Retailers fight to win custom over Christmas January 7, 2013 SIGNS of a gloomy Christmas are piling up for British retailers, as two sets of research out today suggest that wary customers kept a close eye on their spending during December. A survey of retailers by accountancy firm BDO points to a “good if not exceptional” Christmas, with like-for-like sales up 1.93 per cent on [...]
Tesco attracts investor support as it defends use of private planes January 7, 2013 TESCO’s fleet of private jets, used to ferry its executives around the globe, has been laid bare for the first time as a leading City figure sprang to defend the firm over the use of the planes. The supermarket giant, which reveals its much-anticipated Christmas trading figures on Thursday, operates a subsidiary, Kansas Transportation, to [...]
Grocers set to unveil festive trading figures January 7, 2013 TESCO is expected to emerge as the winner of a tough Christmas trading period for Britain’s big four supermarkets as weak consumer confidence, falling real incomes and rising real prices put pressure on the sector. Analysts predict the grocer will on Thursday post a one per cent rise in UK like-for-like sales for the six [...]
High street and high-end shops to reveal holiday performances January 7, 2013 A HOST of retailers are due to give a glimpse of how they have performed over the key Christmas period this week. Marks & Spencer is expected to reveal a bruising set of numbers in its trading statement on Thursday. Nomura expects the high street giant to post UK like-for-like sales 1.4 per cent lower [...]
Bean counters swap the office for pantomime January 7, 2013 ONLY a couple of weeks to go now until PwC brushes away the post-festive cobwebs with the highlight of every drag-loving accountants calendar – the 27th annual Christmas cross-dressing pantomime. Over 200 staff and alumni are donning lycra and wigs for the production of Peter Pan, including a few cheeky cameos from board members Richard [...]
M&A lawyer bags holiday to Antigua in our reader survey January 7, 2013 A HUGE thank you to the record number of readers who filled in our survey, offering us lots of welcome feedback and suggestions for the paper. The close to 2,200 readers who participated were entered into a fantastic prize draw to win a holiday for two at Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa. The Capitalist [...]
January Bank rates are likely to stay steady January 7, 2013 THE European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to keep interest rates on hold when it meets for its first policy meeting this year, analysts predict. “We believe the continued improvement in the forward-looking survey data will have been sufficient to stay the hand of those on the council who last month were willing to wait [...]
Government loans aren’t hand outs January 7, 2013 LAST week, the government announced the expansion of its start-up loan scheme, headed up by serial entrepreneur James Caan. Originally aimed at 18 to 24 year olds, and with funding of £82m, the loans are now available to anyone aged up to 30 and the total amount of funding will increase to £112m. The inevitable [...]
Madrid might just be the best capital city you’ve never been to January 6, 2013 TO MOST Brits, Barcelona is the Spanish city. The whacky cathedral by Gaudi that isn’t finished almost 90 years after he died, “Barca” the only football team in the world that leads a debate on independence, Las Ramblas, F1, the list goes on. Yet to the Spanish, Madrid is their Capital, not just in name [...]
How can sport in 2013 possibly live up to the fun of 2012? Luckily, we have no idea January 6, 2013 IF I had a pound for every person who put a note in their Christmas card saying “how on earth will the sport of 2013 match 2012?”, I’d have four pounds. But fear not, miseries. A vintage 12 months lies ahead, starting with jockey Frankie Dettori winning Celebrity Big Brother, and then after a brief [...]