Features

Jan- 2020 -

23 January

Asos bounces back from tricky period

Back in July last year Retail Sector reported that Asos was having problems. It had issued a profit warning, suggesting profits were likely to be about one-third of what was originally anticipated. It was an interesting moment in the retail world, because the narrative for the whole of the last…

22 January

Ted Baker hanging by a thread amid £58m balance sheet black hole

If you have shares in Ted Baker, you are probably not having a good morning. The price has tanked by almost 7% after news broke that the fashion brand has found a £58m black hole in its accounts. There’s being a few hundred thousand or a few million short, but when…

21 January

In the dog house: the art of running a pooch-friendly hotel

Former television presenter Caroline Flack made headlines this month when it was revealed that her pet pooch was staying at a luxury hotel for dogs, with room stays sold to the tune of £80 a night. To some, it may seem like an extravagance, but to others, dog hotels are…

21 January

Global CEOs and the IMF reckon the UK is about to have a good year

It’s not often there is some incontrovertibly positive news about the economy, but today we’ve had some. Audit and business advisory firm PwC has polled 1,600 chief executives, and found that they think the UK is the fourth most important target in the world for companies looking to make investments. PwC said Britain’s reputation…

20 January

How do you keep your pet hydrated during the winter months?

While we know how to take care of ourselves during the colder months, we can sometimes forget that, at this time of year, our pets will need a little extra TLC too. Harsh temperatures can cause a number of complications for pets, so owners should take extra care to ensure…

20 January

The growing problem of obesity in dogs

Obesity is a growing problem in dogs. However, the 2019 Burns Pet Nutrition Pet Census found that 89% of dog owners think their pet’s weight is normal. In 2018 the PFMA (Pet Food Manufactures Association) surveyed Veterinary Professionals at the London Vet Show and found that 74% believed that obesity…

17 January

The trillion-dollar club has gained Google as a member

Remember at school when teachers used to explain how one million was an essentially incomprehensibly large number? I recall one of mine showing the number represented on a huge rolled out piece of paper as wide and long as a carpet, with precisely one million individual dots. I was about…

16 January

All hail Trump for his damp squib trade deal with China

Do you know what, I don’t know anything about the detail of Trump’s new ‘deal’ with China, designed to hit ‘pause’ on the escalating trade tensions between the two countries after a couple of years of rancour. But I am going to assume, given the president has described it as…

15 January

Boohoo more valuable than M&S – a sea-change encapsulated

From a purely journalistic standpoint it is now a de facto cliché to refer to Marks and Spencer as the “high street bellwether”, yet that is the status it has held for so many decades. The once mighty monolith was the first British retailer to reach a market capitalisation of £1bn and…

14 January

Javid mulls three-year passenger duty holiday for Flybe

Things are not looking rosy for low-cost airline, Flybe, but the chancellor Sajid Javid may have some proposals that save it from complete collapse. It is reported this morning that he is considering cutting air passenger duty on all domestic flights – a big boon for all the other airlines but also…