Morrisons faces fresh woe as half-year sales set for decline September 2, 2012 MORRISONS is this week expected to show it has come under further pressure in the first half of the year as a result of gloomy weather conditions and fiercer competition from rival Asda after the rival’s merger with discounter Netto. Analysts are forecasting that like-for-like sales at the supermarket could be down by 0.7 per [...]
UK focus on ECB meeting outcome September 2, 2012 THURSDAY will be the highlight of the week for economists, with all eyes on results of the European Central Bank policy meeting. While the market waits to hear the latest plans to fix the Eurozone’s debt problem, the Bank of England will also be announcing its latest interest rate decision and asset purchase plan. However, [...]
FTSE edges lower with investors still cautious ahead of key EU meetings August 30, 2012 FRESH concerns over demand from China weighed on mining stocks and dragged Britain’s top share index lower yesterday, with investors bracing for a series of meetings that could pave the way for further central bank stimulus. The FTSE 100 closed down 24.08 points, or 0.4 per cent, at 5,719.45, in volumes just 58 per cent [...]
Central Bank elixir isn’t certain – but expect volatility August 27, 2012 THIS weekend’s economic symposium at Jackson Hole has the power to monumentally shake world markets, which is what voracious traders – subdued by the summer’s low trading volumes – will want to see. With both Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), due to speak [...]
Dev Secs makes £41m disposals August 21, 2012 Development Securities yesterday sold off a residential and two retail sites at Westminster Palace Gardens, Central London, the Wick Site in Littlehampton, and a retail park in Burnley for £40.9m. The Wick site was pre-sold to supermarket Morrisons for £12.5m, which plans to develop a 47,500 square feet store, a petrol station and a car [...]
Supermarkets hold talks with government on Sunday trading August 19, 2012 RETAILERS have been holding discussions with the government and trade bodies over the permanent relaxation of Sunday trading rules, it was revealed yesterday. Current rules limit large shops to six hours of trading between 10am and 6pm on a Sunday. This has been temporarily relaxed during the Olympics and it is thought communities secretary Eric [...]
Can London halt rise of Manchester? August 16, 2012 THE crucial question this season surrounds whether the two Manchester clubs, United and the champions City, can truly be challenged. It’s difficult to see that happening, but I am very interested in seeing how Chelsea evolve. Before it became clear that Robin van Persie was going to leave Arsenal, they would have been rivals too, [...]
Agony for Brits as medal streak finally runs aground August 8, 2012 GREAT Britain’s new-found sense of Olympic invincibility was pricked yesterday, when a series of near misses meant Team GB failed to win a medal for the first time since the first day of the London 2012 Games. Rookie 110m hurdler Lawrence Clarke, who only took up athletics four years ago, was among the closest to [...]
TODAY AT THE GAMES August 7, 2012 Athletics ■ Jamaican sprint duo Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake look to set up a rematch of the 100m final in their respective 200m semi-finals at 20:10. British hurdlers Lawrence Clarke and Andrew Turner compete in the men’s 110m semi-finals at 19:15, vying for a place in the final at 21:15. Shara Proctor features in [...]
Amazon keeps lion’s share of UK market July 23, 2012 ONLINE retail giant Amazon has built up its spot at the top of the UK entertainment market, largely at the expense of supermarket rivals and specialists like HMV, according to research published yesterday. Kantar Worldpanel figures for the 12 weeks to 10 June show that Amazon strengthened its market share by 3.2 percentage points, boosted [...]