FOREVER 21 TO OPEN AT LAKESIDE July 4, 2011 US FASHION giant Forever 21 has announced it will open a new flagship store at Capital Shopping Centres’ Lakeside, in Essex. Forever 21 will open for Christmas 2013 after a revamp at Lakeside, which will also see new flagship stores for BHS and TopShop/TopMan. A total of 35,000 sq ft of new space will be [...]
Ancient and modern wonders July 3, 2011 THE Eternal City has had a 21st-century makeover. In the last few years, daring new architect-designed buildings have been springing up, while workmen sing along to Tony Bennett: “The glory that was Rome/Is of another day.” The Auditorium Parco della Musica was created by Renzo Piano, and took 12 years to build. The American architect [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: WILL HMV’S CHANGE IN TACK HELP SAVE THE BUSINESS? June 30, 2011 JOHN STEVENSON | PEEL HUNT Adjusted profit before tax is broadly in line with regularly downgraded market expectations. There is no radical change in strategy, with a much larger footprint set to be dedicated to technology, while live earnings are likely to be offset by the decline in the core business. NICK BUBB | ARDEN [...]
STRICTLY BUSINESS BRIEF ENDS VINCE CABLE’S DANCING DREAM June 28, 2011 THERE is something bothering business secretary Vince Cable – and it’s not the separation of retail and investment banking, the Greek debt crisis or even waging war on Rupert Murdoch. No – Cable is concerned his demanding day job could mean he never fulfils his dream of returning to Strictly Come Dancing for a full [...]
Thorntons and Carpetright to shut branches June 28, 2011 HIGH street chocolate seller Thorntons and carpet retailer Carpetright yesterday warned they will both shut more branches in a bid to trim costs and stay afloat. Thorntons, which gave a profit warning in May, said a minimum of 120 shops would shut, with the possibility of an extra 60 closures. The group currently has 227 [...]
Sony unveils new console and apologises for elephant in room June 7, 2011 THE other big announcement from LA was from Sony, which finally released details of its new portable console. After issuing a grovelling apology to its users over the security breach that brought its PlayStation Network (PSN) to its knees, Sony showed off the Vita, calling it its biggest release since the PlayStation 3 five years [...]
RENT June 2, 2011 Q&A Q.We are looking into purchasing a buy to let investment. Is there a better time of year to do this? A.The central London lettings market is seasonal to an extent. Traditionally the busiest months of the year are January, June, September and October. The months to avoid if possible are December, April and August. [...]
INTEL UNVEILS ULTRA-THIN NOTEBOOK May 31, 2011 INTEL yesterday invented a category of ultra-thin, affordable notebooks. They will be powered by its second generation Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors, as the firm looks to take on Apple chipmaker ARM in the portable computing stakes. Intel plans to price the devices – which it is calling the Ultrabook – at under $1,000 [...]
CITY BIRDS SWOOP ON GULLS’ EGGS LUNCHEON May 17, 2011 THE City’s summer season is officially underway, marked by yesterday’s Macmillan Gulls’ Eggs City Luncheon at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall. The quirky institution serves guests green speckled gulls’ eggs – which are only in season for four weeks of the year – as they get stuck into some serious networking. “It is like Linked In [...]
Tesco to appeal to “aspirational” shoppers May 10, 2011 Tesco plans to create new brands to spruce up its product ranges and appeal to increasingly aspirational shoppers across the world, its new chief executive said. Phil Clarke, outlining his strategy for the supermarket group, also said Tesco would be online in all 15 of its markets this decade and, while it would continue to [...]