Mulberry’s rescue plan bears fruit: Godfrey Davis explains why its core shoppers are returning to the brand April 9, 2015 Godfrey Davis knows better than anyone who Mulberry’s loyal customers are. During his 10 years as chief executive, he successfully grew the luxury brand’s circle of followers. The allure of It-girl Alexa Chung and the handbag she inspired helped to propel the brand, and its sales, closer into the ranks of the elite luxury brands. [...]
Ma Filleule can silence big guns up at Aintree April 8, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE OPENING DAY OF THE CRABBIE’S GRAND NATIONAL MEETING AT AINTREE ANYONE who witnessed Holywell’s demolition of the Mildmay Novices’ Chase field at this meeting 12 months ago will find it pretty hard to oppose the AP McCoy-ridden eight-year-old in the Betfred Bowl (2.50pm) at Aintree this afternoon. He jumped and galloped [...]
Bafta TV awards 2015: Benedict Cumberbatch wins third leading actor nomination for Sherlock April 8, 2015 Benedict Cumberbatch received his sixth Leading Actor nomination at the Bafta Television Awards today, the third for his starring role in Sherlock. Other BBC dramas Happy Valley and The Missing also featured prominently in Bafta's nominations, with both receiving nods in the best drama series and leading actress and actor categories for Sarah Lancashire and [...]
TNT Express share price rises on FedEx’s €4.4bn bid April 7, 2015 Shares in Dutch firm TNT Express leapt by a third yesterday after FedEx announced a €4.4bn (£3.2bn) all-cash offer to acquire the beleaguered delivery giant. TNT has struggled since European regulators prevented it from merging with UPS in 2013, with its market share declining by five per cent leading to a €137m loss in the [...]
Have brands “hijacked” Easter? I’d say it’s an egg-cellent idea April 5, 2015 It’s funny how we so often link food to religious events: hot-cross buns on Good Friday; Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and Simnel cake during Lent. So who could blame brands trying to do the same thing: Coco-Cola’s land-grab for the Christmas holidays – and, more relevant to this time of year, Cadburys' chocolate egg-gifting [...]
Asos UK sales soar but half year profit is cut by 10pc April 1, 2015 Asos' share price soared more than six per cent this morning after releasing a bullish statement for the rest of the year. The figures Asos has reported a rise in group revenue for the first half to 28 February, with group sales climbing. 14 per cent. UK retail sales soared 27 per cent but profit before [...]
“Politicians are scared of telling the truth”: Circle blames Hinchingbrooke hospital failure on unequal spending cuts across the NHS March 31, 2015 Exclusive: Today, the NHS's biggest privatisation experiment ever comes to an expensive and embarrassing end – Circle Healthcare, which was chosen by the government three years ago to turn around the troubled Hinchingbrooke hospital in Cambridgeshire, is abandoning the project seven years early, leaving behind a deficit of between £7.7m and £12m. What's more, the [...]
Moulton attacks MPs on City Link March 30, 2015 VETERAN venture capitalist Jon Moulton yesterday hit back at MPs who criticised the collapse of delivery firm City Link as acting “outside the normal rules of natural justice”. Moulton runs Better Capital, the private equity firm that owned City Link, which collapsed last Christmas. In a letter to MPs – sent as parliament was dissolved [...]
Tube closure, rail disruption and roadworks: Everything you need to know about the Easter bank holiday London travel disruptions at Euston, Paddington and Liverpool Street March 30, 2015 It looks like this weekend is set to be another classic London bank holiday, with miserable weather and even more miserable transport. As well as the usual weekend Tube closures and roadworks – which run from Friday until Monday – works are due to take place at many of the capital's main stations. Remember National [...]
Savers rush to fill their Isas as personal finance “Christmas sales” approach March 30, 2015 It's that time of the year again – as the end of the tax year approaches, the nation's cash-rich are in a savings frenzy, hurrying to stow as much in an Isa as possible. In fact, financial adviser Hargreaves Lansdown suggests, savers will put £2.6bn into stocks and shares Isas this week. According to the [...]