The roadster that’s streets ahead September 13, 2011 ZOOM-Zoom says the man from Mazda, brrm-brrm says my daughter from the passenger seat (airbag switched off, of course). The marketing man from Mazda will be delighted. Job done. That Mazda’s MX-5 is great fun to drive is well documented. It’s fair to say that for the money there really isn’t another roadster that gets [...]
CAR TALK September 13, 2011 AUDI’S NEW A2: FIRST IMAGES These are the first official images of Audi’s new A2 model. This concept is a lightweight, plug-in electric four-seater with a 9.3-second, 0-62mph time and a top speed of 93mph. Audi claims a 124-mile range on a four hour charge. Most interesting, though, are the LED lights running down the [...]
Look East to the new destination for pilgrims who shop September 13, 2011 BORIS Johnson reached for the cultural high notes at the opening of Westfield Stratford City: boasting that the new shopping centre would trigger regeneration not seen in East London since the Middle Ages, he quoted Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, in which Madam Eglantine the Prioress spoke French “after the school of Stratford-at-Bow, for French of Paris [...]
Stratford is a smooth retail experience September 13, 2011 I GREW up in a suburb of Boston, USA, where the only places to shop were malls. Despite America’s reputation as a shopping paradise, these were terribly dreary places, department store complexes off highways. Sure, you could pick up a washing machine, get your ears pierced, eat a Cinnabon and buy a sixpack of white [...]
Mall brings fresh hope to struggling UK shopkeepers September 13, 2011 RETAILERS nationwide are facing tough conditions as the economy slows down, but Westfield will transform trade across Stratford and the wider borough, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Retail is currently hard hit. ONS figures for the year to the end of July 2011 show zero growth in the volume of sales. Footfall across [...]
WESTFIELD AT STRATFORD: OUR PICK OF THE SHOPS September 13, 2011 CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES ASPINAL OF LONDON The second standalone shop for this affordable heritage brand, Aspinal has a plum position at the start of the Street, and is a wonderfully windowy space, glinting with cufflinks, jewels and charms and full of its signature bright croc skin bags and wallets. FOREVER 21 There were nearly 400 [...]
Cairn shares hit as Greenland well comes up dry September 13, 2011 Oil explorer Cairn Energy said its latest well off the coast of Greenland failed to find oil, disappointing investors, who are looking to the company to open up a new oil province in the Arctic, with a second dry hole. Cairn, whose focus on Greenland has intensified since a deal to reduce its stake in [...]
IG lifted by market volatility September 13, 2011 SPREAD-BETTING company IG Group has benefited from the current market volatility which drove up trading volumes and sales. IG reported on Tuesday first-quarter revenue of around £100m, up 26 per cent, added that its pretax profit margin was higher. “The group remains well capitalised and is well positioned competitively. The board remains confident in the [...]
Inflation rises in August September 13, 2011 Inflation accelerated as expected in August, driven by record annual increases in clothing, footwear and furniture and the biggest rise in household bills in two years, official data showed. The Office for National Statistics said consumer prices rose 0.6 per cent last month, taking the annual inflation rate up to 4.5 per cent, from 4.4 [...]
HP extends deadline on £7.3bn Autonomy offer September 13, 2011 Hewlett-Packard said it extended the deadline of its $11.7bn (£7.3bn) takeover offer for Autonomy to 3 October after gaining acceptances from only 41.6 per cent of shareholders at the first closing date. Shareholders in enterprise search software firm Autonomy were expected to snap up the cash offer, which was 79 per cent above the closing [...]
