Chinese consumers are changing their habits rapidly as luxury has suffered a slow death and online takes off April 24, 2016 Beijing is awash with restaurants, but locals Cherry and Andy Ho haven’t bothered going out to eat for months. The proliferation of Groupon-style coupons and deals means it’s easier to have food delivered. It’s half the cost, with no delivery charge – great for consumers, but not so good for some traditional businesses. Indeed, this was among [...]
National Golf Month kicks off this week, so here’s our guide to teeing off in central London April 24, 2016 For all its swanky bars and tourist attractions, central London is in dire need of a golf course. City workers are rarely seen carrying golf clubs in the Square Mile – many well-heeled workers either go through up-market travel agents or shell out for expensive memberships at clubs in the Home Counties to get their [...]
Gallery: When Barack Obama came to London April 23, 2016 Unless you've been living under a rock, you may have noticed that Barack Obama has been in town for a few days. And, he's been getting about. He's met Queen Elizabeth, David Cameron, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Prince Harry, Jeremy Corbyn, a bunch of young people at a town hall meeting [...]
Highest paid UK athletes: Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea stars all feature as football dominates rich list April 23, 2016 Manchester United's Wayne Rooney has been named as the richest young sportsman in Great Britain after boosting his total assets by £10m to £82m in the past year, according to a new ranking. The England captain tops a Sunday Times Rich List for sportsmen aged 30 or under, which is dominated by footballers. Athletes are [...]
Oh, burn. Barack Obama had this to say on the not-so special relationship April 23, 2016 Barack Obama has been wined and dined by the Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Prime Minister during this week’s visit to the United Kingdom. On all sides, there has been gushing talk of the “special relationship” and centuries of friendship. Aside from with those pesky Leave campaigners, Obama’s reputation and image is a [...]
Barack Obama to meet Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, be quizzed by young Londoners and catch some Shakespeare in UK visit April 23, 2016 Barack Obama will meet the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, hold a town hall style meeting with young Britons and visit Shakespeare's Globe in the second full day of his visit to the United Kingdom. The President of the United States caused uproar among Leave campaigners yesterday when he not only issued a passionate plea for Britain to [...]
Creative industries hiring from abroad as record employment creates skills shortage April 23, 2016 Britain's record employment rate has led to skills shortages in manufacturing, construction and financial services, but now it is taking its toll on the creative industries. Firms in animation, game design and visual effects – most of which are based in London – are turning to foreign graduates to plug skills gaps in the sector, [...]
Merlin Attractions admits health and safety breaches over Alton Towers crash April 22, 2016 Executives from Alton Towers parent company has admitted breaching health and safety laws over the rollercoaster crash last year. Merlin Attractions Operations has pleaded guilty to the breach this morning. Several of the victims appeared at North Staffordshire Justice Centre, Newcastle-under-Lyme today. The Health and Safety Executive is prosecuting the group over last year's incident on The [...]
Inconsistency versus insincerity: Why this US presidential race leaves me utterly miserable April 22, 2016 I know I’m not the only person turned off by politicians’ sound-bites, but I understand why they do it. Thanks to focus groups, A/B testing, and data analysis, campaigns know which words and phrases will have the greatest impact; and repetition works. But the levels of absurdity the current US presidential race has reached should [...]
YouGov Poll: Twice as many people support buy-to-let tax hike than oppose it April 22, 2016 The recent hike in the stamp duty levy for buy-to-let landlords was met with fierce opposition from landlord groups when it came into force on 1 April. However, according to YouGov survey released today, more than twice the number of UK adults were in favour of the three per cent surcharge than those who opposed [...]