Consumers are going to spend a record amount on supermarket premium ranges this Christmas December 13, 2016 Consumers have been preparing to taste the difference this Christmas as they stock up on supermarkets' premium own label brands. Data from Kantar Worldpanel showed that during the three months to the end of 4 December, shoppers spent 13 per cent more on brands such as Tesco Finest and Asda Extra Special than they did the year before. Read more: These [...]
Brent crude oil breaks $57 a barrel as deal with non-Opec producers triggers five per cent rally December 12, 2016 Oil prices shed earlier gains this evening after rallying more than five per cent during the day, as markets digested a landmark pact between oil producing countries and cartel Opec. Global benchmark Brent crude briefly rose above $57 a barrel for the first time since July 2015 in morning trading. This evening it was trading up [...]
Ocado reports sales growth in final quarter December 8, 2016 Ocado has reported growth in sales and order numbers during the 16 weeks to 27 November, with year end sales up 15.1 per cent – but shares in the firm dropped almost four per cent at the market open. The grocery delivery service said group sales were up 14.5 per cent in the fourth quarter, from [...]
Byron Hamburgers to get new big cheese chairman in former Morrisons boss Dalton Philips and new chief exec December 7, 2016 There will be a new chair at the table at Byron Hamburgers this week, when former Wm Morrison boss Dalton Philips will be appointed chairman of the up-and-coming restaurant chain. The appointment could come as soon as tomorrow, Sky News reported. It will be Philips' biggest corporate role since leaving the supermarket at the beginning [...]
Revealed: The best places to work in the UK December 7, 2016 Businesses can breath a sigh of relief – the trend of trying to emulate Google's particular brand of work environment with bean bags, slides, hot desking and food freebies might just be over. The tech company has slipped out of the top 10 best places to work list for the first time, coming 13th in the annual ranking by [...]
EU antitrust authority approves Microsoft’s $26bn connection with LinkedIn December 6, 2016 The European Union has approved a $26bn (£20.5bn) connection request between technology behemoth Microsoft and professional networking site LinkedIn. The deal has already received the green light from antitrust authorities in the US, Canada, Brazil and South Africa. Having received the go-ahead from the EU’s competition watchdog, the deal is likely to close in the [...]
US non-farm payroll: US adds 178,000 jobs in November as wages rise and unemployment falls December 2, 2016 US non-farm payroll data has shown that the US added 178,000 jobs in the month that saw Donald Trump win the Presidential election. Market experts had been expecting an increase of 165,000 in November, slightly above the 161,000 reported for October. Unemployment dropped to 4.6 per cent and wages were up 2.5 per cent. The jobs [...]
More Skyscanner, Arm and LinkedIn deals are on the way, say tech dealmakers December 2, 2016 Flight-booking website Skyscanner, chip designer Arm Holdings and professional social media site LinkedIn have been among the high-profile technology takeover targets of 2016. And we should expect to see plenty more next year, according to a survey by law firm Morrison & Foerster (which, in a rather hip-hop fashion, shortens its name to MoFo). Half [...]
FTSE 100 falls ahead of the Italian referendum – but the pound tries to keep its chin up December 2, 2016 The FTSE 100 slid almost one per cent in morning trading today, as jitters over the outcome of the Italian referendum and the higher oil price conspired against equities. The UK's blue-chip market was down 0.9 per cent at 6,693 points in mid-morning trading, pushed down by minters and oil giants, after oil prices jumped this [...]
The cost of Christmas dinner has dropped 10 per cent since 2009 November 30, 2016 Inflation may be creeping up, but the price of your Christmas dinner isn't – in fact, this year's festive feast may be cheaper than ever before, after a new study suggested its price has fallen 10 per cent since 2009. Good Housekeeping's Christmas index found the cheapest place to buy turkey and all the trimmings [...]