Bloomsbury profit surges on lockdown reading boom October 27, 2020 Bloomsbury has reported its highest first-half profit in 12 years after the coronavirus lockdown sparked a steep rise in online book sales. The publishing house said pre-tax profit excluding the cost of acquisitions jumped 60 per cent to £4m in the six months to the end of August. This was ahead of the board’s expectations [...]
The Secret Garden review – death by 1,000 adaptations October 23, 2020 Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel The Secret Garden has been adapted numerous times for film, television and the stage, with the most recent being a 1993 version produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Times have changed, but the allure and magic of The Secret Garden was enough for the producers of the Harry Potter and Paddington [...]
Lego sales surge as housebound families play during lockdown September 2, 2020 Lego sales surged in the first half of the year as housebound families spent more time playing games during coronavirus lockdowns. Sales were up 14 per cent in the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period last year due to a jump in demand as more people stayed at home during the [...]
JK Rowling among 152 celebrities to criticise ‘cancel culture’ in open letter July 8, 2020 JK Rowling, Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie are among 152 public figures across the political spectrum who have signed an open letter warning that the spread of “censoriousness” and “cancel culture” has led to an intolerance of conflicting views. The letter, published in Harper’s Magazine, hit out at how a “panicked damage control” is leading [...]
The Body Shop accused of ‘bullying’ JK Rowling after wading into trans rights debate June 11, 2020 The Body Shop has sparked controversy after weighing into a debate around transphobia by encouraging author JK Rowling to read up on trans rights in the bath. The Harry Potter writer, 54, had become embroiled in a heated online debate about transgender issues after criticising an article titled: “Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world [...]
J.K. Rowling Twitter Storm shows the Crypto Ecosystem Needs to Mature May 19, 2020 As more evidence of impressive institutionally compliant behaviour shows itself in the crypto world, it’s more juvenile side is exposed as J.K.Rowling inadvertently starts a crypto Twitter storm. Price Watch Bitcoin (BTC) trading volume hit a new high for 2020 with an average (on the top ten exchanges only) of US$2-3bn per day through May, [...]
Lego builds sales with Star Wars and Harry Potter kits March 4, 2020 Lego built sales growth last year, defying the shrinking toy market, as shoppers snapped up Star Wars and Harry Potter themed kits. Revenue jumped six per cent last year to 38.5bn Danish krone (£4.48bn), up from three per cent the previous year, putting it ahead of Barbie owner Mattel and Hasbro, the maker of My Little [...]
New product launches boost Finsbury Food sales February 24, 2020 Cake manufacturer Finsbury Food reported a jump in sales in its interim results driven by new product launches as the company targets growing consumer trends. The figures Group revenue increased 4.7 per cent to £159.4m, with UK bakery sales jumping 5.8 per cent. Profit before tax was up 17.9 per cent to £8.8m in the [...]
Why the housing minister merry-go-round is hurting the industry February 18, 2020 When Boris Johnson sacked housing minister Esther McVey last week, people working in the sector could have been forgiven for reacting somewhat wearily. Her replacement, Christopher Pincher, is the tenth person to hold the job in the last decade, and the nineteenth since 2000. It is, by some distance, the worst churn experienced by any [...]
This is a political renaissance — but can British business adapt? December 17, 2019 “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.” As history buffs will know, the Battle of Bosworth Field didn’t work out well for Richard III, and with it the last of the titanic struggles of the War of the Roses. Described by Shakespeare as “the one big battle”, this event was to finally settle [...]