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Category Archives: London
1 week to Christmas: are you ready?
Are you ready for Christmas? Have you done everything you could do?
Here you can find a short list of the main things that you should do or have already done:
– send all your Christmas Cards
– buy your presents to all your friends and relatives
– attend and/or organize Christmas parties
– organize all the payments
– plan your deadlines to enjoy the feast without worries
A silly list?
The important thing is don’t forget anything!!
When do the sales start in London?
The sales in London have already started! Every shop window on every high street is already showing the sign “SALE”. Retailers have started sales warily, because they are waiting for the new reduction; everything is now at 20% and 30% off will be soon be 30%- 50% sales. And in this dark period everybody wants to save money.
Something that you should know now is:
Woolworths, the firm’s music, DVD and games’ chain will close all its 815 outlets across the country by the end of the year, because of £385m of debt. It means amazing offers on everything and 30.000 workers without a job.
Tesco launch a pre-Christmas sale today, slashing prices on 1,000 lines by up to 50%. The latest big round of discounting in the retail sector, will be concentrated on Christmas essentials, such as food, drink, toys and gifts.
The best 5 London Squares to feel Christmas
15 days to Christmas! The countdown is running fast, so let’s see today where you can go to feel the real Christmas atmosphere in London:
1. The Bankside Winter Festival (www.visitsouthwark.com) – outside Tate Modern – will open with an atmospheric lantern parade on Friday and it will host a rich calendar of events. Perfect position to take a walk and get into the goodwill atmosphere of the season.
2. The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland (www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com) – in Hyde Park – is the biggest fair in town and offers free-to-enter events. Last year this winter park was a great success with more than 500,000 visitors. This time it has stalls, cafes, rides, a skating rink, a big wheel, helter-skelter and a 200ft toboggan snowslide.
3. The Tower of London Ice Rink (www.toweroflondonicerink.co.uk) is the perfect spot for people who work in the City and for the tourists who want to combine a skate with a visit to the Tower, Tower Bridge or the London Dungeons (just across the river). The ice rink will be open until Sunday 11th January (10am-10pm) – Prices: Adults £10 (£12 peak); Children £7.50 (£8 peak)
4. Trafalgar Square (www.london.gov.uk/trafalgarsquare/events/xmas_carols.jsp) from Monday 8th December to Friday 19th December (from 5pm until 9pm) plays host to groups performing Christmas carols in the square, next to the traditional Norwegian Christmas Tree.
5. Carnaby Street (www.carnaby.co.uk) can be better for shopping than Oxford Street at this time of year: less people and more decorations. The street is perfect to start your Christmas shopping!
Tesco on sale: good prices (and ideas) could help!
Tesco, the British-based international supermarket chain has reported only a 2 per cent rise in like-for-like UK sales over the past three months, its worst performance since the 1990s. People are abandoning Britain’s biggest supermarket in favour of its rivals that offer cheaper prices.
Tesco has begun to cut its prices. The discount supermarket sector is growing because of the economic turmoil: the rising inflation push shoppers to buy food & drink, clothing and electronics in the stores that offer the best deals.
Even if inflation is now falling back, the Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates to encourage shoppers to spend in the run-up to Christmas. Overall, total UK sales grew 5.9 per cent and group revenue across Tesco rose by 11.7 per cent over the past 3 months.
In changing times, companies must be prepared to change too in order to adapt to the current economic climate.
Interest rates, taxes, mortgages and the new Budget…
…the four key words of today. Everyday we receive new dark reports from the economic world about the imminent financial crisis in Uk. For example? The Guardian underlines again: “Britain will be one of the developed countries worst affected by the severest recession to hit the global economy since the early 1980s. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said it expected unemployment across its 30 rich-country members to rise by 8 million to 42 million by 2010 as all parts of the West felt the effects of the financial crisis”. “Britain’s economy may not begin to grow again until the end of next year”, – explains The Timesonline.co.uk agreeing with most international opinion.
The Guardian goes on to say that the Governor of the Bank of England may work on the interest rates: “Interest rates may have to be cut more aggressively to ensure that businesses and consumers benefit from cheaper borrowing”. The Timesonline.co.uk states: “mortgage lending slipped back towards a record low in October, as consumers turned to their deposits to fund other spending”. In the meantime “Prime Minister Gordon Brown swept aside three decades of economic orthodoxy with tax increases on the rich” and plans that, Bloomberg says, “will double Britain’s national debt”.
BBC.co.uk publishes all the documents about the Pre-Budget Report: the latest tax and economic forecasts and future departmental spending plans. Have a look at them and let’s see what they will mean for us.
Are you looking for a job?
You are not the only one. Everyday we see reports on the crisis, the recession and the uncertain times for business and employment. Today BT shed 10,000 jobs as profits slide; British Telecom are of course one of the main service providers of UK broadband, phone lines, mobile products, digital TV, web hosting, online security and networked IT services for the home. These measures are symptomatic of the present economic climate and are unfortunately being implemented on a large scale, as reported daily.
This meltdown is forcing the Government to take more than just a position; they must take action. Mervyn King is determined to kick-start the economy, focussing on inflation he said that he will cut rates again and again. Gordon Brown said last week that he wanted to cut business taxes. The Opposition has said that this would help 350,000 people back into work, as well as reducing the tax burden on business by £2.6 billion and saving as much in unemployment benefits. Could it be a good solution or an unfunded tax cut? To find out more about this topic please follow this link to the article on westbury.co.uk!
Our monday review
Good morning. Let’s start the week with a quick update from the Business World:
1) “London rallies on China’s £375bn stimulus plan,” says the Timesonline.co.uk today. “Shares in London rose by over 130 points in early trading as mining stocks soared on China’s surprise plan to pump four trillion Yuan (£375 billion) into the world’s fastest growing economy.”
2) “Gordon Brown hints at tax cuts,” writes the Guardian.co.uk. “Prime Minister suggests taxes will be reduced to push the UK out of recession. At the weekend the Financial Times reported that ministers were drawing up an emergency package of tax cuts. It said that, according to experts, cuts would have to be worth about £15bn to have much effect.”
3) “Jobless total set to soar to 1.8m,” reveals the Financialtimes.com. “Unemployment is likely to have risen above 1.8m, the highest level since 1998… Economists at the Royal Bank of Scotland and BNP Paribas expect that unemployment will continue to rise sharply next year and could reach 2.7m by the first quarter of 2010.”
4) Reuters.com writes, “Circuit City Stores Inc, the No. 2 U.S. consumer electronics retailer, filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday, falling victim to tighter credit terms from vendors and a loss of market share to Best Buy Co, Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other rivals… Circuit City filed a week after saying it would close 155 stores, or more than one-fifth of its retail base, and eliminate 17 percent of its U.S. workforce. It also said it was considering all options to restructure.”
5) The Christian Science Monitor starts its new life today: from daily-print format to a multi-platform news organisation with a 24/7 daily online publication, a weekly print edition and a daily electronic subscription product. Here we have the future of journalism: this event marks the definitive step to the digital age, as Marketwatch.com explains.
Barack Obama: what does he mean for the UK?
Remember Remember the 5th of November… This old poem refers to Guy Fawkes, who was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder on 5th November 1605.
But now Remember Remember the 5th of November, the day when the first black man has won the American Presidential Election: Barack Obama will be the new President of the United States, the change has come. Finally.
But what does it mean for the Europe? What will his election mean for the UK? The positive reaction from all sides are unanimous as Barack Obama could be the man of the revival. The UK and US have always had a good relationship, and now it can be strengthened by renovate common values of liberty. Future President Obama is a true ally of Britain and Europe, he knows the importance of working together to come through these difficult economic times and build a safer and more secure society for the future. Whereas British and European citizens couldn’t vote but the expectation on him is immense. And all the world has followed with great estimationthe political campaign and the election, because its outcome is vital to our future.
There are many topics, from the climate change to the global economy, and the new approach of Barack Obama will change the current situation for better. The Bush era is over. Tonight fireworks will flash in the sky over London, rich of meaning and hope for all the City, the country and the world.
How to save money – Lesson 1
Every penny counts, now more so than ever. So what better time for some handy saving tips? Look after the pennies and, well you know the rest…
Lunchtime eating:
1. Cheap Deals: Many restaurants have some kind of “early-bird” deal, normally around 4.30 – 6.30. You are obviously choosing from a limited menu but more often than not the selection is just the same as the normal menu with a little less choice.
2. Special Offer: look at toptable.co.uk and you’ll find special offers for every taste.
3. New times: If you simply must eat out then why not try going to a restaurant for lunch instead of dinner, the lunch set menus are normally far better value.
4. Drinks: ask for tap water and save money on pricey drinks. Or even better keep some squash at work and make it last for weeks.
5. DIY: Sick of buying the exact same ciabatta from the exact same Italian sandwich bar? Whether you make your packed lunch in the morning or buy the ingredients and make it at lunchtime, you will save an incremental fortune over the course of the months of your practical planning. How long can you make it last?