Marks & Spencer are making all their toys gender neutral by Spring 2014 December 17, 2013 Retailer Marks and Spencer have committed to making all their toys gender neutral by Spring 2014. @stellacreasy Hi Stella, we’ve listened to customer feedback and by Spring next year all of our toys will be gender neutral. Thanks — M&S (@marksandspencer) December 17, 2013 The announcement follows Twitter complaints about their "Boy Stuff Marble [...]
Christmas cheers December 15, 2013 Our very own wine buff Neil Bennett quizzes the City glitterati about their Christmas wine plans AMID the piles of Christmas wrapping paper and credit card bills, there is one gift wine lovers can give themselves on Christmas Day – setting aside a special something to share with the family. Personally, I spend far too [...]
Inside Track: Bank of America Merrill Lynch closes 2013 with a flurry December 12, 2013 THE timing appeared so impeccable, you almost felt it must have been staged. Just as Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s head of equity capital markets was running through a presentation on how the bank has gained market share over the year, one of the mobiles on the desk in front of him rang. With that [...]
How much is a Co-op Group chairman worth? December 12, 2013 £1. Former City minister Lord Myners has been brought in by the embattled Co-op Group to help reverse its fortunes, and he told BBC Radio 5 live that he would be paid £1 a year for his work. His role as senior independent director will mean he oversees a governance review for the group. Its [...]
Why Stagecoach is so successful in the US December 11, 2013 US MARKETS are often seen as the place British businesses go to die, which makes Stagecoach’s transatlantic success something of a surprise. The firm operates around 2,600 buses and coaches in the US and Canada, as well as offering commuter and school bus services. And while Stagecoach is already a key player in the UK, [...]
Stagecoach is uniquely successful in the US. Here’s why December 11, 2013 US markets are often seen as the place British businesses go to die. That makes Stagecoach's transatlantic success something of a surprise. The FTSE 250 listed company operates around 2,600 buses and coaches in the United States and Canada, linking roughly 100 locations, as well as offering commuter and school bus services. And while Stagecoach [...]
Supermarkets grow ahead of shopping malls December 8, 2013 THE AMOUNT of space being added by UK supermarkets has overtaken that being added by shopping centres for the first time, despite some retailers calling an end to the space race as consumers shift to shopping online. The pipeline of grocery developments has grown by 67 per cent, or 19.24m square feet (sq ft) since [...]
Bottom Line: Despite the convenience boom, UK grocers are still thinking big December 8, 2013 IF YOU need reminding of the grocery sector’s continuing ambition, all you have to do is step outside your office to the nearest supermarket convenience store. These compact ventures have sprung up across city centres, going from 2,000 branches in 1998 to 14,000 and climbing today, a rate of increase that may seem to put [...]
Marks & Spencer chooses a new auditor after 87 years with PwC December 5, 2013 MARKS & Spencer has parted ways with PwC, picking a new auditor for the first time since the FTSE 100 retailer became a public company in 1926. M&S said yesterday it has appointed Deloitte as its new auditor following a competitive tender. The switch comes at a time when the close and often decades-long relationship [...]
St Modwen secures M&S as tenant December 4, 2013 Developer St Modwen said it has clinched a deal with Marks & Spencer that will see the retailer anchor the group’s regeneration scheme in Birmingham. The high street chain will pre-let a 150,000 square feet store major at St Modwen’s huge regeneration scheme at Longbridge in Birmingham. The news came as the group raised its [...]