Pre-booking investment drives Stonegate Pubs’ festive sales success January 4, 2019 Stonegate Pub Company saw a 17.8 per cent surge in pre-bookings this Christmas following “significant” investment in its facilities as it reported strong sales over the festive period. The pub chain, which has 735 venues across the country, revealed that it had invested in a central call centre hub to take bookings and that total [...]
From Veganuary to Dryathlons, so begins the month of self-inflicted misery… January 4, 2019 The first few weeks of the year are when the office mood is at its glummest. Blue Monday, a concept created in 2005 (albeit by a holiday company trying to get people to book), and billed as “the most depressing day of the year” falls soon. No one agrees if it’s the second or third [...]
Alexa: Tell me why I can’t have a flying car like in Blade Runner January 4, 2019 Bad news: it’s 2019, and that means we are now living through the year in which the original Blade Runner film was set. Released in 1982, Blade Runner has some interesting ideas about 2019. Yes, it’s a post-apocalyptic dystopian hellscape where sentient bioengineered robots (“replicants”) must be hunted down against a backdrop of a dying [...]
From sugar to saving, this government is treating us like a nation of children January 4, 2019 The morning I turned eight, I woke up and told my father that I was “halfway there”. This, in my home state of Connecticut, was in reference to getting my driving licence, a process I could start on my sixteenth birthday. As a kid, this was the milestone that I was most excited to reach, [...]
DEBATE: Is transport secretary Chris Grayling right to blame the unions for rail fare hikes? January 4, 2019 Is transport secretary Chris Grayling right to blame the unions for rail fare hikes? Duncan Simpson, policy analyst at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, says YES. This week’s fare rise is, quite understandably, infuriating for many commuters. But passenger outrage is being misdirected. Huge progress has been made since privatisation: passenger numbers and overall satisfaction are up, and [...]
Shop price inflation grows in December despite Christmas discounting January 4, 2019 Shop price inflation rose in December as festive discounting failed to keep prices down for stretched consumers. Overall inflation rose to 0.3 per cent last month, up from 0.1 per cent in November and the highest rate of inflation since April 2013. It is only the fourth month of inflation in the last five years, according [...]
Horse Racing Betting Tips: Enola Gay can pay for the day at Sandown January 3, 2019 CHRISTMAS was a bit of a slog for punters. Unexpected results in the King George and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, as well as a fistful of unfancied winners throughout the festive period, meant the bookies rolled into 2019 on top. Tomorrow’s card at Sandown, where the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle is [...]
Delays at UK’s busiest airports cost business passengers £500m last year, new data reveals January 3, 2019 UK business passengers lost more than half a million days to delays at Britain's 10 busiest airports last year, at a cost of around more than £500m to their pockets. When combined with delays to leisure passengers the figure rise to 2.5m days lost, costing travellers £1bn. Data from air travel intelligence company OAG shows that delays at Heathrow [...]
Wall Street shares plummet after Apple warning over China slowdown January 3, 2019 Wall Street shares have plummeted in response to Apple’s warning over a slowdown in China. All three major US indices tumbled on opening as Apple’s nine per cent fall caused another painful day for investors. The tech giant said lower demand for its products in China and the country’s economic deceleration were to blame for [...]
Cooked: Apple shares spiral as investors fight back in securities fraud lawsuit January 3, 2019 Shares in Apple opened 8.6 per cent down on Wall Street this afternoon, after a shock revenue warning from chief executive Tim Cook caused shivers across global markets and exchanges. In an open letter to investors published last night, Apple cut its revenue forecast for the busy Christmas quarter by 7.8 per cent. The tech giant is [...]