As Apple’s iPhone 6S lands will mobile payments change the way we live? December 11, 2015 Today’s smartphones can do incredible things. Need a ride around London? Just tap the Uber app. Fresh flowers or food from a local restaurant delivered straight to your door? Try Bloom & Wild or Deliveroo. These apps are fantastic, but there's a new smartphone feature set to fundamentally revolutionise the high street and how [...]
Syria airstrike vote 2015: Here’s how your MP voted December 3, 2015 Last night MPs voted in favour of the UK beginning airstrikes against Islamic State (Isis) with an overwhelming majority of 397 votes to 223, following a gruelling 10-hour debate in the House of Commons. The move was controversial, with huge numbers of people protesting against military intervention. Some Labour MPs claimed they were being intimidated to [...]
Marks and Spencer loses appeal against former landlord BNP Paribas December 2, 2015 You know that times are tough for retailers when they are prepared to fight for every penny they could put back in the piggy-bank. Marks and Spencer (M&S) has today lost a long-running battle against its former landlord BNP Paribas after the Supreme Court dismissed its appeal to claw back £1.1m of rent it claims it overpaid. In July 2011, [...]
Marks & Spencer looks to solve legal wrangle with former landlord BNP Paribas December 1, 2015 It’s not just individuals that quibble with their landlords. Marks & Spencer (M&S) is tomorrow hoping to settle a long-running dispute with former landlord BNP Paribas over rent it claims to have overpaid on its old Paddington offices. In July 2011, the high street retailer exercised a break in its leases and served notice on four floors of [...]
St Modwen on track to hit profit targets thanks to New Covent Garden Market boost and regional revival December 1, 2015 St Modwen said it is on track hit full-year profit forecasts, spurred on the by ongoing recovery in the regions, strong investor demand, and a massive valuation gain from its New Covent Garden market scheme. The FTSE 250 company, which is redeveloping Britain’s biggest flower and vegetable market, said occupational demand for its offices in the [...]
Stocking up on Christmas booze? Marks & Spencer is the best supermarket for wine – while Morrisons comes second December 1, 2015 Marks & Spencer has retained its crown as the best supermarket wine retailer for the second year running – but if you're stocking up on Christmas booze, you could do a lot worse than head to Morrisons, which came second in the medal table at this year's International Wine Challenge (IWC). M&S came first in [...]
Black Friday UK 2015: 1 in 5 ecommerce websites including John Lewis, Boots, Boohoo and Argos went down before 9am this morning November 27, 2015 UK retailers’ online shops are buckling under the strain of Black Friday, with one in five crashing before most of us had finished our morning commute. Argos, Boots and Game were among those that had downtime before 9am, showed data from commerce agency Ampersand. The agency is tracking what websites are currently live, showing how [...]
Brown Thursday, Black Friday, Super Sunday, Cyber Monday 2015: When are the best deals going to be on offer? November 27, 2015 The UK has finally woken up to the pre-Christmas sales bonanza that has been building in the US for many years. Cyber Monday was the first to hit our shores, and, since 2009, has been the biggest single online sales day in the UK. But this year other US imports are gaining traction. What [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: John Lewis & Marks and Spencer’s best deals on kitchenware, homeware and furniture including Sony TVs, Le Creuset pans and Dyson vacuum cleaners November 26, 2015 Like it or not, it appears Black Friday is here to stay, and us Britons can't get enough. It's estimated that we will spend as much as £1.9bn on 27 November, with Visa expecting £721m to be spent online. Peak shopping times will be between 6pm and 7pm, as commuters go shopping on their mobiles. Homeware will account [...]
Cake maker Finsbury posts sweet performance after munching on new bakeries November 25, 2015 Celebration cake maker Finsbury Food Group reported a huge jump in revenue during its first four months of the financial year thanks to recent acquisitions of rival bakeries. The company, which supplies major baked goods as well as Peppa Pig and Disney Princess celebration cakes to retailers including Morrisons and Marks & Spencer, said sales revenue [...]