Natwest and RBS down: Outages hit online banking and mobile apps on Black Friday November 29, 2019 RBS and Natwest’s mobile apps and online banking services suffered intermittent problems today, with customers taking to Twitter to complain. “Our Online Banking, mobile app and Bankline are currently facing intermittent problems,” Natwest told customers on Twitter. “We’re working hard getting them back up and running smoothly for you. We’ll post an update when we [...]
Inside Amazon’s Black Friday operations hub: How the e-commerce giant prepares for its busiest day of the year November 29, 2019 Where could be a better place to witness the behind-the-scenes impact of Black Friday than at the heart of Amazon’s UK warehouse operations? Some of the credit – or perhaps, blame – for the annual shopping event’s popularity in Britain surely lies with the US e-commerce giant. The fulfilment centre – which is the size [...]
Pets At Home profit jumps in first half as it eyes top-end full-year earnings November 26, 2019 Pets At Home’s share price surged in trading today after it posted a bumper profit increase and strong like-for-like sales growth for the first half of its financial year. Read more: Short sellers tail off at Pets At Home The figures The retailer enjoyed an 18.9 per cent year-on-year increase in underlying profit before tax [...]
Investigation finds Black Friday deals cheaper at other times of year November 26, 2019 Almost all Black Friday deals can be found cheaper or available for the same price at other times of the year, an investigation has found just days before the annual shopping event. An investigation tracked 83 products on sale on Black Friday last year, from six months before the discount day until six months after, [...]
Asos appoints first chief growth officer November 25, 2019 Asos has appointed its first chief growth officer to strengthen its senior management team as it recovers from a drop in profit following a botched international expansion. The online retailer said Robert Birge, who was previously chief marketing officer at travel search site Kayak and media agency IMG, will join the company on 3 December. [...]
Google’s research reveals how millennial shopping habits are changing November 25, 2019 The Christmas season is a time for family and cheer. But for brands and retailers, the time between late November and early January represents the most crucial — and most competitive — period of the year, accounting for up to 30 per cent of annual sales. As journalist Katharine Whitehorn once said, “from a commercial [...]
Shoppers plan to spend more on high streets this Christmas November 20, 2019 The Christmas trading period could deliver some much-needed festive cheer for retailers after a challenging 12 months as a new research reveals that shoppers plan to spend more this year. Most UK shoppers – 87 per cent – are planning to spend the same or more than last year, while 57 per cent said political [...]
Founder of fashion delivery firm Clipper tables £300m takeover bid November 19, 2019 The founder of Clipper Logistics, which provides delivery services for online retailers such as Asos and John Lewis, is said to be preparing a £300m bid to take the company private. Read more: Asos to boost Black Friday offers after poor trading last year Steve Parkin, who founded Clipper in 1992, has approached fellow board [...]
Labour hasn’t factored BT’s pensions black hole into its nationalisation plan November 16, 2019 Here’s a riddle: how do you spend several billion pounds of taxpayers’ money and get nothing but a bunch of smiling accountants in return? The answer: tear Openreach out of BT, as Ofcom attempted a few years ago and Labour now proposes as part of its plan to nationalise the provision of ultrafast broadband. Read [...]
Black Friday 2019: Everything you need to know to find the best bargains November 15, 2019 Black Friday only launched in the UK in the last five years and has quickly become one of the biggest annual shopping events, kicking off the key Christmas trading period. Savvy shoppers can snap up bargains as stores offer huge discounts in the run up to the festive season. Here is everything you need to [...]