Making a date: Penélope Cruz fronts Campari calendar
ITALY’S economic woes and a tax rise in France dented sales of single malt brand Glen Grant in the first half of the year, according to figures released yesterday by parent company Campari.Sales of the...
View ArticleDirect Line beats the weather to improve profits
RBS’S insurance arm Direct Line - which will be spun off as a separate company on the stock market - has revealed a rise in profits despite worse-than-forecast weather claims worth £40 million.But...
View ArticleSpanish issues rain down on IAG as it posts a €253m loss
BRITISH Airways-owner IAG has warned of fresh job losses after Spain’s economic crisis and “deep and structural” problems at Spanish carrier Iberia plunged the group into the red.A further rise in fuel...
View ArticleAnalysis: Don’t believe things can only get better – they may yet get worse
STEPHEN Hester offered few excuses for another embarrassing set of results from Royal Bank of Scotland. But the chief executive’s insistence that underlying performance is improving won’t wash with...
View ArticleJohn Lewis sales affected by Olympics
John Lewis saw its sales growth ease last week, with demand sapped by a spell of hot weather and the opening of the Olympics.The employee-owned retailer said yesterday that its department store sales...
View ArticleAgriScot and QMS seeking out Scotch Beef farm of the year
Beef producers in Scotland are being offered the opportunity to win a fabulous cash prize and the title of Scotch Beef Farm of the Year in an initiative launched by AgriScot and Quality Meat...
View ArticleBiggest is not always the best in rams
With this year’s pedigree ram sales now under way, Scottish Agricultural College sheep expert, Dr John Vipond has advised buyers not just to go for the biggest rams on sale as that can be a false...
View ArticleClaire Smith: Oh my God, what have they done to our fair city?
LIKE a lot of other people in Edinburgh, I had a weird out-of-body experience this week.For the first time, I walked into the refurbished Assembly Rooms on George Street and found myself completely...
View ArticleArmed forces will have to wait longer for their pension
YOUNGER members of the armed forces face a longer wait before they can claim their pensions under plans confirmed by the government.The military pension entitlement is set to rise in April 2015 from 55...
View ArticleTen money saving tips: A joint annuity will provide for your partner
YOUR choice of annuity is one of the most important financial decisions you will ever make; once you have bought one you cannot change it. Rising life expectancy and tumbling gilt yields have hit...
View ArticleSpending starts at the airport
HOLIDAY spending begins as soon as people reach the airport – with people splashing out an average of £50 on suncream, books, medicines, make up and clothing.Last-minute airport purchases are part of...
View ArticlePhone app for festival beds
A NEW free mobile phone app which searches for last-minute hotel rooms could help visitors to the Edinburgh Fringe who change their plans and need to find last minute accommodation.JustBook, which was...
View ArticleBeware the rise of the ‘mankle’
ONLY last week Debenhams reported the death of the low-slung trouser – bringing joy to all those who did not relish the sight of unclad male buttocks lurching along the street.However, the fashion...
View ArticleMen still well ahead on pay
THE average 50-year-old man earns almost 60 per cent more a year than his female counterpart as the gender income gap refuses to narrow, according to a new study. At £30,000 a year, the average...
View ArticleFarmers hit by ‘perfect storm’ of plunging dairy prices
AS A teenager, Gary Mitchell used to go and help his neighbours milk their cows – and he always dreamed of having a dairy herd of his own.Four years ago, the farmer, from West Galdenoch, near...
View ArticleHebridean guesthouse to challenge TripAdvisor
THE owner of a tiny Hebridean guesthouse is taking on US travel giant Trip Advisor, claiming a malicious and inaccurate review has damaged his business.Retired lecturer Richard Gollin, who runs the...
View ArticleBeware the risks as banks push for fee-based accounts in bid to make money
THE Financial Services Authority last week set out new rules governing the sale of fee-based bank accounts amid concerns that consumers are being conned into paying for accounts they don’t want or...
View ArticleTesco Bank mortgage market entrance gets a cool welcome
TESCO Bank’s long-awaited entrance into the mortgage market will be undermined by a lack of market-leading deals and an absence of options for first-time buyers.That’s the verdict from mortgage experts...
View ArticleEric Curran: Home reports prove their worth in housing market
THE moribund housing market in Scotland is showing signs of life, with the number of house sales in the first quarter of this year up almost a tenth on last year – though prices are still...
View ArticleKen Taylor: Are the good times over for corporate bonds?
The Olympics has dominated headlines, but investors have been keeping at least one eye on the financial pages in recent days – and with good reason.August is typically a quiet time in investment...
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