International Space Station flyover: How to trick your kids into thinking they’ve seen Santa tonight November 24, 2015 The International Space Station (ISS) has been in orbit for 16 years, but it seems this is the year parents have realised they can use it to play a devious trick on their kids: duping them into thinking it's Santa's sleigh. Yep – with excellent timing, the ISS will appear several times over the UK [...]
CBI Distributive Trades Survey: Mild weather hits retail sales growth in November ahead of shopping bonanza November 24, 2015 Retail sales growth unexpectedly slowed in the year to November, for what's now the second month in a row, however shop owners are bracing for a shopping bonanza ahead of Black Friday and the Christmas period. The balance of CBI's quarterly distributive trades survey unexpectedly dropped to +7, from +19 in October, marking the slowest growth rate in [...]
British Airways cancels all flights to Sharm el-Sheikh until 14 January, EasyJet until 6 January after Metrojet crash ruled to be a bomb by Russian authorities November 24, 2015 Update: British Airways is the second airline to confirm it is extending the ban on flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh until January. The IAG-owned business will not fly to the popular Egyptian holiday destination up to and including 14 January, it said today "following discussions with the government". "We have not flown any additional customers to Sharm [...]
Santa Clause ain’t coming to town: Why you shouldn’t expect stocks to rally – CNBC Comment November 24, 2015 Last week was the year’s best for the S&P 500. October also saw a very strong bounceback from the late summer malaise. I’ve been surprised by the recent recoveries in markets in the short term. When you pair that with the huge long-term gains we have had since March 2009 alongside my fundamental bearishness, [...]
Ski holidays 2015/16: With the pound getting stronger, Bulgaria is a better bet than the Alps for a cheap skiing break November 23, 2015 There is one thing to look forward to in winter. It’s not Christmas dinner, spending time with loved ones or going on chilly wintry walks; it’s ski season. According to London’s go-to luxury travel experts, more City slickers than ever will head to colder climes after a winning cocktail of a stronger pound and early [...]
Black Friday 2015 shoppers beware: Cybercrime and online fraud cost the UK over £16m last Christmas – and Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the worst days of all November 23, 2015 Christmas spirit? Forget it: When it comes to cybercrime, online fraudsters are the biggest Grinches of all. Online shopping fraud over the holiday season soared by 42 per cent last year, with £16.4m lost to cyber criminals according to statistics from the City of London police compiled by non-profit organisations Get Safe Online and Action [...]
London airport expansion: CBI president says UK can’t “pass the buck” to the next generation November 23, 2015 Britons can’t “pass the buck” to the next generation when it comes to building another runway, the president of Britain’s biggest business group has said. Speaking at the Airport Operators’ Association Conference earlier today, Confederation of British Industry (CBI) president Paul Drechsler said the “window of opportunity is closing fast” for more airport capacity. “Every [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: Customer returns will cost retailers as much as £180m November 23, 2015 The cost to retailers of returned goods bought on Black Friday will come with a price tag of up to £180m and create an "out of stock" Saturday which could leave shoppers empty handed at the tills during the crucial Christmas shopping period. As much as 50 per cent of promotional purchases will be returned and 12 December is predicted to [...]
How did this unknown Spanish lottery video win the Christmas advert battle of 2015, giving Mog and Man on the Moon a run for their money? November 23, 2015 Move over John Lewis and Sainsbury’s, a new Christmas contender in the festive ad race has emerged. And it has come from the most unlikeliest of places – the Spanish Lottery. “Justino” is a beautiful animated ad which in a week has overtaken a number of leading British brands to become the third most shared [...]