Asda launches price cuts as discount war hots up November 12, 2009 ASDA has raised the stakes in the Christmas price war by slashing £150m from the price of products in a discount drive designed to put pressure on its rivals. Asda, which has based its marketing on being the cheapest of the big four supermarkets, said consumers were still unwilling to part with cash. A day [...]
More pain for restaurants as firms cut back on Christmas November 12, 2009 THE number of restaurants falling into insolvency is set to rise again next year after one of the quietest corporate Christmases on record. The industry’s woes over the financial crisis have been well publicised by the difficulties experienced by the UK’s celebrity chefs. Gordon Ramsay revealed earlier this year that his restaurant empire had teetered [...]
Q&A: SALES November 12, 2009 Russell HuntDIRECTOR OF PROPERTY HUNT Q.Dear Russell, There’s not a lot on the market and I keep losing out. With Christmas coming up, I’m really tempted to put my search on hold until January. A.People are always asking about how best to succeed when there’s a lack of stock on the market and I would [...]
The best places to splash the cash with discretion November 11, 2009 MARCUS Wareing recently told City A.M. that ever since the start of the financial crisis, the phones have been ringing off the hook of his restaurant at the Berkeley Hotel with enquiries about the private dining room. “People are spending money,” he said. “They just don’t particularly want to be seen doing it.” It seems [...]
Japanese whisky, the spirit of Christmas November 11, 2009 IF JAPANESE whisky sounds like a joke – something akin to the Jamaican bobsleigh team, or Indian wine – then you clearly don’t know very much about spirits. At last year’s World Whisky Awards, Yoichi 20-year-old was voted the best whisky in the world, while Suntory’s Hibiki was voted the best blended whisky. If you [...]
CITY VIEWS: ARE YOU GOING TO BE A BIG SPENDER THIS CHRISTMAS November 11, 2009 ANDREW DICKSON BARCLAYS GLOBAL INVESTORS“I tend not to spend much at Christmas anyway, so I’ll spend about the same amount as usual on presents. But I think retail sales could fare well this year, particularly because cheap prices will open up more opportunities for shoppers.” MATT GROVER TINDALL RILEY“I’m going to spend about the same [...]
MARTHA LANE FOX ON SIDE FOR CITY LADIES November 11, 2009 WOMEN who’ve made it to the top in business are creatures all too rare, even in this day and age, so it’s refreshing to find someone who’s willing to put her cards on the table when it comes to supporting the fairer sex. Martha Lane Fox – government digital inclusion champion and co-founder of lastminute.com [...]
GREEN GEARS UP FOR XMAS November 11, 2009 BILLIONAIRE Sir Philip Green yesterday helped to launch a shopping initiative in London’s West End, ahead of the key Christmas trading period. The Top Shop-to-Bhs entrepreneur was promoting a traffic free day on 5 December to help lure shoppers to Oxford Street and Regent Street. Last year the event generated £150m of sales for West [...]
Character & colour November 10, 2009 CHOOSING an overcoat is a serious business. Likely to be the most substantial item in your wardrobe, your outer shell in winter needs to speak of your character and integrity as much as your fashion sense. It should be sober, ineffably elegant and well-made – a first-class overcoat should give decades of use rather than [...]
Family time or fun in the sun for Xmas? November 10, 2009 VEXED IN THE CITYSOLVING YOUR RECESSION PROBLEMS DEAR VEXED: I’ve been with my new girlfriend for six months and I’m absolutely mad about her. I planned to take her away for a surprise blast of Caribbean sun over Christmas – I’ve even put down a deposit on a room in a gorgeous hotel in Turks [...]