Scottish group fined over nuisance calls
A UK information watchdog has bitten back at nuisance telephone marketers, issuing a groundbreaking fine against a Scottish kitchen design and installation company accused of making thousands of unwelcome calls.…
Boots and Walgreens add to pharma empire
Alliance Boots and Walgreens have added another element to their health and pharmaceutical empire in a deal to buy more drugs from – and potentially take a stake in –…
No rush for entry as India opens retail doors
In most economies, retailers are retailers. Some, like supermarkets, department stores and pharmacies, sell products from many different brands, while others, like Ikea and many clothiers, sell items all tagged…
Sharp hit by delay in Qualcomm investment
©Reuters Sharp is to receive the second tranche of a Y9.9bn ($104m) investment from Qualcomm three months later than expected after failing to meet certain conditions of the capital tie-up…
Hollande wants right to ‘cultural exception’
France is demanding that a system designed to limit foreign television and music on its airwaves not be discussed as part of broader transatlantic trade pact. “I want these issues…
Italian police seize €46m Bulgari assets
©Bloomberg Italian police have seized €46m worth of Bulgari assets, including the jeweller’s flagship Roman store, in a tax evasion probe. Police said their investigations focused on Paolo and Nicola…
The smartwatch is a sign of the times
It sounded like hubris last week when Nick Hayek, chief executive of Swatch, dismissed out of hand the threat from a potential Apple “smartwatch”. Hadn’t he heard what happens to…
Italian luxury brands post domestic gains
Tod’s and Brunello Cucinelli’s final year results reflect strong growth in 2012, suggesting that the fortunes of Italian luxury players are flourishing despite the challenges of their domestic market. Tod’s…
Inditex: in and out of fashion
As Kate Moss knows, even supermodels can encounter the odd career glitch. Is that starting to happen at the world’s largest clothes retailer by sales? Alongside earnings for its full…
Xeros cleans up on fundraising
Xeros, a technology company that uses nylon beads to clean clothes with very little water, has raised £10m in an investment round led by Invesco Perpetual. Invesco has put £6m…
Martha Stewart Living: chain reaction
Contract disputes are a bore, except when they land Martha Stewart back in court. Macy’s is suing the namesake company of the housewares design icon, who went to prison for…
Sluggish housing market weighs on Aga
Aga Rangemaster suffered another fall in sales of its cast iron cookers as the UK’s sluggish housing market continued to weigh on the group. William McGrath, chief executive, said that…
3i buys Brazil eyewear group Óticas Carol
3i Group has made its second investment in Brazil, acquiring Óticas Carol, the country’s second-largest eyewear retail chain by sales. The R$108m (£36.7m) deal is part of an expansion by…
Shake-up planned for vocational courses
Teenagers are to be offered vocational qualifications in engineering and construction devised by sector experts to fit the skills gaps in their industries, ministers will announce on Thursday. The certificates…
Dreams founder to set up furniture chain
Sun European Partners, the private equity group, confirmed on Wednesday that it had acquired Dreams, the beds retailer, as Dreams founder Mike Clare said he would set up a new…