Posts made in January, 2016

on Jan 29, 2016

By John Glenday Britain’s embattled High Street retailers are enduring a torrid period of winter sales after unseasonably mild weather deterred shoppers from updating their wardrobes. A survey conducted by the Confederation of British Industry found that the volume of clothing sales fell in the year to January, ending a run of growth, with home improvement stores also feeling the pinch. Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI director of economics, said: “With competition remaining fierce and persistent price deflation in the sector, it’s not surprising the outlook for retailers in February looks subdued. “Retailers will be looking to the Budget for decisive action to reform the cumbersome and Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 29, 2016

By Stephen Lepitak St Ives has announced the acquisition of a majority stake in The App Business (TAB) in a deal that could be worth around £50m as the marketing services group bolsters its digital credentials. The initial agreement will see the acquisition of 82.16 per cent of the mobile agency by St Ives for an initial £22.3m, of which £16.7m will be paid in cash and the rest through an issue of around 2.6 million shares in the group to vendors. The intention is to purchase the remaining 17.84 per cent of the business through a call option exercised by St Ives Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 29, 2016

By Doug Zanger Voodoo Doughnut, a popular Portland, Oregon destination for doughnuts, has apparently released a new fried creation as an homage to recently jailed Oregon occupation leader Ammon Bundy. Bundy, who led a group of militia that took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in protest of prison sentences for a group of Oregon ranchers, and others were captured by authorities and sent to Portland for sentencing. The donut appeared on Voodoo Doughnuts’s Instagram account and was created by “donut artist” Shane Sweeney. At the time of publication, it had received over 600 likes. Known for its own special brand of Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 29, 2016

By John Glenday James Murdoch has landed his dream job after being appointed as chairman of Sky, four years after resigning as chairman of BSkyB following a failed takeover of the business by News Corp – owned by Rupert Murdoch. The takeover was aborted and Murdoch’s reputation severely tarnished when fellow News Corp brand News International became embroiled in the phone hacking scandal of 2011 amidst claims that newspapers had illegally hacked the phones of celebrities. Murdoch’s appointment will rekindle expectations that Fox, which now owns the 39 per cent of Sky previously held by News Corp, will once again seek to snap up the Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jan 29, 2016

By Leonie Roderick GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index climbed two points to +4 in January. Four of the measures used to calculate the Index saw increases this month, while one remained unchanged. Consumer saving and spending for January show strong signs of growing confidence among British consumers. The major purchase index, which calculates the likelihood of consumer propensity to spend big on products such as electronic equipment or furniture, has increased nine points this month to +16, which is 11 points higher than this time last year. The savings index has increased five points to +5; this is 10 points higher than January 2015. However, there Read full story › Source: Marketing Week...