Arsenal without Arsene Wenger is hard to imagine and I don’t like saying it but the Gunners have gone stale. Now Frenchman has four games to save the Gunners’ season – and his job March 15, 2016 Their team had just followed an odds-defying qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League by going top of the Premier League, so Arsenal fans had more cause than most to celebrate over the Christmas period. They must have started to believe that this was indeed their year. And there is no question that [...]
UK weather: Dreaming of a White Easter? Snow in March or April is more likely than at Christmas – but probably won’t happen this year March 15, 2016 In recent weeks we have seen headlines which would lead us to think that the weather forecast for this Easter could be one of two extremes. On the one hand “sudden stratospheric warming” could bring bank holiday snow and sub-zero temperatures – and on the other, you could believe that Britain is “set for a heatwave” with highs [...]
Aviva share price rises as it unveils 20 per cent profit boost and hikes dividend after Friends Life buyout March 10, 2016 What floods? Insurer Aviva said it was hiking its dividend after it completed its acquisition of Friends Life ahead of schedule. The figures Operating profits rose 20 per cent to £2.7bn in 2015, Aviva said this morning – seven per cent ahead of analyst expectations of £2.5bn. That allowed it to hike dividend by 15 per cent to 20.8p. Nice. The company said the [...]
Cargo planes filled with emergency biscuits have landed in Doncaster to save the nation from the great British biscuit shortage March 9, 2016 Biscuit lovers had their hearts broken last year when McVitie's Carlisle factory was put out of action by flooding in December, but rest assured that help is on the way. Doncaster Sheffield Airport has welcomed two Boeing 777 aircraft full of biscuits into the region in the last two weeks. Dayle Hauxwell, cargo manager for [...]
Pizza Express serves up strong half-year sales as it ramps up expansion March 8, 2016 Pizza Express sales have jumped by 15.9 per cent over the last six months, boosted by new menu launches and its expansion both in the UK and abroad. The chain, which was sold to Chinese private equity firm Hony Capital in 2014 for £900m, said turnover grew to £267.2m in the 28 weeks to 10 January compared with [...]
Cheers: The UK guzzles more champagne than (almost) any other nation March 8, 2016 Forget global volatility – it seems Britons are ready to splash their cash, after new figures confirmed the UK is the world's largest export market for bubbly – and it's growing fast. Champagne shipments to the UK grew 4.5 per cent by volume last year, three times the rate of growth for the world as a whole, according [...]
Retail sales run out of steam in February despite half-term and Valentine’s Day boost March 8, 2016 RETAIL sales slowed in February after a strong start to the year that was boosted by the January sales. Like-for-like sales rose by 0.1 per cent last month compared with February in 2015, when they had increased 0.2 per cent, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG’s monthly data released today. The February [...]
Arsenal’s Premier League title bid may be stuttering but it’s not extinct, says Wenger March 7, 2016 Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger remains adamant that his side’s chances of being crowned Premier League champions are very much alive despite a stuttering run of form which has given rise to oft-asked questions about their staying power. The Gunners having accumulated just one point from the last nine on offer, while the north London [...]
Racing betting: Progressive Le Prezien to justify 800-mile round trip to Kelso March 3, 2016 Kelso's richest day’s racing has attracted some interesting runners to the Scottish Borders on Saturday with the most eye-catching being Paul Nicholls’ LE PREZIEN in the Grade Two Premier Kelso Hurdle (3.15pm). This is the first time that Nicholls has fielded a runner in this race and he doesn’t send his horses to Kelso for a [...]
City Pub Company gears up for float on AIM next year after £10m fundraising March 2, 2016 The owners of The City Pub Company have announced plans to float the pub chain on London's junior market next year after raising £10m to fund its expansion. The group, which operates two separate divisions – City Pub Company East and City Pub Company West – was founded five years ago by former Fuller's boss John Roberts and entrepreneurs Clive Watson [...]