Geek Speak: Hands-on review: the new PS4 December 18, 2013 It’s the most powerful console in the world – but is it the one you should buy this Christmas? @steve_dinneen PLAYSTATION 4Sony | £349.99Four Stars EARLY reports that Sony’s next gen console is out-selling Microsoft’s Xbox One now seem premature – the latest figures have them locked in a dead heat. While Microsoft has pinned [...]
Some games to get you through Christmas December 18, 2013 Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag The Assassin’s Creed franchise has been rumbling on for years but the latest iteration promises something a bit different – this time you take the role of a swashbuckling pirate pillaging his way through the lush Caribbean. The graphics alone make this worth a look. Knack This on-rails adventure isn’t [...]
Is the Christmas shopping boost to retail sales really that positive? December 18, 2013 Retail sales picked up significant pace in the first half of December, as shoppers took a pre-Christmas breather in October and November before the festive rush. The Confederation of British Industry's Distributive Trades Survey came in at 34, rocketing past November's figure of one, the consensus forecast of 10, and matching September's 15-month high. Orders [...]
Supermarkets slump as half of UK shoppers head to discounters December 17, 2013 FOR THE first time ever, more than half of the UK shopped in either an Aldi or Lidl in the last three months, putting pressure on bigger retailers as the shift toward discount shopping continues unabated. Sales at Aldi surged by 30.7 per cent in the 12 weeks to 8 December while its smaller discount rival [...]
Debenhams demands a little help from its suppliers (again) December 17, 2013 SUPPLIERS to Debenhams got a nasty shock yesterday when the retail giant wrote to them asking for a contribution to the group’s recent investment programme. It’s not the first time they have been asked for extra support. Earlier this year they were asked to extend payment terms from 90 to 120 days. In the latest [...]
Bottom Line: Aldi and Lidl are not just for Christmas December 17, 2013 IF, AS the saying goes, the customer is always right, then the future of British grocery shopping could soon start to look very different. In the past three months, one in two of us has been to either Aldi or Lidl – the so-called budget supermarkets that now make up a combined seven per cent of [...]
Supermarket fuel war reignites as Tesco and Asda drop prices December 17, 2013 THE SUPERMARKET fuel price war sparked off once again yesterday, after two major chains introduced new price cuts, effective from this morning. Tesco and Asda are both dropping the price of petrol by up to 2p per litre and diesel by 1p per litre. Spokespersons from Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s confirmed yesterday that they were not [...]
Brand Index: Never mind the hare and bear – Brits are going budget December 17, 2013 OUR RECENT online focus group of people from the so-called “squeezed middle” revealed that they are not feeling the benefits of the economic recovery and also have virtually no faith in politicians (from any political party) to help improve their lot. This week I will delve into which brands the squeezed middle are warming to this [...]
High street retail sales catch chill December 17, 2013 High street stores have failed to win over consumers’ wallets so far this month, according to figures released yesterday by BDO, which shows a decline in sales. Like-for-like retail sales fell by 2.6 per cent year-on-year during the first two weeks of December, driven primarily by a 4.5 per cent drop in fashion sales, according [...]
At home with Jamie Dimon: The JP Morgan boss shows us his backhand in this panoramic family-packed Christmas card December 17, 2013 LAST week we revelled in political Christmas cards; the good, the bad and the er, down right weird (yes, you, Godfrey Bloom). Today we bring you corporate Christmas cards US style – in the form of JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon’s card. And what a card it is. Not content with using one side of a [...]