SIR STUART UNVEILS A CELEBRITY CRUSH AND A HOT ‘N’ SPICY FETISH November 4, 2009 SIR Stuart Rose was on fire yesterday as he churned out Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) half-year figures in his customary staccato tones, pausing only to dwell upon his favourite subjects. The presentation, you see, included the unveiling of the retailer’s latest Christmas advertising campaign, which will this year feature regulars singer Myleene Klass and model [...]
M&S beats forecasts as it says no to discounting November 4, 2009 MARKS & SPENCER (M&S) yesterday said that there would be no blanket promotions that dominated the high street last year in the run up to the Christmas period, after its half year sales beat City forecasts. Executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose yesterday said that this year included very different circumstances. He said: “Last year people [...]
Christmas retail sales will bounce back, says report November 3, 2009 BRITISH retail sales will rise 1.9 per cent over Christmas, bouncing back from last year’s decline, but below the increases of the previous nine years, according to research published yesterday. The Centre for Retail Research forecast retail sales would rise £832m to £44.7bn in the last six weeks of 2009. That compares with a £27m [...]
CITY’S BIG SPENDERS PROVE EASY TARGET FOR DEN OF DEBAUCHERY November 3, 2009 AFTER all the talk of City types shying away from blowing their cash in lap-dancing clubs in these bleak post-crisis days, it comes as a bit of a surprise to see that one such chain has opened up yet another den of debauchery on the fringe of the Square Mile. Yes, club operator Secrets, which [...]
CITY EYE November 3, 2009 CITY workers thronged the area around St Paul’s Cathedral last night for the switching on of the Christmas lights. Actor Bob Hoskins did the honours with the lights, while the entertainment was provided by pop star Little Boots, the St Paul’s Cathedral Choir, the cast of West End musical Hairspray and wrinkly Eighties crooners Spandau [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS November 2, 2009 WINTER COCKTAILS AT PEARLCosy up with Pearl Bar’s four new wintry cocktails – two hot, two cold. Winter Snug is a blend of Tia Maria, Meukow liqueur, double cream, jivara chocolate and hot milk, while the wine is jazzed up with zinfandel, berry, ginger and lemongrass cordial, cinnamon syrup, amaretto, chestnut liqueur and cloves. If [...]
Postal union in legal fight over temps November 2, 2009 THE Communication Workers Union (CWU) will on?Friday ask the High Court to issue an injunction against Royal Mail to stop it from taking on 30,000 agency workers. The CWU believes that Royal Mail is breaking the law because it is illegal to take on staff to cover workers involved in a lawful industrial dispute, according [...]
Consumers plan thrifty Xmas November 2, 2009 Consumers are planning to spend less on gifts this Christmas than last year as they worry about rising unemployment and taxes, putting into question signs of a recovery in consumer spending, a survey showed yesterday. Broker Execution interviewed a representative sample of 2,000 Britons in October and found participants on average plan to spend £358 [...]
BA workers to vote on Xmas strike action November 2, 2009 BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA), the ailing flag-carrier, was dealt another blow yesterday after the Unite union said results of a ballot on strike action would be announced mid-December. The decision to kick off the vote next week came after thousands of cabin crew met at Sandown racecourse yesterday to thrash out a response to BA’s cost-cutting [...]
Sun, sea and Arabian Delights November 1, 2009 THERE are many parts of the world about which I am pessimistic but Dubai, despite its recent economic woes, is not one of them. Nobody else in the Middle East has pulled off what Dubai has achieved: a peaceful, capitalist, multi-ethnic state based on commerce, property, finance, entertainment and tourism. While it has been engulfed [...]