ban on free delivery of books slammed January 13, 2014 A FRENCH bill which aims to ban online retailers from offering free delivery on discounted books was criticised as protectionism yesterday, after passing through the Senate. The lower house also approved the legislation in October last year, but will have one more opportunity to vote on the proposal, after the Senate agreed to it last [...]
Chinese holidaymakers lead the charge over Christmas period January 13, 2014 WEALTHY foreign visitors helped keep Britain’s tills ringing over Christmas with spending up a record 40 per cent on the previous year. Chinese tourists led the charge, with spending up 52 per cent to around £741 per transaction in December, according to figures out yesterday by tax-free shopping specialist Global Blue. China accounted for the [...]
