LITTLE CHEF MAKES BIG CLOSURES January 11, 2012 Restaurant chain Little Chef is to close 67 of its outlets in a move expected to cost up to 600 jobs. Its owner RCapital, which rescued the chain in 2007 and hired Heston Blumenthal to revamp its image as part of a Channel 4 show, said the closures were “essential” to allow the firm to [...]
Supergroup posts robust sales growth January 11, 2012 SUPERGROUP, the company behind Superdry fashion label, has reported robust trading during the Christmas period as it held off from discounting its clothing and put warehousing problems firmly behind it. The group, which has expanded to 70 stores in the UK including a new store opening on Regent Street, said like-for-like sales increased by 5.8 [...]
Greggs boosted by mince pies January 11, 2012 Baker Greggs posted better-than-expected sales over the Christmas and new year period as shoppers snapped up record numbers of sweet mince pies, festive bakes and giant gingerbread men. The Newcastle-based firm, which also sells bread, sandwiches and to over 6m customers a week, said sales at stores open over a year jumped 5.1 per cent [...]
Sales boost at Fortnum & Mason January 11, 2012 Fortnum & Mason, the world-famous food emporium, has posted record sales for the full year to 17 July 2011, despite shouldering hefty costs after it was targeted by Uncut protesters for tax evasion last year. The group said sales rose by eight per cent to £54.9m compared with £50.9m the previous year, boosted by strong [...]
Promotions help N Brown grow January 11, 2012 N Brown, the British internet and catalogue home shopping firm, returned to sales growth in the run-up to Christmas, though to achieve this it had to step up promotions. The Manchester based company, which targets mature and larger customers, said yesterday its revenues increased by 2.3 per cent in the 19 weeks to 7 January, [...]
Trade deficit up as exports decline again January 11, 2012 EXPORTS fell and imports rose in November, reversing October’s positive figures and suggesting trade is not giving a strong boost to the UK economy, according to data released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Goods imports rose by £381m in the month to £34.84bn, while exports fell by £395m to £25.74bn. The deficit [...]
E&Y tops gay-friendly survey January 11, 2012 BIG four accountancy firm Ernst & Young was yesterday named as the most gay-friendly employer in the UK, topping the annual index of the best firms for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff. Ernst & Young moved up from third position last year to take the top spot in Stonewall’s workplace equality index, which considers criteria [...]
City jobs vacancies down 43 per cent on 2006 peak January 11, 2012 JOB OPPORTUNITIES in financial services collapsed in December thanks to the Eurozone crisis, according to Morgan McKinley’s London employment monitor, published today. Vacancies in the sector fell by 36 per cent on the month – a more severe drop than the usual Christmas holiday fall, because of worries over the economy. For the year as [...]
CITY A.M. | SHADOW MPC VOTES TO HOLD POLICY January 11, 2012 ALLISTER HEATH | CITY A.M. “I vote to hold both rates and QE. The economy is stronger than some feared, with survey data pointing to a slight rise in activity, but inflation remains well above target.” SIMON WARD | HENDERSON “Stop gilt purchases but offer ECB-style liquidity support to banks to ease upward pressure on [...]
MARIO’S BEMUSING MUSINGS ON BEAUTY January 11, 2012 THE GREAT Pyramids of Giza? An ugly pile of weirdly-angled rocks. The Statue of Liberty? Just a rusty shard of copper wearing a silly hat. The Colosseum in Rome is still far too paltry a landmark, but at least we’re getting warmer geographically. No, for the human race’s biggest achievement, one must go to Brussels. [...]
