Hipster pee-repelling walls come to Hackney as council use anti-urine paint in Shoreditch and Dalston over Christmas December 16, 2015 Hipsters painting the town red will be in for a surprise if they try and relieve themselves anywhere other than a bathroom as Hackney introduces pee-repelling paint to the walls of Shoreditch and Dalston. The anti-pee paint became famous across the world when the city of San Francisco started using it. Now Hackney council are doing [...]
Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell leave early from Labour’s Christmas party December 16, 2015 Labour had its annual Christmas party yesterday, and despite everyone's differences there were no punch-ups or seething. A recent report in the Telegraph quoted a Labour MP as saying just 43 people would show up, with some planning to pre-drink at home to get themselves through the evening, but apparently there was no need. Everyone was [...]
Dixons Carphone hails bigger than ever Black Friday as profits beat forecasts December 16, 2015 Dixons Carphone shares climbed three per cent higher this morning after the high street electricals giant beat City expectations with a 23 per cent jump in first-half profits. The FTSE 100 company, which trades as Currys, PC World and Carphone Warehouse in the UK and Ireland, said strong performance in the UK helped it outperform the [...]
Christmas gifts 2015: Sales of BBQS, board games and prosecco gummy bears are on the up at John Lewis, but the halls will be decked in more muted colour themes December 16, 2015 One of our favourite tipples has proven popular in a more unusual format, with sales of prosecco flavoured gummy bears bouncing 106 per cent week-on-week at John Lewis, the retail giant said today. Meanwhile, post-Christmas lunch entertainment might be a low-tech affair, with sales of board games rolling in 183 per cent higher year-on-year. And December this year has [...]
Amazon warns hoverboard buyers to throw them away over safety fears December 16, 2015 Amazon has warned shoppers who have purchased hoverboards to throw them away, a day after it pulled them from sale over safety concerns. The devices, which are in fact self-balancing scooters, had been pegged as one of the most popular gifts to give this Christmas. However, many of the devices do not adhere to safety [...]
Christmas gifts 2015: Almost half of UK adults have at least one relative living abroad and 16 December is expected to be the day we are most likely to send money overseas December 16, 2015 Business has become more global but it turns out the same is true for family matters. A study out today from the Post Office International Payments has found that 41 per cent of UK adults now have at least one relative living overseas. So, if you've found yourself grappling with last postage dates for overseas for [...]
Estate agent Foxtons tries to spread Christmas cheer with share buy back – as its share price edges higher December 16, 2015 Struggling estate agent Foxtons has announced a buyback of shares, in an attempt to spread a bit of Christmas cheer to shareholders, who have watched its shares fall more than 37 per cent from their peak this year. The company said the share buy back, which will start today, is "in line with [its] policy of [...]
Forget carol singing and church: Telly is our new Christmas tradition with the average Briton watching five hours of television on Christmas Day December 16, 2015 Ah, Christmas. ‘Tis the season to be… stuck in front of the box? Yes, it seems that one of the most prominent features of a traditional British Christmas is no longer carol singing or going to church. It’s watching television. Families are set to spend an eye-watering average of nearly five hours in front of [...]
Supergroup and Serco: Best of the Brokers for 16 December 2015 December 16, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com SUPERGROUP Fashion retailer Supergroup saw shares plummet after a note from Liberum downgrading its rating from “buy” to “hold” with a target price of 1,500p. The broker cited concerns over competition and excess inventory for the company’s label Superdry, which had led to [...]
Americans bring Thanksgiving to UK retailers as spending soars December 16, 2015 Black Friday’s online bargain frenzy may have dampened sales on the high street. But international shoppers helped to keep tills ringing, with spending up by 10 per cent in the year to November. The biggest jump in spending came from US tourists, up 55 per cent, despite still accounting for just five per cent of [...]