China cracked, Bolland bowed out and Dry January got drier: Here’s what got us talking this week January 8, 2016 The Jetsons' family car got a bit closer to reality, and a base-jumper around Canary Wharf gave us all vertigo while Donald Trump got punchy over the impending Commons debate on whether he should be banned. Here's what got us talking this week How low can yuan go? (Source: Getty) 1) China cracked Stock markets were suspended twice [...]
Hipsters and Mindfulness: Ladybird books prove a hit for bookseller Foyles January 5, 2016 Publisher Ladybird's series of spoof guides helping adults to make sense of modern day themes from hipsters to hangovers have proved a hit for bookseller Foyles this Christmas. The family-owned retailer said like-for-like sales jumped by 4.7 per cent for the month of December with seven of Ladybird's for grown up series making it into the [...]
Fines on nuisance call firms increased by over 300 per cent to £1.14m in 2015 December 29, 2015 Nuisance call companies have been warned to expect more fines in 2016 by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), as it was revealed it fined firms over 300 per cent more in 2015 than in 2014. The ICO imposed fines totalling £1.14m in 2015 on nuisance calls and text messages, "with the same in the pipeline for early [...]
Currys PC World prepares for record-breaking sales rush from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day December 24, 2015 Currys PC World is expecting a record number of shoppers to snap up electrical deals between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. The retailer estimates that 4.9m people will shop online between lunchtime today and 11am Boxing Day. The business, which broke records on Black Friday this year, believes there will be a spike in mobile phone shoppers [...]
Christmas gifts 2015: How late can you leave your shopping at Argos, M&S, Currys, John Lewis, Zara, Amazon, Harrods and more? December 23, 2015 Left your Christmas shopping until the last minute this year again? You’re not alone. Christmas Eve is when the real festive rush sets in, with manic shoppers dashing to get everything done before Father Christmas is due. Last year, payments processor Worldpay estimated it was the single busiest day of the year, processing 26m transactions [...]
High street retailers preparing themselves for a pre-Christmas spending rush December 18, 2015 High street retailers are bracing themselves for a pre-Christmas spending boom, with shoppers tipped to splurge around £4.7bn in stores over the next four days, allaying fears that November’s Black Friday bonanza and the rise of online shopping would keep customers away. Brits will splash out around £5.9bn on last-minute presents and food over the four days starting tomorrow [...]
FTSE rallies on expectations of a US rate rise – London Report December 17, 2015 RISES in Dixons Carphone and Pearson pulled the markets up for a second session in a row, ahead of a 25 basis point rise in US interest rates. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index was up 43.40 points, or 0.7 per cent at 6,061.19 points by the close, outperforming the broader European market. The gains were [...]
Dixons Carphone hails bigger than ever Black Friday as profits beat forecasts December 16, 2015 Dixons Carphone shares climbed three per cent higher this morning after the high street electricals giant beat City expectations with a 23 per cent jump in first-half profits. The FTSE 100 company, which trades as Currys, PC World and Carphone Warehouse in the UK and Ireland, said strong performance in the UK helped it outperform the [...]
With consumer price index inflation inching up to 0.1 per cent, could the period of persistently low inflation be about to end? December 15, 2015 Kallum Pickering, senior UK economist at Berenberg, says Yes Falling oil prices and sterling appreciation have exerted strong but temporary effects on headline inflation, bringing it to zero for most of 2015. But even if there is more disinflationary pressure to come from oil in the near term, prices cannot fall forever. Eventually, the oil [...]
UK inflation: We’re back in the black as inflation moves into positive territory December 15, 2015 UK inflation rose to 0.1 per cent in November, figures by the Office for National Statistics showed today – putting the UK back into positive territory for the first time since July. But analysts were less than optimistic about its ability to stay in the black. The figures showed rises in transport costs and alcohol [...]