Football betting: Alan Pardew can be pardoned for prioritising Palace’s precious trip to Wembley April 28, 2016 Alan Pardew will have plenty to smile about when he returns to Newcastle this weekend. His Crystal Palace side’s Premier League safety is virtually guaranteed, with 39 points, and they have a first FA Cup final in a generation to look forward to. And that makes Newcastle a very attractive bet, at 19/20 with Betway. Until [...]
Purrplexing: Halifax faces questions over decision to give “dodgy”, “high-risk borrower” Top Cat a mortgage loan April 28, 2016 Halifax's latest advert has left some purrplexed. The bank has been teased over its decision to make Top Cat the star of a mortgage advert. In the clip, the gangster cat is approved a loan in a branch of Halifax. Read more: That Robert Dyas Christmas ad: What were they thinking? But some on social media have [...]
More proof business had a terrible start to 2016 as profit warnings remain “remarkably high”, EY research finds April 24, 2016 The year did not get off to a great start and now their's more proof that for business 2016 is hardly a vintage year. Global economic worries and weak oil prices are among the reasons why the number of profit warnings issued by the UK's listed companies remains "remarkably high" according to the latest research from [...]
Prepare to salivate: John Lewis predicts the 10 things we’re going to go nuts for in autumn/winter 2016 April 22, 2016 Yes, the summer has only just arrived (or has it? Is this really it?) but retailers are already one step ahead of us, forecasting what we'll be buying this autumn/winter. Well it is only 246 days until Christmas. So while you might be daydreaming about which holiday clothes you're going to splurge on, the buyers [...]
As summer party season heats up, we asked legendary gatecrasher Karl Power how to get into the City’s finest parties April 21, 2016 It's that time of year again – champagne cocktails, awkward smalltalk and roof terraces that are slightly too cold for comfort: it's summer party season in the Square Mile. The Capitalist was warmly invited to a certain City brokerage's late Christmas party this week, but reporting on the event has been banned by the firm's [...]
Now Cadbury is shaking up the recipes and wrappers of some sweets in its Roses boxes April 21, 2016 First they changed the recipe of our Fruit and Nut Bars, then they changed the recipe of our Creme Eggs: now Cadbury owner Mondelez is coming for our Roses. This morning the company said it is not only planning on changing the shape of two of the chocolates, but it's also (gasp) altering the wrappers of the [...]
Easter celebrations boost spending at pubs and restaurants in March April 20, 2016 Britons spent more time at the pub in March, new research shows, as the early Easter bank holiday helped boost spending on leisure activities by 10 per cent over the year. Greene King’s Leisure Spend Tracker found that the early Easter celebrations helped drive a positive increase and levelled out any uncertainty felt after a busy Christmas period and a rather [...]
World’s largest producers of fake goods revealed as value of counterfeit goods nears half a trillion dollars per year April 18, 2016 The counterfeit goods trade around the world is worth almost half a trillion dollars a year, according to a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office. The value of imported fake goods worldwide stood at $461bn (£325bn) in 2013, 2.5 per cent of the [...]
Everyone panic: Prosecco’s popularity could be its downfall as shortages loom April 18, 2016 There's no easy way to say this, but the UK's love of Prosecco could be its very downfall. Britons consumed eight times as much of the bubbly Italian wine last year as they did in 2012, quaffing back a total 40m litres, according to figures released by The Grocer. The UK Prosecco market was valued to [...]
WH Smith’s reports double-digit profit growth in first half – and yes, adult colouring-in books are still a thing April 13, 2016 WH Smith has delivered strong first half results, with profit and earnings up double-digits and an improvement in high street sales. But investors appeared unimpressed: WH Smith's share price was down 4.1 per cent in morning trading. The figures The stationer reported group pre-tax profit of £80m for the six months to 29 February, up 11 [...]