Galvin at The Athenaeum: the brothers are on top form again with their latest Mayfair venture July 26, 2016 I’d been planning a self-congratulatory column when I reached 100 restaurant reviews for City A.M. but I took my eye off the ball and now we're up to number 105. When the centenary klaxon should have been sounding, I was too busy drooling over the tinned black pudding at Six Portland Road. So I’ll spare you [...]
Brexit vote? What Brexit vote? The rise of the discounters is still hitting supermarkets’ market shares July 26, 2016 The results of last month's EU referendum may have sent markets reeling, but it seems the supermarket sector has continued as it was before – namely, with market shares sinking for all of the big four. Figures by Kantar Worldpanel showed the Brexit vote had "no immediate impact" on the prices retailers were charging or [...]
Exclusive: Walkie Scorchie, more like: City A.M. uses the rays of the Walkie Talkie building to fry an egg | City A.M. July 22, 2016 The developers of the Walkie Scorchie skyscraper – aka 20 Fenchurch Street – had hoped their building would be known for its striking design and its blue chip clients. But instead City A.M. has revealed how the building has begun emitting a curious ray of light, started melting cars, set a carpet on fire and [...]
Supermarkets face “fake” farms complaint from farmers July 17, 2016 Supermarkets are under fire over the use of "fake" farms to promote products to customers and farmers have now lodged an official complaint with authorities over the use of the branding my supermarkets. The National Farmers Union (NFU) has filed a formal complaint with Trading Standards over the use of names such as "Woodside Farm" by Tesco, arguing they are [...]
Fixed or tracker: As Brexit prompts mortgage rates to tumble, how long should borrowers hold out for? July 12, 2016 Brexit might have thrown markets into turmoil, but if you’re thinking of taking out a mortgage, or are remortgaging, rates are about to get even more competitive. Since the referendum began in earnest, investors have clambered to buy government bonds, driving down yields and enabling mortgage lenders to offer more long-term funding. Banks have been [...]
Predictive power: Black Swan’s Jeff Headley on marketing intelligence, flu prevention and why the internet is the largest real-time focus group in the world July 11, 2016 Marketing is fundamentally about prediction: what does the consumer want, and when do they want it? From New Coke in 1985, the modernisation of the Gap logo in 2010, and BIC’s pink “for her” biros just four years ago, the history of marketing is littered with flops which better consumer testing could have avoided. Since 2011, [...]
Ofcom: Sky garners few complaints across broadband, TV, mobile and telephone, but BT, EE, Plusnet fare badly July 8, 2016 Things aren't getting much better. The total number of complaints made to Ofcom in between the last three months of 2015 and the first three months of 2016 was stable – though, to be fair, there was a slight decline in pay-monthly mobile complaints. Sky consistently got less complaints than the industry average, while Virgin [...]
These are the best value wines to buy this year July 8, 2016 If you're looking for the biggest bargains in the wine world – look no further. These are the top wines to buy if you want a great Friday night dinner, without spending too much. The best value wines in the 2016 International Wine Challenge (IWC) Great Wine Champions have been announced – make sure you grab them [...]
At the close: Markets enter reverse as Brexit strains stack up July 6, 2016 Sterling has been savaged today, the FTSE 100 has crashed and half of all assets in UK property funds have been frozen in a difficult day on the financial markets. The pound dropped down below $1.28 overnight, recovered briefly, but is now on the slide after a number of analysts published decidedly bearish forecasts. A [...]
Aldi is hungry for a 10 per cent share of the grocery market July 6, 2016 It's a tough time for supermarkets, but as the price war between the Big Four rages on, Aldi's UK chief executive says he is aiming to take a 10 per cent share in the grocery market. Speaking to City A.M., Matthew Barnes, Aldi's chief executive in UK and Ireland Matthew Barnes said: "We will have 10 per cent [...]