Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Asda and Sainsbury’s: What to expect from the supermarket sector’s Christmas results January 5, 2016 Supermarkets were going for broke this Christmas, after a poor year of trading for the likes of Tesco, Morrisons and Asda, with Sainsbury's the only one of the Big Four in growth in the run-up to the festive period. But with challengers Lidl and Aldi stealing market share from the price conscious, while Marks & Spencer and [...]
FTSE 100 index opens higher regaining some losses made yesterday on the back of miners and Tesco January 5, 2016 The FTSE 100 made a strong start as markets opened, regaining some of the 2.6 per cent it shed yesterday. The index rose 1.09 per cent to 6,158 points as trading began, led higher by miners and Tesco, while Aberdeen Asset Management and Next fell. Tesco led the pack, rising 4.26 per cent to 148.48p per share, [...]
Next’s share price falls as retailer reports disappointing sales, with warm weather deterring shoppers January 5, 2016 High street giant Next's share price fell this morning after it reported disappointing sales in the run up to Christmas, as the warm weather took its toll alongside growing competition online. The figures Sales over the 60 days to 24 December nudged up 0.4 per cent across the group, with Next Directory growing two per cent, [...]
Beware mayoral wannabes pledging a Tube fare freeze: The numbers don’t stack up January 5, 2016 While most resolutions – especially those involving regular gym attendance – do not last beyond January, there is one New Year tradition that is guaranteed to be with us for the whole year: Transport for London’s annual fare increase. Londoners will be familiar with the routine. Sometime between singing Auld Lang Syne on New Year’s [...]
Happy New Fear: Chinese fireworks send panic through global stock markets January 5, 2016 Hopes of a New Year rally were shattered yesterday as fears over the health of the Chinese economy wiped trillions from stock markets and sparked concern of more turmoil to come. Investor confidence was further hampered by rising tensions in the Middle East as Saudi Arabia and its allies cut ties with Iran, accusing the country of [...]
Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife and Eastenders: Here’s how much timeshifted Christmas TV we watched on catch-up services January 4, 2016 It may have been the classic Queen’s speech which got us tuning in on Christmas day, but it was Downtown Abbey and Call the Midwife which we settled down to watch on catch-up in the days afterwards, as we continued to stuff ourselves with festive food. Britain’s on-demand TV habits meant that both the popular dramas, on ITV [...]
Mark Zuckerberg, artificial intelligence and Iron Man’s Jarvis: How close are we really to having artificial robot butlers? January 4, 2016 It’s great to hear that Mark Zuckerberg is planning to build his own personal artificial intelligence service for helping him around the home and the office. It sounds wonderful doesn’t it? Perfectly paradoxical in the sense that it simultaneously feels like both science fiction and something that’s already happening in our homes today. In truth, [...]
Tech share prices are tumbling: Netflix, Tesla, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple and more stock fall amid China rout January 4, 2016 Tech stocks have not escaped the market rout that has seen billions wiped of global markets on the first major day of trading in 2016. Tesla and Netflix both fell by more than seven per cent, with a downgrade for the movie streaming service by Baird, while the electric car company yesterday delivered sales figures at [...]
Travel disruption and delays? Why letting your staff find a better commute is better for business January 4, 2016 Returning back to work on the first day post-Christmas will have been a return to travel disruption and delays for many commuters. But, even minor morning train delays can have a detrimental impact on the rest of the working day. The knock-on effect of train punctuality (or lack of it) is apparent in recently published research from the Open Data Institute and [...]
Kwik Fit wants you to lose the spare tyre by lifting tyres January 4, 2016 If you need a little help shifting that post-Christmas paunch, where do you go? Err, a tyre fitters. Of course. Where better to shift that spare tyre than somewhere already familiar with, well, shifting spare tyres. That's what you can do at Kwik Fit's new fitness class where lifting, flipping and throwing tyres will help you [...]