Black Friday UK 2014: John Lewis and Marks & Spencer set for bumper sales weekend as mega deals entice customers November 24, 2014 You can hardly move for Black Friday promotions this week. Everyone from Amazon to Asda and John Lewis to Very is getting in on the day. Electricals like TVs, tablets and other gadgets, designer watches, clothing and toys will all have cut price offers for the weekend that starts with Black Friday and ends with [...]
Black Friday to kick off £42bn Christmas spree November 23, 2014 Britons are expected to splurge £42.4bn in the run-up to Christmas – £1.5bn more than last year – as retailers brace themselves for an American-style Black Friday shopping frenzy set to take over their websites and stores this week. Sales are forecast to rise by four per cent year-on-year in the period starting from today [...]
From Ukip and bird flu to RBS and Lidl: 10 things we learned this week November 21, 2014 1. Ukip got its second member of parliament. Mark Reckless retook the seat he'd held as a Conservative. But that was really the side show to accusations of snobbish tweets and comments around immigration that were so inflamatory Ukip distanced itself from them. 2. Bird flu returned to the UK. It's unlikely to pose [...]
Christmas just got tougher for Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons: Lidl adds “discount” oysters to its deluxe range November 21, 2014 In a year dominated by the rise of the discount grocer, it's perhaps no surprise that Lidl and Aldi will be pulling out all the stops to bring consumers a bit of low-cost luxury. Lidl, which launched a £5 lobster in 2009, has a track record of doing exactly that but this year it's pulling [...]
Those who moan about brand Band Aid are missing the point November 21, 2014 Like many, I was – and still am – the proud owner of the 1984 original “Do They Know It’s Christmas” seven-inch. I was 10 years old, and had in that year been bombarded with harrowing pictures of far-off communities, visuals of malnourished dying children, babies, adults and animals with the backdrop of arid land; [...]
Hawker Typhoon, Cops’n’Robbers and the Flying Scotsman: Has Hornby got its mojo back? November 21, 2014 Alright, so you couldn't say it's steaming ahead – but after three profit warnings in two years, it looks like Hornby is back on track. The company behind Airfix and Scalextric said sales increased by eight per cent to £24.2m in the six months to the end of September, ending a run of bad luck. [...]
PwC restructuring ladies take over Fortnum & Mason for a night November 20, 2014 WEDNESDAY night saw the ladies from PwC’s restructuring team enjoy their fourth annual “Culinary Christmas Cracker” event at the epicurean bazaar of Fortnum & Mason. They were joined by guest speaker Jo Fairley, one of the founders of the Green & Blacks chocolate brand (pictured, far right with Heather Swanston, leader of the refinancing and [...]
Something for the weekend November 20, 2014 For a festive treat: winter wonderland Ice rink? Check. Fun fair? Check. 200 fairy-lit Bavarian wooden chalets? Check. Winter Wonderland, London’s most extravagantly christmassy spectacle, returns to Hyde Park today. Open every day from 10am-10pm. For a Christmas ride: Tally ho! cycle tour Tally Ho! have organised a cycle ride around all London’s best Christmas [...]
Christmas in London: Start planning your festive season November 20, 2014 As usual, London will be buzzing over the Christmas period. Here’s our selection of the best seasonal activities Swedish Christmas at Fika Head to Brick Lane for a Christmas dinner with a Scandinavian difference. Swedish bar and kitchen Fika is offering a traditional Scandi Christmas dinner from 1-23 December. The small, independent restaurant [...]
Beaver Close, Bonar Road and Spankers Hill Wood: Do you live in one of London’s rudest places? November 20, 2014 Britain is a funny old country, with lots of places whose names sound distinctly rude. If you're the sort of person who giggles at Cockfosters on the Tube map, then you will love this new contender for top Christmas novelty gift. After “many months and several thousand miles of field research”, lifestyle brand Strumpshaw, [...]