How to prepare your portfolio for inflation December 2, 2016 Concerns about inflation were already on the rise. Donald Trump’s victory in the US election has further stoked expectations that price pressure, absent in most Western economies since the financial crisis, may make a return in 2017 and beyond. The basics Inflation is a measure of how fast the prices of goods and services are [...]
Nespresso is teaming up with John Lewis to open two new boutiques November 30, 2016 Nespresso is partnering with John Lewis to open two new coffee boutiques. The luxury brand has been expanding in the UK, because, as Nespresso's UK and Ireland managing director Francisco Nogueira says, the UK consumer "is moving from one that is passionate about tea to one that is passionate about coffee – and especially quality coffee". The [...]
The average British worker loses 70 working days a year by being unproductive in the office – but coffee machines could be the answer November 30, 2016 If you're angling for a pay rise, new research showing that higher earners are more likely to be unhappy at work could give you pause for thought. A study by office services provider Service Partner One found that the average worker takes 2.8 sick days per year – and 1.5 of those days are taken due [...]
John Lewis just had the biggest week in its trading history with nearly £200m in sales thanks to Black Friday November 29, 2016 The jury may be out on the winner of the Christmas ad battle, but John Lewis has other reasons for festive cheer. The retailer has just revealed sales of £199.8m, up 6.5 per cent year-on-year, for the week up to 26 November. Spurred on by Black Friday and its price matching efforts on the "Never [...]
Ikea scores fifth year of sales growth in the UK November 29, 2016 Ikea has announced its fifth year of sales growth in the UK, and has broadened its market share. The furnishings retailer's UK sales hit £1.72bn in the 2016 financial year, increasing 8.9 per cent on last year. Its market share jumped by 0.5 percentage points to 8.2 per cent. Read more: Flatpack-loving foodies push Ikea sales to [...]
UK investors favoured global funds in run-up to US election November 28, 2016 UK investors were setting their sights on global funds to mitigate against uncertainty in the lead up to the US election. Global equity, global emerging markets and global bonds made up three of the top five selling sectors in October, according to the Investment Association's figures. Read more: Fine wine investments: The vintages that will generate [...]
Barclays sells more of its non-core business, but not for as much as it might have hoped November 28, 2016 Barclays announced today it has dropped yet another of its non-core assets, this time its wealth and investment management business in Singapore and Hong Kong. Barclays completed the sale of the business, which serves high net worth and ultra high net worth clients, to the Bank of Singapore, the private banking subsidiary of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation. The Bank of Singapore snapped [...]
Oinkredible: British national Peppa Pig is nearly a $1.5bn global brand November 28, 2016 She may look innocent, and maybe even a little cute, but don’t underestimate Peppa Pig. The young British swine, who first appeared on Channel 5 in 2004, is estimated to be a near-$1.5bn (£1.2bn) global brand thanks to growth in the United States and China, where she has started appearing on the major state television channel. Entertainment [...]
BrightHouse is working to recover sales, but the rent-to-own sector is still taking hits from FCA rulings November 27, 2016 BrightHouse is believed to be investing in new technology that will speed up its sales process after taking hits from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), but a report on the company's operations is rumoured to be published this week, raising fears of bondholders. Formerly known as Crazy George's, BrightHouse is part of a controversial industry [...]
High street footfall increased as consumers looked to do more than shop on Black Friday November 27, 2016 High street footfall had a shocking Black Friday comeback as British consumers looked for an "experience" with their shopping trip, new research suggests. Online sales fell well below expectations, increasing just 6.7 per cent and failing to meet both the forecast of 25 per cent and the 31 per cent rise in 2015. At the same time, high street footfall was [...]