Sign of the times? Majestic Wine abandons six bottle minimum purchase October 26, 2015 Is this a sign of how bad things have really become for food and drink retailers? Majestic Wine, the middle classes' favourite mass booze retailer, has just ditched one of its main rules – namely, that all customers are required to buy a minimum of six bottles. Gasp. In a statement today, the company said [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown hires Amlin chief investment officer Jayne Styles as new investment committee chair October 26, 2015 Hargreaves Lansdown has hired Jayne Styles as an independent non-executive director and chairman of the asset manager's investment committee. Styles has been Amlin's chief investment officer since 2002, where she oversees strategy, governance and operations of a multi-manager portfolio totalling £4.25bn in global assets. She is also a member of the Amlin management committee, which sets corporate strategy for [...]
WPP posts sales growth of 3.3 per cent but warns of caution among its clients as China slowdown takes hold October 26, 2015 WPP has posted net sales growth of 3.3 per cent as it warns of caution among clients The figures Third quarter revenues at the advertising giant were up 5.9 per cent at £2.93bn for the third quarter. Meanwhile, net sales rose 3.3 per cent to £2.5bn. Net new businesses was reported as £3.2bn in the first nine [...]
Professional services firm Baker Tilly rebrands as RSM across all brands October 26, 2015 Professional services firm Baker Tilly will today become RSM, giving the network’s firms the same name globally. The firm, which has 730 offices in more than 110 countries, including 35 offices across the UK, is the seventh-largest network of audit, tax and consultancy firms in the world. Last year, the RSM network boosted its revenues [...]
US luxury firm Coach to move into Jaeger’s flagship on Regent Street October 26, 2015 AMERICAN luxury goods group Coach is moving into Jaeger’s Regent Street flagship as the retailer packs its bags after more than 80 years on the site. Jaeger and the Crown Estate, which owns the freehold to the 200-206 Regent Street store, have agreed to sell the lease to Coach, which will relocate from its smaller [...]
UK house prices at their most affordable in 13 years… but not for Londoners October 26, 2015 HOMES in England and Wales are at their most affordable in 13 years, new research from Hamptons International claims, as households benefit from rising incomes and lower cost of goods. The estate agent’s latest Ability to Buy index increased by two per cent year-on-year in the second quarter to bring it to its highest level [...]
M&A ranks last on executives’ priority list despite record activity October 26, 2015 Driving organic growth, not M&A, should be a top priority for businesses according to a survey of senior executives released today, despite a record-smashing year of deals across the globe. The survey carried out by interim management services firm Interim Partners found that over half (52 per cent) of interim executives thought that pursuing organic growth [...]
German discounter Aldi pledges to pay all UK staff above National Living Wage October 26, 2015 Aldi has set out to trump its supermarket rivals on pay by announcing today that it will pay all UK staff "significantly" above the living wage. The discount food retailer said all UK employees will be paid at least £8.40 an hour, and £9.45 in London from February 2016. This is ahead of the government’s national living wage of £7.20 an [...]
Aberdeen Asset Management boss Martin Gilbert in it for the long haul October 26, 2015 Aberdeen Asset Management founder and boss Martin Gilbert has no intention of selling the company, a senior source said last night. A report yesterday suggested that the FTSE 100 company is looking for potential buyers as it seeks to turn around its fortunes. Aberdeen has endured a tough six months with its shares dropping by [...]
Nameless CVs: David Cameron to announce new measures aimed at reducing discrimination using ‘name-blind’ recruitment October 26, 2015 A selection of major public and private sector employers are pledging to operate ‘name-blind’ recruitment for their graduate roles to tackle discrimination, the Prime Minister will announce later today. Organisations signing the pledge, who employ 1.8 million people between them, include bank HSBC, professional services firms Deloitte and KPMG, the BBC and NHS England. The [...]