Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2014: Could Manic Monday beat both to become the biggest retail day of the year? November 25, 2014 With Black Friday bargains from the biggest retailers including Amazon, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Currrys PC World, UK shoppers are expected to go hell for leather in the lead up to Christmas this year. But two firms are fighting against the consensus that says Black Friday and Cyber Monday will see us [...]
Aldi takes on Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges with luxury wine discounts this Christmas November 25, 2014 German discounter Aldi is going up against the likes of luxury retailers Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges this Christmas. It's offering a new range of "Super Premium" fine wines, in a bid to attract more luxury shoppers to its stores. The high-end drinks will retail for around 78 per cent less than their usual market [...]
Black Friday 2014: Christmas now “front of mind” for UK shoppers, says John Lewis November 25, 2014 Christmas is “now front of mind” for shoppers, John Lewis has said, with weekly sales reaching £114.2m as the business heads into the Black Friday weekend. Despite tough comparisons, John Lewis' sales rose 2.1 per cent year-on-year, and five per cent week-on-week. Last week was the first time this year that sales were above [...]
Black Friday UK 2014: Where are the best bargains for must-have Christmas toys? November 25, 2014 As the countdown to Black Friday – November 28 if you're wondering – continues, the big question is exactly which items will be going on sale. Luckily for you, the Toy Retailers Association has today unveiled its DreamToys, the gifts that the industry has judged “must have” Christmas crackers. The list has pedigree [...]
Aldi gives us a Lidl bill of the week for Christmas #FestiveFeast with chef Jean-Christophe Novelli November 24, 2014 The Cotes du Rhone and Riesling were free-flowing at terribly trendy Home House members club last night, but it wasn’t serving its usual crowd. Discount supermarket warrior Aldi was hosting its #FestiveFeast, along with celeb chef Jean-Christophe Novelli – serving a five-course Christmas meal to a room full of customers who won their seats [...]
Christmas for food lovers: The best new cookbooks November 24, 2014 There is no shortage of cookbooks emerging in time for Christmas. We pick out some of our favourites, featuring mouth-watering cuisine from across the globe. MEXICO Margarita Carrillo Arronte You haven’t tried pulled pork until you’ve tried it Mexican style. That’s just one of the dishes in this bible of Mexican cooking from [...]
London Christmas markets 2014: Where to shop, eat and be merry November 24, 2014 One of the best things about Christmas in London is the variety of markets on offer. Whether you want to browse, eat, drink or do some dedicated Christmas shopping, there will be somewhere nearby when you're in the capital. From the traditional stalls in Belgravia market to the funky arts and crafts market [...]
Tesco: Black Friday will beat Boxing Day sales November 24, 2014 Tesco is betting the farm on Black Friday. The troubled supermarket, whose share price has plummeted more than 15 per cent since it admitted to having “overstated” its profits in September, is going all out for the sales bonanza day, which falls on November 28. To ensure some of the multi-billion-pound spend goes in [...]
The best places to look for Black Friday deals 2014: John Lewis, Amazon, Marks & Spencer, Very, Curry’s PC World and Halfords November 24, 2014 Retailers are gearing up for Black Friday to be one of – if not the – biggest online shopping day of the year, with hundreds of promotions being planned to tempt consumers to join the spending bonanza. According to the Centre for Retail Research, shoppers will spend £1.32bn over the four days between Black [...]
TfL does something ahead of schedule for once: Bond Street tube station re-opens for Jubilee line London Underground travellers November 24, 2014 Christmas shoppers can enjoy the relief of easy access to the heart of London’s shopping district, as Bond Street station partially re-opens for business today. However beleaguered secret santas weighed down with stocking-fillers will have to wait until mid-December to use the tube station as an escape route from the busy retail hub. [...]