John Lewis reports mega sales week December 9, 2012 JOHN LEWIS said sales in the week to 8 December rose to a best-ever total of £142m, up 15 per cent on the same week last year. Its website delivered record-beating sales of £42m, with shoppers spending £7.3m on Mega Monday – up 40 per cent on last year. The group also said it is [...]
Hacktivism is rising threat to firms’ security December 9, 2012 CYBER attacks from activists have become an increasing threat to security at UK companies, with an overwhelming number considering politically or socially motivated hacking a threat, research released today shows. A report from financial services firm Deloitte claims that more than 70 per cent of firms in the technology, media and telecoms (TMT) sectors see [...]
ENRC buys out Dan Gertler from Congo copper and cobalt mines December 9, 2012 MINING group ENRC has tightened its control over copper operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo with a $550m (£343m) cash deal that ends its links to controversial Israeli businessman Dan Gertler. ENRC – one of several foreign-owned, London-listed miners to come under fire over governance and transparency – has been pushing to streamline its [...]
Palamon snaps up retail site December 9, 2012 ROBERT Bensoussan, the chairman of LK Bennett and former boss of Jimmy Choo, has joined forces with Palamon Capital Partners to buy a majority stake in Feelunique.com, the online beauty retailer. Bensoussan’s retail and luxury goods buyout vehicle Sirius Equity and Palamon yesterday said they have agreed to purchase a controlling stake from Feelunique’s founders [...]
Chinese firm to list in the UK December 9, 2012 CAMKIDS Group, a Chinese outdoor clothing retailer for kids, is set to list on London’s Alternative Investment Market with a market value of around £65m. The Jinjinag-based group, which makes everything from waterproof trousers to backpacks and hiking boots, announced today it has raised around £6m to invest in its expansion in its home market [...]
Manganese Bronze reinstates sacked workers as bids close December 9, 2012 BLACK cab maker Manganese Bronze, which collapsed into administration last month, has re-hired the 12 staff laid off at the end of October, raising hopes production of the vehicle will remain in the UK if a buyer is found. Bids for the holding company’s stricken subsidiary The London Taxi Company, which makes the cabs in [...]
London cabs to get free Wi-Fi December 9, 2012 FREE Wi-Fi will be arriving in London’s taxis in the coming months after a local startup gained the all-clear from Transport for London to hand out its technology to the capital’s cabbies. Entrepreneur Richard Corbett’s Eyetease will offer 15 minutes of free internet access following a short advertising video. Corbett said over 500 taxi drivers [...]
London firms say output is growing again December 9, 2012 LONDON firms boosted their activity and output in November, after a gloomy October. London’s composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose from 49.1 in October to 51.9 in November, Lloyds said this morning, through the crucial 50 level that indicates no change, and from decline to expansion. This London return to growth came with a less [...]
Factory boom adds to hope for return of rapid growth in China December 9, 2012 CHINA hit an eight-month high for manufacturing output last month, giving extra hope the economy is on its way back to double digit growth. Factories produced 10.1 per cent more output in November than a year earlier, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the best yearly growth since March. The good news [...]
Think tank calls for extra years of work to beat costs of ageing December 9, 2012 THE GOVERNMENT must consider linking the age of state pension eligibility with life expectancy, a think tank said this morning. Measures potentially including raising the age of pension eligibility in line with life expectancy may be needed to tackle the rising cost of the UK’s ageing society, the International Longevity Centre’s UK branch (ILC-UK) said. [...]
