Christmas cheer kicks off with card spending boost December 9, 2013 A SEASONAL boost in consumer spending began last month, with new figures from millions of credit and debit cards showing a three per cent increase from October. Online sales were particularly popular in November, according to Barclaycard, swelling to just over a fifth of all spending. Black Friday’s frenzied shopping has now arrived from the [...]
Online frenzy drives growth at John Lewis ahead of Christmas December 8, 2013 JOHN Lewis posted a 1.8 per cent rise in sales to £144.5m in the week to 7 December, boosted by another record performance by its online business. Johnlewis.com sales rose 22 per cent compared to the same week last year – a second consecutive week in which the site has taken over a third of [...]
Harry’s team asks you to walk home for Xmas December 8, 2013 ADVERSE weather conditions may have slowed Prince Harry’s trek to the South Pole but a UK-based event in support of Walking With The Wounded, backed by City A.M., is still rolling full steam ahead. Glenfiddich, Prince Harry’s team, has been banging the drum for Walking Home for Christmas from all the way down in Antarctica. [...]
Searching for Santa in the Arctic December 8, 2013 Katie Hope and her four-year-old son James embark on an 18-hour journey to find the real Father Christmas TRACKING down Father Christmas in Lapland is akin to hunting an extremely rare and precious species. Come December, his impersonators are lurking everywhere you look, but the genuine article is tucked away in the icy depths of [...]
Spectacle but no Disney sparkle December 8, 2013 FILM FROZEN Cert PG | By Melissa York Two Stars IT’S ABOUT time Disney set a film in Scandinavia – and what better time to do it than Christmas? Frozen is very loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen; thankfully, there are no children running around with shards of troll mirror glass in [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 6 December 2013 December 5, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Lew urges race to top on bank reform Jack Lew, the US treasury secretary, warned that US financial reforms aimed at ending the problem of banks that are “too big to fail” would fall short unless international regulators held global banks to the same high standards. The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is [...]
Silicon Valley Bank’s Got Christmas Talent December 5, 2013 GET YOUR secret Santa pressies ready and start crafting those turkey vol-au-vents; ‘tis the season for Christmas parties. While we’re remaining tight lipped about the City A.M. bash, The Capitalist has heard Silicon Valley Bank held its festive fiesta last night at Vinopolis, near London Bridge. But rather than simply sit down to a Christmas [...]
AG Barr’s sales fizz thanks to summer heat December 5, 2013 THE SUMMER heatwave increased Britons’ thirst for AG Barr’s fizzy drinks, the company said yesterday, as it posted another quarter of strong sales growth. The Irn-Bru maker said revenues surged eight per cent in the 18 weeks to 1 December compared with the same time last year, while volume sales also increased by 6.4 per [...]
Royal Mail deal ends strike fear December 4, 2013 ROYAL Mail said yesterday it had reached an agreement in principle with union members on pay and pensions, removing the risk of a strike taking place during the company’s busy Christmas period. The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents Royal Mail staff, had at one point threatened to strike after talks faltered. “The CWU has [...]
Festive formal wear suits you December 4, 2013 Get suited up for the Christmas party season in one of these dinner jackets Etro Embossed Velvet Jacket £925, harrods.com Take paisley a step further by embossing it onto your dinner jacket. With a satin trim and a printed silk lining, this jacket is sure to liven up any suit this party season. Ami Tuxedo [...]