Less than sparkling: Sales dip at Anglo American’s diamond unit De Beers November 15, 2016 Anglo American's diamond unit, De Beers, shone a little less bright this autumn as sales of its rough cut gems dipped ahead of the key Christmas holiday season. Sales reached $470m (£375m) in the ninth "sales cycle" of the year at the predominantly Africa-focused gem group. This was down from $494m in the eighth cycle. De Beers [...]
Sales at Tesco are growing at their fastest rate in three years – but Morrisons and Asda are still suffering November 15, 2016 The supertanker that is Tesco continues to change its course, after new figures suggested its sales rose to their highest in three years in the last quarter. Data by Kantar Worldpanel showed Tesco sales rose 2.2 per cent in the 12 weeks to 6 November, putting its market share at 28.2 per cent – up from [...]
Do schmaltzy Christmas ads cheer up revenues? November 15, 2016 What do a robin, a boxer dog, a cartoon character called Dave and Mrs Santa Claus have in common? It may sound like the start of a bad joke but this motley crew all have starring roles in 2016's Christmas adverts for major retailers. So far, the M&S ad appears to be the biggest hit [...]
Jaguar Land Rover just wheeled out its first electric car: The I-PACE Concept November 15, 2016 Here it is, in all its glory: Jaguar's closely guarded secret. A new electric vehicle. The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car was previewed at the LA show, with the production version to be revealed in late 2017, ahead of it hitting the road in 2018. It's an electric SUV which Jaguar says combines a "supercar silhouette" [...]
London banks are falling for Frankfurt, according to this German official November 14, 2016 Financial firms are eyeing up their opportunities in Frankfurt following the summer's Brexit vote, an official from Germany's finance ministry has said today. There have been numerous reports of banks tidying up their contingency planning, as businesses consider whether they need to move some of their operations out of London to make sure they can continue [...]
Next England manager must be given time to develop a philosophy, says Gareth Southgate November 14, 2016 England caretaker manager Gareth Southgate insists the next national team coach must be given time to develop a lasting philosophy for success rather than merely tasked with hitting short-term targets. Southgate goes into the final fixture of his four-match audition for the job against Spain on Tuesday as the favourite to land the role, having [...]
Get your skates on – these are the best ice rinks London has to offer this Christmas November 14, 2016 Along with those highly anticipated Christmas adverts and window displays, the festive season also heralds the return of many ice rinks in London. Yep – it’s time to get your skates on. Whether you’re a pro skater or an ice rink amateur, there are dozens of rinks dotted around the capital’s landmarks. Here’s a roundup [...]
A petition to stop shops opening on Boxing Day has 100,000 signatures November 14, 2016 A petition calling for shops to shut on Boxing Day has gathered more than 100,000 signatures. Boxing Day, which falls on 26 December, is traditionally a massive day for shopping as most major retailers begin their post-Christmas sales. Many companies have already launched promotions ahead of Black Friday, which falls on 25 November this year. [...]
Black Friday 2016: Eight of today’s best deals from Amazon November 14, 2016 Amazon kicked off two weeks of Black Friday deals this morning, with offers on products from CDs (old school) to TVs, headphones and, er, loo roll. For those sneaking in some early Christmas shopping while they're at work (we don't blame you), we'll list the best deals every day in the run-up to the annual [...]
John Lewis resists “Stop Funding Hate” calls to pull newspaper advertising November 14, 2016 John Lewis is resisting calls to pull advertising from newspapers over their editorial coverage. The retailer issued a statement as campaign group Stop Funding Hate steps up efforts to encourage companies not to advertise in the Daily Mail, Sun and Daily Express. Read more: Lego is "not planning any future promotional activity" in the Daily Mail [...]