British yachtmakers feel the wind in their sales December 19, 2018 British shipyards are catching the breeze as global yacht building returns to pre-crisis levels, and are set to build around an eighth of all luxury boats next year. Having taken on 109 new projects in 2019, up from 52 this year, UK shipbuilders leapfrogged from fifth to third place in global rankings, beaten only by their [...]
888 goes all in for strong full-year results after US expansion December 19, 2018 Online gambling firm 888 today said it remains confident its full-year earnings are on track as it looks to move into the US market. In a pre-close trading update the company said it had delivered positive trading in the second half of the year due to an ongoing focus on product enhancement. Shares in 888 were [...]
Brands must learn to use social video to reach Generation Z December 19, 2018 UK retail giant John Lewis claims that its Christmas television adverts are among “the most effective marketing campaigns in the industry”. Perhaps this was the case once, but faced with impressing video obsessed Generation Z (those born since 1995), does it still hold true now? It appears that I am not the only one with [...]
Patisserie Valerie takes trip to Starbucks to find new commercial director December 18, 2018 Under-pressure cake shop Patisserie Valerie has rebuilt its management team by snapping up a former Starbucks executive. Rhys Iley will try to reinvigorate the chain’s 200 stores as he takes up the role as commercial director. The appointment marks the end of new chief executive Steve Francis’s hiring spree after he brought in interim finance chief [...]
Asos bosses snap up cheap shares after day of horror for fashion sector December 18, 2018 Asos boss Nick Beighton and chairman Adam Crozier have snapped up thousands of shares in the company in a show of confidence following the retailer’s profit warning. The two executives each bought shares worth roughly £100,000 this morning after the company saw £1.3bn wiped off its value in a disastrous day of trading. Beighton and [...]
John Lewis defies retail troubles as it reports festive sales rebound December 18, 2018 John Lewis has bucked the downward retail trend, reporting a rebound in sales last week as it matches rival pre-Christmas promotions. The department store said total sales for the week to 15 December were up 1.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. The employee-owned company said the sales boost was due to [...]
Why voice assistants are set to make their ‘presents’ known this Christmas December 18, 2018 Christmas is now only a week away, and unsurprisingly gadgets will be taking up a lot of space under the tree, as people want to get their hands on the latest tech. Voice assistants are set to be an affordable, useful gift for many this year, and have become one of the hottest presents on [...]
Angling Direct sales jump 32 per cent after bumper Black Friday December 18, 2018 Fishing specialist Angling Direct saw its sales soar in the four months to the end of November as customers rose to the bait of its Black Friday offers. Angling Direct reported a 31.5 per cent increase in sales to £14.6m, boosted by a 24 per cent rise in online sales and record Black Friday trading. [...]
DEBATE: Is the Asos profit warning a sign that online retailers face the same challenges as the high street? December 18, 2018 Is the Asos profit warning a sign that online retailers face the same challenges as the high street? Scott Guthrie, a digital strategy consultant, says YES. Online retailers have previously appeared immune to the hardships faced by their high street rivals. Yet there are many marketplace similarities between the two opposing business models – especially in [...]
Sotheby’s wine sales hit $100m in record-breaking year for fine wines at auction December 17, 2018 Annual wine sales at Sotheby's this year surpassed $100m (£79.35m) for the first time, driven by growth in its retail arm and record-breaking auction sales. Earlier this year, the auction house broke the record for the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold under the hammer with the $558,000 sale of a 1945 Romanée Conti Burgandy wine. Another bottle of the same wine sold [...]