The broker who says small firms have to come up with big solutions January 3, 2011 The conventional wisdom is that it is next to impossible for small firms to raise cash, but Phil Adams, chief executive at independent investment broker Altium, says that the picture is more complicated than that. “It is pretty straightforward to raise cash if you are a well-run high-growth firm expanding by around 15 per cent [...]
Journey into the mighty history of Samarkand December 12, 2010 AROUND Tashkent airport, giant hoardings proclaimed in English: “Uzbekistan Airways Wish You Good Luck”. It might have been more unsettling to read that message driving into Heathrow before our departure. In fact, we’d had an incident-free flight on Uzbekistan Airways to Uzbekistan’s capital. Tashkent sounds endlessly exotic but isn’t really. Much was destroyed by a [...]
FASHION NEWS December 9, 2010 PAUL SMITH WINTER SALE The winter sale begins on 27 December, offering 30 per cent off the original price. Savings on men’s tailoring and women’s bags and shoes will be standout, and customers on the Paul Smith mailing list receive a 50 per cent discount on the original ticket price until 4 January. For special openings [...]
MULBERRY SEES PROFIT SOAR December 9, 2010 MULBERRY, the luxury goods group specialising in bags, has reported a surge in profit, thanks to higher sales keeping up prices. The company’s pre-tax profit was £4.7m in the six months to 30 September, compared with £1.5m a year earlier. Mulberry said higher sales meant there was little end of summer season stock left to [...]
MULBERRY BAGS FASHIONISTAS October 7, 2010 Sales at fashion retailer Mulberry have soared by 79 per cent in the past 10 weeks, as its bags have flown off the shelves. Classic handbag styles sported by celebrities including TV presenter Alexa Chung – have helped fuel the rise
M&S success fails to stop a drop in the FTSE 100 index October 7, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index closed lower yesterday, as weaker metals prices hurt mining stocks, while Marks & Spencer rose as investors warmed to a trading update from the retailer. The FTSE 100 closed 19.26 points, or 0.3 per cent, lower at 5,662.13, after rising 0.8 per cent on Wednesday to a five-month closing high. Mining [...]
Four hot hair looks for autumn September 13, 2010 IN the spirit of renewal and productivity after a long, lax summer, autumn style is all about change. We’re leaving all things floaty behind and moving into the manic run-up-to-Christmas push. The sea change applies to hair as much as to clothes. No more the laid-back sun-streaked locks of summer. Rather, big and bold are [...]
The rising star of online retail July 15, 2010 YOU’VE just given birth and one of the first things your husband asks you to do is to sign a cheque for your new boutique (Powder, based in Crouch End. ) That was Sarah Curran’s experience of the first hours of motherhood to son Jake, now seven-years old. It is no surprise that Curran says [...]
Fashion retailer bags $9m July 5, 2010 Online clothing retailer my-wardrobe.com has received a $9m (£5.9m) boost from Balderton Capital. The business was founded just four years ago by Sarah Curran, who will remain the majority shareholder. The funding will be used to invest in more stock and to expand the current product ranges. My-wardrobe.com specialises in discounted designer goods from the [...]
Mulberry reports plum profits and rising sales June 17, 2010 LUXURY fashion firm Mulberry Group shrugged off economic gloom yesterday, saying it expected further sales growth ahead after a strong set of full-year results, boosted by growing demand in an effervescent Asian market. The company, famed for its leather handbags, said retail sales in the first ten weeks of the current year were up 36 [...]