Crackers boost for Greetings December 8, 2010 INTERNATIONAL Greetings, the cards and wrapping manufacturer, yesterday reported a surge in demand for Christmas crackers. Total first-half sales rose 13 per cent to £104.5m, with pre-tax profits more than doubling from £1m to £2.1m in the six months to the end of September. Chief executive Paul Fineman said the company will sell 70m crackers [...]
CAN KESA SUSTAIN ITS DRIVE FORWARD IN TOUGH MARKETS? December 8, 2010 PHILIP DORGAN| ALTIUM Comet was hit by the costs of store refits and a rebranding exercise, but it is difficult to see much in the way of margin improvement over the next 12 months. The Darty story remains strong. We maintain our ‘buy’ recommendation on the view that the shares are not expensive on fundamentals [...]
OUT OF OFFICE December 8, 2010 RUDOLPH PIE FOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS Covent Garden’s confusingly-named Battersea Pie Station – a paradise for those who like their lunches hot, meaty pastry-topped – is getting in the festive spirit with a very tasty reindeer pie – called The Rudolph, natch – that’s available throughout this month. If those reindeer aren’t actually going to help [...]
Game Group profit hit as price promotions weigh December 8, 2010 COMPUTER games retailer Game Group said its profit margins would fall by more than expected as it steps up promotions to lure cash-strapped shoppers and maintain share in a cut-throat competitive market. Game, which has been hit by the absence of new games console launches this year, said yesterday sales trends had improved in recent [...]
A Twentieth Century business model can’t keep up with leaner competitors December 8, 2010 THERE isn’t anything particularly wrong with the way management is running Game Group. Like-for-like sales are still falling, an inevitability when one considers the unbelievable hype that surrounded the Nintendo Wii last year, but the declines are starting to narrow. The firm’s decision to focus on market share also appears to make sense, as does [...]
Clapham is calling with this pub jewel December 8, 2010 The Bobbin 1-3 Lillieshall Road SW4 0LN Tel: 020 7738 8953, thebobbinclapham.com FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £25 IF you live anywhere near Clapham Common, the Bobbin should be your local by virtue of being very good, rather than proximity. I don’t live anywhere near it, but the trip down south to [...]
Roll up for a host of new hot openings December 8, 2010 THERE have been a number of bar openings dotted around the capital in recent weeks. The iconic Oxo Tower (www.harveynichols.com/restaurants/oxo-tower-london) has seen the launch of its new bar with stunning views across the Thames to St Pauls and beyond. The impressive space mixes classic cruise liner-esque lines with modern touches provided by designer Shaun Clarkson, [...]
TASTING NOTES: BILTONG AND WINE December 8, 2010 WE don’t say we ‘want’ biltong, we say we ‘need’ biltong,” says Neeleen Strauss, co-owner and sommelier of High Timber, the steak and wine restaurant facing Tate Modern. The “we” in this context is South Africans, and biltong, if you don’t know already, is the dried beef the country prides itself on and which can [...]
Norris fails in his US appeal December 8, 2010 IAN Norris, the former chief executive of Morgan Crucible, has lost an appeal against a conviction in the US courts of conspiracy in July, City A.M. has learned, leaving him to possibly face a five-year prison term when he is sentenced tomorrow. Norris, who is the first foreign defendant to face charges in the US [...]
Helical raises £29m in ten per cent share placement December 8, 2010 PROPERTY investor and developer Helical Bar successfully raised £29m in a new share placement yesterday. The 10.73m shares sold equate to about ten per cent of the company’s total share capital and the sale is designed to help it fund unspecificed UK real estate opportunities. Helical’s broker JP Morgan Cazenove placed the shares at 270p [...]
