SIGNED, SEALED, UNDELIVERED October 12, 2009 IN A FURTHER blow to Royal Mail’s reputation, the department chain and supermarket-owner John Lewis yesterday said it would use other firms to deliver its wares. The firm said: “We have ensured that postal strikes don’t affect our customers by switching the business to other carriers.” Royal Mail is considering a series of rolling strikes [...]
Ted Baker smashes forecasts October 8, 2009 Designer brand Ted Baker said trading was exceeding its hopes and reaction to its autumn and winter ranges had been “encouraging”, as it posted a better than feared fall in first-half profit, sending its shares higher. Analysts upgraded pre-tax profit forecasts for the year to the end of January 2010 and finance director Lindsay Page [...]
Amazon’s Kindle could annoy the publishing trade October 8, 2009 AT last, Amazon’s much-hyped Kindle is upon us, with a Europe-wide release date scheduled for 19 October. For anyone who doubts just how big e-books are going to be, consider this: the Kindle version of Dan Brown’s latest book, The Lost Symbol, is outselling the hardcover edition on Amazon. Earlier this week, Forrester Research upped [...]
WINTER OF DISCONTENT October 8, 2009 BRITAIN is facing a “winter of discontent” with strikes looming at Royal Mail, British Airways, Irish carrier Aer Lingus, and electronics giant Fujitsu. Staff at Royal Mail yesterday voted three to one in favour of a national strike, which is set to bring misery to businesses over the Christmas period, while costing London hundreds of [...]
BAs’ unions threaten strike action if staff are forced to leave the airline October 7, 2009 BRITISH AIRWAYS’ (BA) staff unions were last night locked in emergency talks, following the carrier’s decision to cut 1,700 cabin crew staff. The ubiquitous Unite union claims BA made the move without reaching an agreement, and us now threatening strikes over the Christmas period. Earlier this week, BA said 1,000 of its cabin staff had [...]
Royal Mail faces massive strike October 7, 2009 BRITAIN’S postal network is about to grind to a halt, with Royal Mail workers today expected to have voted in favour of the first national strike in two years. With the strike destined to bring chaos to Christmas deliveries, online retail giant Amazon has cancelled a contract with the firm worth some £25m. Amazon, Royal [...]
All eyes on Christmas for Thorntons as sales jump October 7, 2009 CHOCOLATE retailer Thorntons yesterday said it was well-positioned for Christmas as it posted a 2.3 per cent rise in first-quarter sales, sending its shares up by five per cent in morning trading. Thorntons, which trades from 378 stores and 199 franchises, said its total sales increased to £46.8m in the 14 weeks to 3 October, [...]
Q & A : WHERE HAVE THE STRIKE THREATS COME FROM? October 7, 2009 Q. WHAT ARE THE UNIONS OPPOSING?A. On Tuesday, British Airways announced it was cutting 1,700 jobs and was introducing a two-year pay freeze for cabin crew as it looks to cut costs in the downturn. It also said it would recruit new staff on different terms and conditions to current employees. Unite has denounced the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 5, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESUK COURT RELAXES CURB ON SAAD CASHA bitter legal dispute involving prominent Saudi Arabian businesses and families opened in the English courts yesterday, with Maan al Sanea failing to overturn a $9.2bn (£5.8bn) freezing order on his worldwide assets. The High Court eased the order to allow the billionaire $4m spending money a year [...]
Retailers facing a tough Xmas October 4, 2009 MANY struggling British retailers will face a bleaker Christmas than they did last year, when 15 major chains failed, according to insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor. Christmas is a crucial trading period for retailers but soaring unemployment and low consumer confidence is expected to result in more firms facing financial difficulty. “Christmas 2009 could see just [...]