Where to get spooked in the City tomorrow October 29, 2012 WITH Halloween almost upon us, supermarket Asda has conjured up some facts and figures on the annual fright night. Given that the 31 October was a rather insignificant day in the British diary 10 years ago, The Capitalist was surprised to learn that the UK Halloween market is now worth £300m. Poor old Guy Fawkes [...]
Virgin Atlantic pushes back over easyJet’s exclusive Moscow deal October 28, 2012 VIRGIN Atlantic boss Steve Ridgway hopes to contest a decision to award easyJet a licence to fly to Moscow, calling the situation “bizarre”. The airline is combing through last week’s decision by the Civil Aviation Authority to allow easyJet to operate services to the city, under an arrangement with Russia that allows just two carriers [...]
Debenhams to open 17 stores as sales pick up October 25, 2012 DEBENHAMS yesterday revealed it is to open 17 UK stores next year and announced its first Christmas campaign in six years as the department store group posted a 1.6 per cent rise in like-for-like sales. Chief executive Michael Sharp said the group plans to lure shoppers and bolster sales during the crucial Christmas trading period [...]
Fifty Shades and Olympics harm Harry Potter printer Bloomsbury October 25, 2012 HARRY Potter publisher Bloomsbury has seen profits almost halve in the last six months as sales of its children’s and educational books have suffered. The firm also said sales of adult books had been lower than expected, due to the market being dominated by Fifty Shades Of Grey and the disruptive effect of the Olympics. [...]
Unfazed by viewings? Keen to sell? Keep your house on the market October 25, 2012 DIRECTOR, DOUGLAS & GORDON Q My flat has been for sale for 6 months and I think I should take it off and try again in the New Year. My agent doesn’t agree, who’s right? A Selling your home is stressful. Keeping your things in storage, having to keep your place tidy in case buyers [...]
Riders angry at Armstrong, says Wiggins October 24, 2012 TOUR de France champion Bradley Wiggins has joined fellow British cycling star Mark Cavendish in venting his frustration at the damage done to the sport by fallen great Lance Armstrong. Wiggins said he and his contemporaries shouldered an extra burden now that Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour titles and banned for life [...]
BBC boss denies cover-up over Savile sexual abuse claims October 23, 2012 THE head of the BBC yesterday denied helping to cover up sexual abuse by one of its former stars but accepted the broadcaster had been damaged by a scandal that has shaken public trust in a national institution. George Entwistle, who was announced as the 90-year-old media organisation’s new boss in August, told MPs that [...]
Burton is back to his best with horror romp October 18, 2012 FILM FRANKENWEENIE Cert PG **** Only TIM Burton could have got away with making Frankenweenie. I can just hear the pitch: “I want to shoot a feature-length, black and white, stop-motion animation about a dead dog”. Frankenweenie, though, is undoubtedly the most lovingly crafted feature-length, black and white, stop-motion animation about a dead dog ever [...]
City A.M. Awards 2012 Winners October 17, 2012 City A.M.'s third annual awards celebrating the best and brightest of London's business, financial and investment communities. Over 500 guests from 116 different firms attended the celebration, held at the Grange Hotel in St Paul's. PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR Lord CoeLocog chairman Former Olympic middle distance runner and politician Lord Coe was a clear stand-out [...]
Rentokil gears up for City Link sell off option October 14, 2012 RENTOKIL Initial, the business service group, is set to conduct a make or break review of its loss making delivery arm City Link at the end of the year with a view to selling off the business. The FTSE firm, which offers pest control, laundry and parcel delivery services, is gearing up to sell the [...]