Why the love of your life is just a click away February 9, 2011 CHRISTMAS and New Year are over. You’re feeling fat, poor, anxious and – if you’re single – panicked. What do you do? You vow to go on a diet, you cut back on the expensive nights out and, in the hopes of sticking to the one resolution you really care about, you sign up to [...]
SuperGroup profit soars February 9, 2011 SuperGroup, the British company behind the Superdry fashion brand, posted an 87 per cent rise in third-quarter sales, showing strong trading momentum after a storming Christmas performance. The firm, whose clothes are a favourite of celebrities such as David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio and Zac Efron, said on Wednesday total sales were £81.7m in three months [...]
Clarity on plea bargaining is needed February 8, 2011 WHATEVER the final shape of the Bribery Act, which was once again delayed last week, one area that needs to be clarified is the question of plea bargaining. A number of cases have sown confusion in the minds of British businesses. Clarity on plea bargaining is now sorely needed. The confusion dates to July 2009 [...]
The screws are tightening, but it’s not torture yet February 8, 2011 CHINESE interest rate rises are, it seems, rather like coffee. The effect gets smaller with each extra dose. When the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) first announced an interest rate increase in mid-October last year, the trade-weighted dollar strengthened 1.7 per cent. The second rate rise, announced on Christmas day, produced a smaller reaction, but [...]
M&S poaches Tesco’s online guru Wade-Gery February 7, 2011 Upmarket retailer Marks & Spencer has poached Laura Wade-Gery from supermarket group Tesco to head its internet business, underscoring new boss Marc Bolland’s commitment to online sales growth. M&S, the UK’s biggest clothing retailer, said Wade-Gery is to join as executive director of multi-channel and e-commerce at a time and on terms to be confirmed. [...]
John Lewis warns over tough trading as sales fall February 4, 2011 John Lewis reported a second consecutive fall in weekly sales at its department stores and warned of tougher trading ahead as shoppers face higher prices, taxes and public spending cuts. However, the employee-owned group, which has long outperformed the broader retail sector, said on Friday it was still budgeting for growth for the year to [...]
LMVH sales up in luxury bounce back February 4, 2011 LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury group, posted forecast-beating fourth-quarter comparable sales boosted by strong Christmas trading, and proposed a higher dividend on the back of a record year. LVMH, whose Louis Vuitton brand accounts for half of group operating profit, said like-for-like revenue rose 13 per cent in the last quarter of 2010, beating analyst [...]
Oil majors curb the FTSE 100 despite solid corporate news February 3, 2011 BRITAIN’S top share index fell yesterday, hurt by Royal Dutch Shell as the oil major’s results were met with disappointment, while drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline rose after it decided to push ahead with a buyback programme. The FTSE 100 shed 16.73 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 5,983.34, after closing 0.7 per cent higher on Wednesday. The [...]
THE FAMOUS FIVE – ENGLAND’S FOES February 2, 2011 Italy NICK MALLETT’S Italy remain a work in progress, and will have their work cut out again to not collect the wooden spoon, as they have done for the past three years. But there are some positives, and the Azzurri are becoming more competitive, thanks in part to domestic powerhouses Benetton Treviso and Aironi Rugby’s [...]
Intelligent luxury for smart skiers at Les Domaines February 2, 2011 THE new Alpine luxury is understated, contemporary elegance in a traditional-looking wood building, with lots of hand-crafted features and discreet state-of-the-art facilities. It is located in a small and original village – not a purpose-built concrete bunker. These days, intelligent luxury means completely no-hassle holidays – you own your own property, but it is fully [...]