Designer brand Ted Baker announced a 22.1 per cent increase in group revenue for the 13 weeks to 10th November. Retail sales for the period were 24.6 per cent above the same period last year helped by a good performance in the UK and also in the rest of Europe.
The Daily Mail interviews Waterstones’ boss James Daunt on whether he can bring the bookstore back into the black and hints that a push into Europe could be the retailer’s next move.
Department-store chain John Lewis is taking on 80 apprentices in 2012. The programme, which focuses on young people, has guaranteed that all will secure employment when their training is complete. The company sees its apprenticeship scheme as a “primary source of recruitment for future talent”. In related John Lewis news, managing director Andy Street has called on the government to take action against multinational companies that pay little or no tax in the UK before they damage the economy, reports the Guardian. He said overseas companies had an unfair advantage over their UK competitors because of their low tax bills.
Royal Mail is in the papers for announcing it is planning to deliver more unaddressed mail on behalf of its business customers. The Mail writes that this “revelation means up to 27 million of the 54 million items of daily post are junk mail”. The Telegraph says that “boasting that half the post postmen deliver is now junk mail” is akin to “BT boasting that half the telephone calls you receive are recorded messages urging you to sue for mis-sold PPI”.
Ninety-five per cent of respondents to a Guardian poll said they throw “junk mail” in the bin without even opening it.
Victoria’s Secret has announced its first UK store outside of London will be at the new Trinity Leeds shopping complex. The 10,000 sq ft store is let by Land Securities and will open this summer.
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