Forget sex: Nostalgia gives you return on investment October 18, 2015 Arresting though they may be, sex and violence do not sell products. When confronted with graphic material, participants in a study by Ohio State University were likely to become so distracted that it impaired their “memory, attitudes and buying intentions for advertised products,” according to professor Brad Bushman. Nostalgia, on the other hand, fares more [...]
Nectar profits collapse as supermarket price war takes its toll on loyalty cards October 18, 2015 Profits have tumbled at Britain’s biggest loyalty card provider, Nectar. Aimia Coalition Loyalty UK, Nectar’s parent company, said that pre-tax profits fell to £14.1m for 2014, from £74.4m the year before, due to a rise in people cashing in their points, while collecting fewer. The company warned that if people continued to redeem points then [...]
When it comes to fair practices for small business the government is tinkering at the edges: The UK must outlaw late payments completely October 15, 2015 The time has come to ban payment of invoices after 90 days to signal the end of Britain’s late payment culture and deliver a much-needed boost to small and medium-sized businesses. SMEs are being stifled by a lack of funding from traditional banks, which has cost the UK economy an estimated £2.9bn in lost turnover [...]
Tesco sells 14 development sites in London, South East and Bath to Meyer Bergman for £250m October 15, 2015 Tesco is selling 14 developments sites for a total of £250m as the troubled supermarket continues to sell-off assets while it shores up its balance sheet. The Spenhill sites, which are split across London, the South East and Bath, have been sold to a fund and clients advised by real estate manager Meyer Bergman. It is [...]
Just a Lidl bit: How the discount supermarket conquered the wine world October 14, 2015 Don’t tell anyone, but the other day I paid a visit to my local Lidl. I must be the first person to go there and spend more than I expected. There’s been a lot of hype about Lidl’s recently launched Wine Cellar collection. Still, I was sceptical, expecting to find wines that were cheap but [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK date and deals: The best offers to expect on 27 November, plus who were the winners and losers from last year October 14, 2015 Black Friday is less than seven weeks away – it falls on 27 November this year – and already consumer sites are full of predictions for which deals we'll be falling over ourselves (and other people) to pick up in 2015. We spent £810m last year, with John Lewis celebrating its biggest sales week of [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Where and when to get the best discounts is already being hinted at by Tesco, Currys PC World, John Lewis and Amazon October 13, 2015 Brace yourselves: Black Friday is coming. Last year's retail bonanza-cum-bun-fight is back. This year it will be taking place on 27 November, meaning there are less than eight weeks to go. In 2014, it was the biggest single day for online sales of the year, and retailers are falling over themselves to make sure they [...]
Dunelm share price edges down despite new boss John Browett snapping up £200,000 shares October 12, 2015 Former Dixons chief executive John Browett has spent more than £200,000 of his own cash snapping up Dunelm shares as he prepares to take over the reins as chief executive in January. Browett, who joined the board of the homeware retailer in July, has bought 18,608 shares at £9.27 and 2,998 shares at £9.25, giving him a stake of [...]
PwC to be investigated over audit of collapsed company Connaught October 12, 2015 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has decided to act on complaints against accountancy giant PwC and its senior statutory auditor Stephen Harrison over the auditing of social housing maintenance firm Connaught. Connaught went into administration in September 2010. The FRC's report accuses the company and the account's lead audit partner Stephen Harrison, who retired in summer 2010, of "fail[ing] to [...]
PwC to be investigated over audit of collapsed company Connaught October 12, 2015 * caption could read: Connaught's property management arm, which maintained social housing, went into administration The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has decided to act on complaints against PwC and its senior statutory auditor Stephen Harrison over Connaught's auditing. Connaught is the social housing maintenance firm that went into administration in September 2010 and it is “alleged that [...]