Sarries brush off Quins and target trophy sweep November 2, 2014 SARACENS assistant coach Joe Shaw insists his side plan an assault on all fronts this term after starting their LV=Cup campaign with a 25-20 success over Harlequins at Allianz Park yesterday. With both clubs selecting strong line-ups, the hosts took full advantage of a sluggish Quins start to lead 15-3 at the break before the [...]
Restaurant review: Tredwell’s – Marcus Wareing’s new venture in St Martin’s Lane October 29, 2014 Upper St Martin’s Lane, which neatly bisects the tourist wastelands of Leicester Square and Covent Garden, seems like the last place Marcus Wareing would pick for his third UK restaurant. His flagship venture “Marcus” – formerly Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley – is a two Michelin-starred love-letter to formal dining (and home to one of [...]
US consumer confidence hits seven-year high October 28, 2014 AMERICAN consumer confidence shot up to a seven-year high this month, according to an industry survey published yesterday. With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up in the next couple of months, the Conference Board’s findings will provide a boost to retailers across the pond. Respondents to the survey were more optimistic about both the US jobs [...]
The art of theft: Why do thieves steal famous paintings when they’re so hard to sell? October 28, 2014 On a freezing Stockholm evening just before Christmas 2000, a group of six to eight Middle Eastern men put into action a plan they’d been working on for months. The group parked cars in the middle of the three central roads leading to the Swedish National Museum and set them ablaze. As fire engines [...]
Stockings up lads, It’s nearly Christmas October 23, 2014 It’s that time of year, after all, and the eagerly-awaited Selfridges’ window displays in London’s Oxford Street revealed a theme of story-telling, including Sleeping Beauty, for the Yuletide season. Here finishing touches are made to one of the store’s 25 windows.
Amazon shares tank after hours following huge $437m losses October 23, 2014 SHARES in online giant Amazon fell sharply last night after the retailer announced a $437m loss in the third quarter, much higher than the $41m loss it reported for the same period a year before. Ten per cent was wiped off the company share price in after-hours trading, following the shock results. The online superstore [...]
The good, the bad and the ugly: What the analysts say about Tesco October 23, 2014 It’s another dark day for Tesco. The supermarket's estimated £250m profit black hole was even larger than expected at £263m, £70m of which came prior to the period it initially identified as problematic. Profits collapsed 91.9 per cent as it took the hit of the accounting error, it completely ditched its forecasts, cash flow was [...]
Debenhams share price dips as 21 per cent fall in profits revealed October 23, 2014 Debenhams' share price opened lower this morning, after the retailer revealed a 20.6 per cent fall in pre-tax profit for the last year. Over the 12 months to August 30, the department store chain saw underlying pre-tax profit drop to £110.3m, in line with expectations, while reported pre-tax profit fell 23.9 per cent to [...]
Tesco firefighter Dave Lewis has no time to pause as results come in October 22, 2014 It's day 53 for Dave Lewis as chief executive of Tesco. Ordinarily, that might be a time for a new boss to pause for breath, but the firefighting engulfing him since his arrival looks like the first act of a much longer-term drama. The word emerging from Tesco’s Cheshunt HQ is that there will [...]
FTSE rises after Glaxo sets out recovery plan – London Report October 22, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index yesterday ended higher, with motor insurers advancing on news of an increase in car premiums and drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline rising after its results. The FTSE 100 finished 0.4 per cent higher at 6,399.73 points. It had fallen more than 10 per cent in four weeks before making a marginal recovery since late [...]