Accountants expecting bumper bonuses as UK economy booms December 14, 2014 ACCOUNTANTS are set to receive their largest bonuses in four years, a specialist recruiter has said today. The average bonus for 2014/15 (April to April) is expected to be 19 per cent, according to research by Marks Sattin. This is up from the 2013/14 bonus of 17.5 per cent. Accountants last received a 19 per [...]
Lidl and Aldi see spending growth soar over 30pc December 14, 2014 Discount supermarkets, such as of Lidl and Aldi, are on track to be the clear winners in the lead up to Christmas with year-to-date spend growth of 31 per cent. Meanwhile, their mainstream rivals, including the big four of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrison’s, have seen spending fall 4.1 per cent in the same period, [...]
Weather bomb takes its toll on retail in the run up to Christmas December 14, 2014 Snow and rain across the north of Britain last week, the so-called weather bomb, took its toll on retail footfall as the number of shoppers heading to stores fell by 2.2 per cent. Retail parks shrugged off most of the drop with footfall rising 1.6 per cent during the week ending 13 December, but the [...]
The John Lewis Monty effect strikes again: Penguin confectionery flies off the shelves at Choc on Choc December 14, 2014 Bath-based, artisan chocolate brand, Choc on Choc has sold £260,000 worth of penguin confectionery in what the brand is calling the “Monty effect” following consumer hype around this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert. Since the debut of the Monty the Penguin advert, Choc On Choc has seen a huge surge in sales of its penguin [...]
Christmas jumper day turned out to be something of a cracker December 14, 2014 We asked… you delivered. Friday was probably the only day of the year when the brighter, the sillier, the most garish, the more glittery jumper imaginable was allowed in even the most staid of City offices. It was, of course, Christmas Jumper Day and it was all in a good cause, too – Save [...]
Jobless figures and MPC report at centre stage – London Week Ahead December 14, 2014 BY THE looks of this week’s economic calendar, traders thinking of taking off early for their Christmas holidays may be forced to rethink their travel plans. In the UK the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) last meeting will also be scrutinised. However, the report which has the greatest potential to move markets is [...]
Smartphones compared: How much storage do they really have? December 13, 2014 Most smartphones do not have as much free storage available as the companies that produce them claim, according to a new study by reviewing service Which? By looking at eight of the most popular smartphones, they found that a phone with an advertised 16 gigabytes of storage could have as little as 10 gigabytes [...]
From Vibease to Elon Musk’s underwhelming big reveal, here are nine of the worst inventions of 2014 December 13, 2014 If you're looking for Christmas present ideas, you've come to the wrong listicle. This is all about the worst inventions of 2014, and there have been some real crackers. If you end up with one of these under the tree, you know your family hate you. 1. Pizza Hut's mind-reading menu app We're pretty certain [...]
Lending Club flotation: It’s good news and bad news December 12, 2014 Lending Club is a US-based peer-to-peer (P2P) lender. It acts as a conduit for the passage of money from individuals and institutions to businesses. Some call that crowdfunding – though increasingly that term is being reserved for platforms that raise money for equity, or property investment, or special purposes such as charity. Whatever you [...]
Which supermarket has the cheapest petrol? Supermarkets announce price cuts as oil falls December 12, 2014 Major UK supermarkets have announced cuts in the cost of petrol and diesel in response to the fall in global oil prices. The biggest discounter is Asda, which will cut 2p per litre off the price of both petrol and diesel on 13 December. Sainsbury's was the first to cut prices on 11 December, announcing a cut of [...]