Getting ready to decorate this year? Well it’s time to get serious about your bauble game November 23, 2016 If you enjoy idly browsing the shelves of high street stores, you have American entrepreneur Frank Woolworth to thank. The 19th century dime-store magnate pioneered the practice of self-service shopping, whereby customers can handle goods without the assistance of a clerk. Woolworth also enforced the idea of fixed pricing, rather than haggling, as the common [...]
The world’s oldest port brand is now available in Waitrose November 23, 2016 The world's oldest brand of port uncorked plans to sell at Waitrose after a successful launch at Marks & Spencer last month. Kopke, a top-tier port brand that was founded in 1638, has launched its Kopke Reserve Tawny in the major retailer just in time for Christmas. The company is part of the Sogevinus Group, the fifth largest producer [...]
Morrisons are getting hunks to help lift your Black Friday shopping November 23, 2016 Morrisons will have dedicated strong men and women in stores on Black Friday to help you with your heaving bags. Black Friday is set to be bigger than ever this year and has already started online, with several deals available with Amazon. Read more: AO World delivers £1.5m in earnings ahead of Black Friday But Morrisons [...]
Southern rail operator Govia Thameslink hit by £38m bill from industrial action so far this year November 23, 2016 A raft of strikes and resulting problems on Southern rail’s lines this year have cost a mammoth £38m, according to train operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR). GTR has been locked in a dispute with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union over the role of its guards on Southern rail trains. The union has organised [...]
MPs urge the Pensions Regulator to look into whether they can seize Sir Philip Green’s superyacht November 22, 2016 Sir Philip Green’s £100m superyacht – Lionheart – could be used to pay the pensions of thousands of BHS workers. The chair of cross-party Work and Pensions Commons Committee MP Frank Field has written to the Pensions Regulator to ask if it can acquire "assets other than cash from a person from which payment is being [...]
Deutsche Boerse expects EU statement of objections to London Stock Exchange merger before Christmas November 22, 2016 Deutsche Boerse expects the EU competition regulator to publish a statement of objections to the company’s £21bn merger with the London Stock Exchange next month. The German firm’s chief executive Carsten Kengeter said he expects the European Commission to make the intervention in the second week of December. Read more: London Stock Exchange seeks to [...]
Steel group Severfield sets its sights on 1 Undershaft and Google’s new HQ after posting bumper first-half profits November 22, 2016 Steelmaker Severfield has posted bumper first-half profits for 2016 and set its sights on helping construct City skyscraper 1 Undershaft and the new Google headquarters in the capital. Shares in the structural steel group were up 12 per cent today to 69.79p after Severfield posted a 69 per cent rise in underlying profit before tax, at £8.1m, in the [...]
Manufacturers did better than expected in November, despite Brexit fears November 22, 2016 Manufacturers have posted their best month for orders since before the UK's vote to quit the European Union, beating economist expectations, and confounding Brexit slowdown fears. Optimism for coming months also increased with expectations for production over the next quarter reaching their highest level since February 2015. For November, manufacturing order books improved but export order books and output [...]
Morrisons is bringing back the Safeway brand for a wholesale range and opening ten new convenience stores November 22, 2016 Morrisons is bringing back the Safeway brand, the supermarket announced today, as well as launching a new convenience store offering. The Safeway brand is to be revived as a range for wholesale to independent retailers – Morrisons said the re-introduction of the brand will enable it to "leverage its sourcing and unique food maker skills to [...]
Strikes over pension cuts are set to hit the drinks giant leading up to Christmas November 21, 2016 Strikes are set to hit Diageo in the weeks up to Christmas. Workers at the global drinks giant voted for industrial action over cuts to their pensions, the GMB union said. The employees work in Diageo's Scottish operations, including bottling plants at Leven and Shieldhall and distilleries across the country. The company had been reviewing the pension [...]