Retailer Primark has revealed a “noticeable” slowing of demand in the UK since the start of 2011, reports the BBC.

In a trading update, owner Associated British Foods said Primark performed well before Christmas despite the bad weather.

But January’s rise in VAT and soaring cotton prices had helped contribute to the slowdown since then.

ABF shares fell nearly 6%, despite the firm saying that Primark stores in the rest of Europe were doing well.

In early afternoon trade their shares were down by 61 pence, or 5.99%, at 965.50p.

“The UK consumer is feeling a squeeze because of inflation and the VAT rise, and simply has less to spend,” ABF’s finance director John Bason said.

Read the full story.

Bookmark It

A Teesside steel plant has been sold for £291m after months of negotiations, reports the BBC.

Thai company SSI has signed the deal over Tata Steel’s Teesside Cast Products (TCP), securing the future of the plant’s 700-strong workforce.

The sale comes a year after the Redcar plant was partially mothballed after a major contract fell through.

The transaction – which should also create hundreds of new jobs at the site – is due to be completed by the end of March, the two companies said.

Head of Tata Steel Europe, Karl-Ulrich Kohler, said: “I am very encouraged that after all our efforts we have been able to reach this agreement, which is good news for the highly skilled and dedicated Teesside workforce.

“I commend SSI, the government and the trade unions for their roles in bringing about this agreement, and in particular the people of Teesside for the spirit and fortitude they have shown throughout the last, difficult two years.”

Read the full article.

Bookmark It

A council which put a £4,000 price tag on a tiny strip of land needed for part of a home extension has been criticised by the local government watchdog, reports the BBC.

The land at the side of a semi-detached former council house in Barnsley covered just 1.7 sq ft (0.16 sq m).

The woman who tried to buy the land from Barnsley Council complained that the price was “extortionate”.

She was backed by the local government ombudsman who said she “justifiably feels a strong sense of outrage”.

In her report on the case, ombudsman Anne Seex recommends the council “should remedy the injustice” by apologising to the woman, transferring the land to her without cost and paying her £1,500 in recognition of the distress caused.

Barnsley borough secretary Andrew Frosdick said: “The council has received the ombudsman’s report and, while accepting… that some compensation should be paid to the complainant, there are other aspects of the report that the council does not necessarily accept.”

Read the full article.

Bookmark It

Villagers in Cambridgeshire have begun a campaign against plans to open a Tesco Express store in a former pub, reports the BBC.

The supermarket chain has applied to convert the old Black Bull in High Street, Somersham, near St Ives.

A Facebook page has about 220 members and a demonstration was held next to the site.

Campaigners claim the store will increase traffic and ruin business for other shops. But Tesco said its store would give people more choice.

A Tesco spokesman said: “We are proposing a small convenience store.

“We would create around 20 new jobs and invest in a building that might otherwise be derelict.

“We expect it to be a busy and popular shop – but where people have concerns we are keen to work with the local council to take any action to resolve them.”

The village has a convenience store, with a Co-Op and a Waitrose about five miles away in St Ives. Tesco has a supermarket in Huntingdon, which is about 10 miles (16 km) from Somersham.

See the original article.

Bookmark It

Nobutoshi Kihara, who died on February 13 aged 84, was the engineering genius behind some of Sony’s greatest hits: transistor radios and televisions, camcorders and other bantamweight electro nics that made the company a world-leader and “Made in Japan” a stamp of distinction. This report from the Telegraph.

Nicknamed “Sony’s treasure” and “godlike” by his fellow engineer (and Sony’s co-founder) Masaru Ibuka, Kihara was credited with being able to create a handmade model of anything within 24 hours. His innovations in magnetic recording and playback technologies laid the foundations for today’s iPod-toting, YouTube-watching generation.

Before retiring in 2006, Kihara established the Sony-Kihara Research Centre in Tokyo, a laboratory dedicated to taking image processing further into today’s digital applications. “My message has always been to break through what is common sense and common knowledge, and make the impossible possible,” he once said in an interview.

Read the full article.

Apply for technical sales jobs.

Bookmark It

Medical sales reps could soon be promoting a blood pressure recording device that can be worn as a watch. This report from the BBC.

Researchers at the University of Leicester and in Singapore have developed a device to measure pressure in the largest artery in the body.

Evidence shows it gives a much more accurate reading than the arm cuff.

The technology is funded by the Department of Health and backed by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

It works by a sensor in the watch recording the pulse wave of the artery, which is then fed into a computer together with a traditional blood pressure reading from a cuff.

Read the full article.

Apply for medical sales jobs.

Bookmark It

Google has launched a new payment system that allows users to subscribe to online content for a 10% commission fee, reports the BBC.

The move comes after rival Apple was criticised over its payment system which takes 30% of the sale price.

One Pass will work on tablets and smartphones, as well as Google-related websites.

One Pass will launch initially in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The announcement came just one day after Apple announced new rules for publishers selling subscriptions on its iOS platform.

On a Google blog posting, Lee Shirani, the company’s director of business product management wrote: “Publishers can customise how and when they charge for content while experimenting with different models to see what works best for them.”

Read the full article.

Bookmark It

Elderly people in Leicestershire are being warned after reports of residents being threatened by a company claiming to sell double glazing, reports the BBC.

The county council said it had received 12 complaints about a company claiming to be called Bowater.

Trading standards said some people were threatened with fines, “green taxes” and even a death threat.

Officials want to know if anyone else has received any such calls and urged people to be on their guard.

David Bull, head of Leicestershire County Council’s trading standards, said: “It is sickening that older people are being threatened with fictitious taxes or fines, the loss of benefits or even death.

“We are very concerned that this firm is deliberately targeting older people and we would urge people and their relatives to report all cases to us via Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

“Reputable companies do not pressurise or threaten people.”

Read the full article.

Apply for genuine sales roles.

Bookmark It

Speedy Hire said its tools and building equipment hire business returned to sales growth in the final quarter of 2010 despite the contraction in the construction industry.

The Merseyside-based company, which operates from 325 sites, reported an 8.8% increase in revenues excluding equipment sales compared to the same period the previous year, while equipment sales increased 23%.

Output in the snow-hit construction industry fell 3.3% in the quarter but Speedy achieved growth by focusing on resilient sectors, such as water, waste, energy and transport.

Although Speedy’s sales growth slowed to 2.1% in January it said it could return to profit at an underlying level in its second half, providing that it continues to trade well in the next few weeks. It made a £4.6 million underlying loss in the first half of its financial year to the end of September.

Shares in Speedy were up 3% after it said its focus on growth markets and previous efforts to restructure the business left it well placed to benefit from any recovery in the market.

Increased rates meant the company lifted revenues despite a 6.2% reduction in the volume of equipment on hire compared to the previous quarter.

Wayne Gerry, an analyst at Investec Securities, described the update as “mixed but encouraging”.
He added: “Although Speedy has still to trade through two important months, a third consecutive quarter of rate improvement bodes well for the UK business.”

However, he downgraded his profits forecast to take account of losses from earlier in the year when two of Speedy’s customers – social housing group Connaught and building firm Rok – went into administration, wiping a combined total of £1.9 million from its revenues. Its international arm is also growing less quickly than expected, he added.

He forecast that the business will make a pre-tax loss of £800,000 in the year to March 2011, whereas previously he had estimated pre-tax profits of £1.8 million. But he still expects Speedy to return to making a pre-tax profit in 2012.

Copyright © 2011 The Press Association.

Bookmark It

IKEA is lodging a planning application for a new store in Reading that could create more than 400 jobs, reports the BBC.

The firm wants to redevelop a number of derelict retail and leisure units at Pincents Lane Retail Park, Calcot.

If the application is granted, hundreds of jobs will become available in sales, interior design, logistics, food, customer services and warehousing.

The move follows a consultation process with residents from the surrounding areas.

IKEA is proposing that the store is built on a four-hectare site of commercial land, which has a number of retail and leisure units, some of which are vacant and in a poor state of repair.

If granted planning permission by West Berkshire District Council, the development would consist of a retail warehouse and an adjacent multi-storey car park.

There would be a total of 1,287 parking spaces as well as additional bus and coach parking areas.

The site would be located near to junction 12 of the M4 and would be accessed via an improved A4 junction at Bath Road, Pincents Lane, Dorking Way.

See the original story.

Bookmark It