Sony hits sales record for new games console November 17, 2013 SONY racked up more than 1m PlayStation 4 (PS4) sales in just 24 hours following its US and Canadian launch on Friday. The fast-selling console puts Sony on track to hit its target of 3m sales by the end of the financial year, and 5m PlayStation 4’s sold by March. “Sales remain very strong in [...]
Where to drink November 17, 2013 LONDON bears many nightlife gifts in the run up to Christmas. Pleasure seekers can revel in Mason House, a 5000 sqft high-end nightclub on Argyll Street that has been designed to resemble a Masonic Temple. Guests enter the club through the crypt before arriving in an atmospheric main room fitted with neon installations, banquet seating, [...]
Ted Baker’s autumn range is a hit as it continues overseas push November 14, 2013 TED BAKER shares surged over five per cent yesterday after the fashion retailer revealed that group sales leapt by 24.4 per cent to £77m in the third quarter of the year. The company said all channels were flourishing, with retail sales up 19.8 per cent to £58.1m in the 13 weeks to 9 November, driven [...]
Blockbuster to slash 452 jobs and 72 stores November 14, 2013 Blockbuster administrators, Moorfields Corporate Recovery, have announced that the DVD and video-game rental chain will be closing 72 stores and axing 452 jobs. In a statement issued on Thursday, the administrators said: This has not been an easy decision to make and we acknowledge that, with Christmas on the horizon, this will be extremely upsetting [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 14 November 2013 November 13, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Cameron calls for cuts in phone bills David Cameron is urging mobile phone companies to give customers a better deal as the prime minister fights to win ground in the battle over the rising cost of living. Downing Street has instructed Maria Miller and her officials in the Department for Culture, Media and [...]
Sainsbury’s has sales boom to outpace rivals November 13, 2013 SHARES in Sainsbury’s rose three per cent yesterday, making it the biggest riser in the FTSE 100, after the supermarket chain posted a surge in half-year sales and profits. Sainsbury’s is the only one of the big four supermarkets to be growing its market share, with data from Nielsen last month confirming that it had [...]
Bottom Line: Christmas comes early for King November 13, 2013 THEY say good things come to those who wait. Yesterday, almost a week after rival retailers Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Morrisons released their Christmas adverts, the UK’s fastest growing supermarket revealed its own tear-jerker – a three-and-a-half minute mini-film that aired during last night’s Coronation Street. The film, which shows clips of ordinary [...]
New Look chief says IPO at least 12 months away November 12, 2013 NEW LOOK chief executive Anders Kristiansen yesterday poured cold water on rumours that the group was planning a return to market, stating that an initial public offering could be at least a year away. The last months have seen a wave of public listing including Bargain Booze owner Conviviality Retail, with retailers Bonmarche and Poundland [...]
Brand Index: The secret recipe for Share a Coke’s massive success November 12, 2013 COCA-COLA’S Share a Coke campaign, for which the company replaced its label with 150 of Britain’s most popular first names, was the marketing champion of the summer. The company is now looking to build on that success for the holidays with a new campaign that encourages consumers to “Share a Coke with Santa”. At YouGov, [...]
High street under pressure after Barratts and Blockbuster collapse November 12, 2013 BRITAIN’S embattled high street has been dealt a fresh blow ahead of Christmas after shoe retailer Barratts and film rental chain Blockbuster fell into administration yesterday. Advisory firm Duff & Phelps said it has been hired as administrator to Barratts after it collapsed for the third time in four years, placing more than 1,000 jobs [...]