Sony dismisses doubts over the future of 3D television January 6, 2011 Sony was among a raft of top electronics firms to place 3D technology at the forefront of its growth plans at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday, writes Steve Dinneen. The Japanese firm showcased its new flagship range of 3D TVs, promising the format will change the way people watch video content. Chairman [...]
AT&T launches 12 new Google smartphones January 6, 2011 GOOGLE won a major vote of confidence in its mobile phone platform Android yesterday, after America’s second largest network said it would launch 12 new handsets which run the software. AT&T announced four times as many smartphones as it did this time a year ago, backed heavily by Google software, highlighting the urgency of its [...]
TABLET WARS January 6, 2011 Samsung and Panasonic upped the ante in their battle with Apple yesterday, both eleasing products that will directly compete with Steve Jobs’ core stable of products. Samsung, the firm that has come closest to offering a viable challenge in the tablet wars with its Galaxy Tab, unveiled a slick new device designed to compete with [...]
Majestic sees wine sales up in festive lift January 6, 2011 MAJESTIC Wine has bucked the trend of retailers turning in poor results figures over the snow-hit Christmas period with a 6.4 per cent sales rise. Chief executive Steve Lewis said the weather had initially put customers off venturing out but then there had been a rush. The figures for the nine weeks to 3 January [...]
Clinton Cards in profit alert January 6, 2011 CLINTON Cards issued a profit warning yesterday after a sales drop. In the five weeks to 1 January the company suffered a two per cent fall in its like-for-like sales. The greeting card retailer’s overall like-for-like sales in the second half of 2010 dropped by 2.9 per cent compared to a year ago. Chairman Don [...]
McBride warns of tough year January 6, 2011 OWN brand producer of shampoo McBride saw its shares dive yesterday after the company warned its full-year performance may be at the lower end of expectations due to a tough retail outlook, especially in the UK. In a trading update for the six months to 31 December, McBride said revenues had risen two per cent, [...]
Mothercare sales hit by bad weather January 6, 2011 MOTHERCARE has issued a profit warning after the winter weather dented its performance over the Christmas period. Like-for-like sales in the last three months of 2010 fell 5.8 per cent at the mother and baby retailer as the snow and ice took its toll, it said in a trading statement yesterday. Toy sales were hardest [...]
Cineworld boosted by string of blockbuster film smashes January 6, 2011 CINEMA chain Cineworld said 2010 sales rose 4.7 per cent as a series of blockbusters packed its venues. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Inception and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part one) were among the big hits which drove sales. The company said it expected full-year profit to be within the range of market expectations [...]
Asda vows to cost 10pc less January 6, 2011 ASDA has guaranteed to sell 15,000 grocery products at least 10 per cent cheaper than all of its big rivals. The UK’s second largest chain behind Tesco is promising voucher refunds if customers are charged more. Asda chief executive Andy Clarke said: “The Asda Price Guarantee cuts through all the phoney claims and headline numbers, [...]
Theo Fennell hit by travel chaos January 6, 2011 AFFLUENT overseas shoppers were cut off from London by travel chaos, jeweller Theo Fennell said as it warned on profits yesterday. Fennell saw like-for-like sales drop seven per cent in December. Sales on expensive pieces suffered as international customers stayed away, the firm said. “The adverse weather conditions significantly reduced footfall to the stores from [...]