The retail champion who puts fame after business December 1, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks T-shirts and Small Business Saturday with Made in Chelsea’s Oliver Proudlock THE SERGE DeNimes headquarters is a cosy studio-cum-office, located exactly where you would expect for a business whose founder has found fame on Channel 4’s hugely-successful reality TV show Made In Chelsea. I’m hesitant about interviewing Oliver Proudlock, who, when not [...]
JD Sports shares climb as sales continue to rise November 29, 2013 JD Sports saw a 5.8 per cent increase in like-for-like sales between August and November, it said in an interim statement this morning. Shares have risen over five per cent this morning, following the news. The sports retailer had reported the same rise in sales in the 26 weeks to 3 August. The board says [...]
German spending slides on post-election uncertainty November 29, 2013 Retail sales fell for the second month in a row in Germany, declining 0.8 per cent in October and missing expectations of a 0.5 per cent rise. September's decrease was revised from 0.4 per cent to 0.2 per cent. The latest numbers see a year-on-year decrease of 0.2 per cent, following expectations of a [...]
Character Group is on track for a merry Christmas as profits return November 28, 2013 TOY PRODUCER and distributor Character Group may have a jolly Christmas after all, having swung from a loss in the first half of the year to a £720,000 pre-tax annual profit. The firm, which makes Peppa Pig, Postman Pat and Doctor Who toys, said a 25 per cent jump in international sales had helped offset [...]
Where to Drink: Warm your cockles this Christmas with a cocktail or craft beer at one of these new bar openings November 28, 2013 THE PARTY train is chugging full steam ahead as Christmas approaches. Perhaps Nick House and Kelly Brook have been inspired by the season for their new City venture, Steam and Rye, which takes cues from the Roaring Twenties and the Wild West. The massive venue is spread over three floors. The main room resembles Grand [...]
Life begins at Christmas as Giggs turns 40 November 28, 2013 EVERGREEN Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs, 40 today, feels the hectic festive period brings out the best in him. The Welshman rolled back the years on Wednesday to produce a commanding display as United routed Bayer Leverkusen 5-0 in the Champions League. United play the first of nine fixtures in December away at Tottenham on [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 28 November 2013 November 27, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES JPMorgan eyed metals unit in 2012 JPMorgan Chase drew up plans to sell part of its metals warehousing empire last year as it faced pressure to show regulators that the business fitted with the activities of a bank, according to newly released documents. American-US Airways merger cleared The long-running effort to merge US [...]
Royal Mail’s profits double pre-share sale November 27, 2013 SOARING margins boosted revenues at Royal Mail in the six months to September and doubled the firm’s operating profits, the postal operator said yesterday. In the months leading up to its privatisation the group’s revenues increased to £4.52bn – a rise of two per cent on the same period of 2012. In part that was driven [...]
Get-fit Diary: Learning to cook well proves an unexpected pleasure in week six November 27, 2013 I’m six weeks through an intensive get-fit programme, which involves not only hitting the gym four times a week, but completely overhauling the way I eat. It’s the latter aspect of the challenge that has proven most interesting, especially given my prior fondness for fast food and aversion to home cooking. For some reason the [...]
New Legend of Zelda game is a nostalgic hit for fans of the franchise November 27, 2013 REVIEW LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK BETWEEN WORLDS | by Steve Dinneen Four Stars ASK any gamer of a certain age – between around 25 and 45 – what their favourite title is, and I reckon you have about a 30 per cent chance of them naming one of the Legend of Zelda series. Nintendo [...]