Cyber Monday to smash online sales records December 2, 2013 ONLINE retailer Amazon has said it expects to receive more than 4m orders today as UK shoppers flock to online stores on so-called Cyber Monday, a rise of around 15 per cent on the same day last year. Amazon also claimed that its new fashion store, which has signed up 50 brands this year, will [...]
Economic growth boosts hopes for tax giveaways December 1, 2013 GEORGE Osborne could have more room for tax cut giveaways as the economy recovers, analysts predicted ahead of Thursday’s Autumn Statement. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is expected to reveal Osborne is ahead of previous forecasts on cutting the deficit, opening the way for him to consider loosening the purse strings. The OBR is [...]
Cutting energy bills a good move – but Osborne must do more December 1, 2013 EVERY little helps. George Osborne’s Autumn Statement on Thursday will contain some positive changes, for which it would be churlish not to congratulate him. In particular, energy bills are set to rise by £50 less than they would otherwise have, thanks to a partial rethink of environmental rules. It is a shame that the green [...]
PM flanked by business heads for China trip December 1, 2013 PRIME Minister David Cameron landed in China late last night, travelling with the largest trade delegation that the UK has ever sent to the country. Hundreds of business grandees are travelling with Cameron, including his own father-in-law, Viscount Astor, who is a director of Silvergate Media. Sir Andrew Witty of GlaxoSmithKline and Ralf Speth, the [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 02 December 2013 December 1, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Mass demonstrations shake Kiev Viktor Yanukovich, Ukraine’s president, was under escalating pressure on Sunday night as hundreds of thousands of protesters poured onto the streets of Kiev demanding the overthrow of his government, after it sought to strengthen relations with Russia at the expense of the EU. With the number of protesters estimated [...]
Sheffield home to Cable’s new business bank December 1, 2013 THE NEW British Business Bank is to be set up in Sheffield, according to a government announcement today, as business secretary Vince Cable pledges another £250m for the project. The increase in funding means that the state-backed bank, which is meant to help small businesses access finance, will begin with £1.25bn. Spokespeople from the Department [...]
Mark Hoban under pressure over meetings with Co-op executives December 1, 2013 CONSERVATIVE MP Mark Hoban is under pressure to reveal how many meetings and phone calls he had with Co-op bosses during the doomed sale of Lloyds bank branches. The Co-operative made a bid for the branches in 2011 in the hope of expanding its presence on the UK high-street, but withdrew its offer citing a [...]
Recruitment spike for City of London as economy recovers December 1, 2013 THE NUMBER of jobs created in the City of London spiked last month, up by over a third from November 2012, according to a report released this morning. Recruitment firm Astbury Marsden reports that there were 38 per cent more new City jobs in November than 12 months earlier, suggesting that two quarters of economic [...]
Lidl boss eyes 600 new stores December 1, 2013 LIDL’s UK managing director has announced plans to double the discount chain’s number of stores over the coming years. On the growth of Lidl’s 600 current stores Ronny Gottschlich said “If I could have the 1,200 in the next three years, then I would have it in the next three years. But it is clear [...]
Maidstone Mums: The new Holy Grail December 1, 2013 RONNY Gottschlich, managing director of Lidl UK, described the discount retailer’s growing number of core shoppers as Maidstone Mums. “The Maidstone Mum is someone who probably previously would have thought, I can’t be seen in a Lidl store. Those Maidstone Mums are no longer afraid of being seen in a Lidl store,” he said. But [...]
