Console owners help drive profit jump at Game Digital October 15, 2015 GAME Digital said a rapidly growing population of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 console owners helped the video games retailer post forecast beating full-year profits. Demand for the latest generation of consoles has cooled and their average selling price has dropped since their initial launch two years ago. But a strong performance in accessories, new [...]
Security flaw leaves Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers exposed to fraud October 15, 2015 A security flaw could have left Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers exposed to online fraud, as customers’ account activities were left visible to anyone for as long as six years. No password was necessary to access personal account details, meaning that cyber crooks could have accessed accounts without needing to hack. It appears the breach [...]
City looks to end of year float flurry as companies prepare IPOs October 15, 2015 London flotations are bouncing back as investor confidence returns to the market, with a pipeline of new listings expected before Christmas. Initial public offerings (IPOs) were in short supply during the summer, with China’s slowing economy triggering global stock market mayhem and a sharp downturn in investor morale. But yesterday, McCarthy and Stone, which builds [...]
Just a Lidl bit: How the discount supermarket conquered the wine world October 14, 2015 Don’t tell anyone, but the other day I paid a visit to my local Lidl. I must be the first person to go there and spend more than I expected. There’s been a lot of hype about Lidl’s recently launched Wine Cellar collection. Still, I was sceptical, expecting to find wines that were cheap but [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK predictions: This year’s event is gearing up to be the UK’s first ever £1bn shopping day October 14, 2015 With the mania of Black Friday less than two months away, UK shoppers are getting ready to spend more money than they ever have before in one day. Retailers are braced for the biggest shopping day of the year, after last year’s frenzy shocked many unprepared sellers – and this year sales are set to [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK date and deals: The best offers to expect on 27 November, plus who were the winners and losers from last year October 14, 2015 Black Friday is less than seven weeks away – it falls on 27 November this year – and already consumer sites are full of predictions for which deals we'll be falling over ourselves (and other people) to pick up in 2015. We spent £810m last year, with John Lewis celebrating its biggest sales week of [...]
Will Waterstones’ e-books dump be a page-turner? October 14, 2015 Waterstones’ announcement last week that it would stop selling e-readers shows the major bookseller’s resilience in the face of growing online market penetration. The move comes after a few years that have seen the retailer dramatically cut its losses and amid hopes that 2016 is the year it finally returns to the black. [...]
China woes and miners’ troubles weigh on index – London Report October 14, 2015 MIXED Chinese economic data and falls in mining shares weighed on the FTSE 100 yesterday. However, declines were mitigated somewhat by a surge in drinks group SABMiller following a new takeover proposal from rival AB InBev. The blue-chip index, which fell on Monday to end an eight-day winning run, was down 0.5 per cent at [...]
Working Lunch: Brasserie Blanc, EC2 October 13, 2015 Melissa York on the best places to eat during office hours in the City and Canary Wharf WHAT? Raymond Blanc’s first City brasserie re-opened last month after a complete refurbishment. Gone are the fussy white tablecloths and pristine cutlery, in favour of rustic oak tables, thick ceramics, pendant light fixtures and vintage French mirrors. [...]
Treasury and Financial Conduct Authority open consultation to improve financial advice October 13, 2015 The Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have opened a consultation into what can be done to improve people’s access to financial advice. Financial advisers and members of the public have until just before Christmas to tell the government and the regulator what they think should be done differently, they said yesterday. The FCA has faced criticism in [...]