Arts and the City are bound together in the interests of our wider society January 27, 2013 THROUGHOUT its history the Square Mile has always been about far more than just business. It is also part of London, part of wider society, and contributes to the life of the broader community in creating an environment conducive to serving and supporting business. Key to this is the City of London’s role as a [...]
The popularity of ebooks helps to boost profits at Bloomsbury January 16, 2013 THE RISE of ebooks has led to increasing profits at Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury, despite shoppers spending less on books. The company said that a 58 per cent rise in sales of ebooks meant lower printing and distribution costs, and fewer customers returning books. Ebook sales exploded over Christmas as record numbers of ereaders were unwrapped. [...]
Making it in the big bag world December 16, 2012 A GOOD quality leather satchel was a rare find four years ago. The schoolbag market was dominated by canvas and velcro record bags that Julie Deane, founder of the hugely successful Cambridge Satchel Company, found “shabby”. So when she considered possible business ventures, satchels were high on the list. Her timing could not have been [...]
Twi not to fall asleep to Breaking Dawn November 15, 2012 Review 1: The Twi-Hard *** By Naomi Mdudu I like Twilight. A lot. Probably too much for someone who left her teenage years a good while ago. So, I had high hopes for the final instalment – hopes that weren’t entirely realised. The story picks up where we left off, shortly after Bella (Kristen Stewart) [...]
Warner Bros buys London studio November 7, 2012 Soho-based post-production film studio De Lane Lea was yesterday bought by US giant Warner Bros. De Lane Lea, which edits films after they have been shot, employs around 30 people in its studio. The price of the deal was not disclosed, but is likely to be minimal. De Lane Lea’s revenues last year were around [...]
No automatic happy ending for publishers that merge October 29, 2012 IT IS hard not to wince at the self-delusion of yesterday’s press release from Pearson and Bertelsmann. Describing the firms’ agreement to merge Penguin and Random House, Pearson’s outgoing chief executive Marjorie Scardino says: “Together the two publishers will be able to… be more adventurous in trying new models in this exciting, fast-moving world of [...]
Fifty Shades and Olympics harm Harry Potter printer Bloomsbury October 25, 2012 HARRY Potter publisher Bloomsbury has seen profits almost halve in the last six months as sales of its children’s and educational books have suffered. The firm also said sales of adult books had been lower than expected, due to the market being dominated by Fifty Shades Of Grey and the disruptive effect of the Olympics. [...]
JK Rowling’s new book puts politics before originality September 27, 2012 IWAS never totally convinced by Harry Potter. Evil was a little too obvious – it would appear with a theatrical dimming of the lights, dominating, cruel and selfish. And good was too obviously good. JK Rowling likes to neatly marshal her leading actors, and to draw her readers along a pre-determined path towards an inevitable [...]
Poor show for Brits on Forbes’ female list August 22, 2012 It’s a rather poor show for Brits on Forbes’ annual ranking of the most powerful women with just two sneaking into the top 100. In Jubilee year, it seems fitting that Queen Elizabeth II is ranked 26. At 86, she’s the oldest woman on the list. And although it’s not mentioned, the Capitalist suspects she’s [...]
All aboard the magnificent Orient Express August 19, 2012 ITALY’S in debt, you say? Well, I’m on the Orient Express headed straight to Venice – fiddling while Rome burns, you might say – and there’s no sign of the Italian economy crashing here. As if to prove my point, the flamboyant Massimo shows me another popular purchase from the train’s on-board shop. “These diamond [...]