The real Willy Wonka is as experimental as ever September 10, 2013 Think you love chocolate the most? Elizabeth Fournier meets choc-God Paul A Young IT’S NOT hard to be passionate about chocolate, but Paul A Young takes it to a whole new level. Reviewers and customers alike may wax lyrical about his imaginative creations, which include Marmite brownies and Eccles cake truffles. Get him talking on [...]
London Report: UK retailers set to reveal if tills ringing again September 8, 2013 RETAILERS are set to reveal this week how big an impact the UK recovery is making as consumers return the shops. Reports from Dunelm, Home Retail, Morrisons, Next, Ocado and Sports Direct will show how confident buyers are in the improving economy. Ocado, which will update the market on Thursday, was rated a “buy” by [...]
Kennedy Wilson and Varde buy UK shopping centres for £250m September 5, 2013 US PROPERTY investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson and debt specialist Varde Partners yesterday agreed to buy a portfolio of eight UK shopping centres out of administration for $388m (£250m). Kennedy Wilson did not disclose which shopping malls they had acquired but said they were spread across England and Scotland and spanned a total of [...]
Best of the brokers for 06 September 2013 September 5, 2013 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com LAMPRELL Nomura has cut the oil services group from “neutral” to “reduce” and raised its target from 90p to 140p as part of a wider review of the sector. The broker thinks industry-wide earnings predictions for this year are around 15 per cent [...]
Sir Stuart Rose joins HSBC as an advisor September 4, 2013 FORMER Marks & Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose has taken on an advisory role at banking giant HSBC. The retail veteran has recently accepted a part-time role on the European advisory council in HSBC’s investment banking division. The council has around six members from different sectors that HSBC can draw on for advice, including BAE [...]
King of the supermarket: The long-serving boss of Sainsbury’s talks shop September 1, 2013 Justin King speaks to Elizabeth Fournier as he nears 10 years at the top of the UK’s third-biggest retailer IT’S not been an easy 2013 for Britain’s supermarkets. From January’s discovery of horsemeat in the UK food chain to the disastrous collapse of a Bangladeshi clothing factory in April, retail bosses have been forced to [...]
Former M&S exec joins hotel group August 28, 2013 Former Marks & Spencer finance head Ian Dyson has added a new non-executive role to his portfolio by joining the board of Intercontinental Hotels. Dyson, who is a non-executive at Punch Taverns and is joining the Asos board in October, spent several years as the financial controller of Hilton Group.
Supergroup to launch its first stores in Turkey August 22, 2013 SUPERGROUP, the company behind the Superdry fashion label, is to make its first foray into Turkey after signing a deal with a local franchise partner to open stores in the country. The popular clothing brand, whose celebrity fans include Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas and singer Ed Sheeran, announced yesterday that it has signed a [...]
Any Other Business – 22/08 August 21, 2013 High street retailers appear to be upping their game after Marks & Spencer announced earlier this week that its new campaign – Meet Britain’s Leading Ladies – was shot by famous fashion photographer Annie Leibovitz. It seems that the shop, which has renewed efforts to win back its female customers, has now set a trend [...]
M&S’s new ad campaign will struggle to reverse slumping fashion sales August 21, 2013 YOU CAN visualise the meeting at Marks & Spencer’s headquarters when its new campaign, advertising its make-or-break Autumn collection, was finalised. An ad agency suggests the idea of female empowerment and the boardroom battleground. Any actual brand idea is forgotten, as the rolodex spins and agents are called. Actress Helen Mirren, artist Tracey Emin, author [...]