Job Growth In July Is The Slowest In Months The job market lost some of its punch in July as employers added 92,000 jobs ? the fewest number in five months.... Read Full Article Networking In The Virtual World Everyone from moody teenagers to single seniors joined online communities.... Read Full Article What’s Online: The Mac Crowd Mourns In part because CompUSA has been a large seller of Macs, the news last week that the electronics retailer plans to close its remaining stores early next year has drawn lots of attention online.... Read Full Article Television Writers’ Strike To Go Ahead <b>LOS ANGELES</b> Hollywood screen writers will begin an indefinite strike today, in a move likely to result in television shows taken off air.... Read Full Article Loyalty To The Logo Can Rub Off, Survey Finds Australians are still very keen to buy Australian-made products, and only cheaper prices or better quality will tempt them to buy imports, a study shows.... Read Full Article |
Hurdle NewsCypress Semiconductor Posts LossThe chipmaker also said it had overcome a major hurdle to selling its holdings in SunPower, sending its shares up almost 5 percent.Read Full Article Toyshop Hamleys seeks to enter Indian marketHamleys, the world-famous toyshop, is preparing to enter the Indian market through a joint venture with one of the sub-continent’s largest industrial conglomerates.<br/> <br/> A source close to Reliance Industries, which is controlled by Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man, said that the group had held talks with the 248-year-old British-based retailer. A tie-up could be agreed within a month.<br/> <br/> As a British institution with an international reputation, Hamleys is likely to enjoy a head start in new markets. Its flagship shop in Regent Street is one of London’s ten most popular tourist attractions, with four million visitors a year.<br/> <br/> The durability of the Hamleys brand in the age of the Apple iPod and the Nintendo Wii was confirmed over the Christmas trading period when it emerged as a high street winner. Like-for-like sales rose by 11.3 per cent in the final five weeks of 2007, compared with a year earlier. Internet sales were up by 46 per cent, and revenues at the Regent Street store rose 7.7 per cent.<br/> <br/> Hamleys prides itself on a history of breaking down cultural barriers. A century ago, for instance, it became the first store in Britain to sell a novelty game from China called ping pong.<br/> <br/> Hamleys was acquired by Baugur, the Icelandic investor that owns Oasis and House of Fraser, for £47 million in 2003 and has since set its sights on international expansion. The group has a small presence in Denmark and is set to open in Jordan next month, the first of several stores planned for the Middle East.<br/> <br/> The retailer is also talking to potential partners in emerging markets, including China, as part of an ambitious plan to triple its revenues to about £150 million in the next three to five years.<br/> <br/> However, the group will face some hurdles in India. Its partnership with Reliance, the largest private sector company in India, is likely to have to take the form of an arm’s-length licensing deal, because retailers that sell several brands – as Hamleys does – are barred from investing directly in the Indian market.<br/> <br/> India’s highly fragmented retail industry is estimated to be worth nearly £200 billion a year and is expected to double in value by 2015. However, the prospect of foreign chains entering the market has triggered political concern amid protests from independent retailers.<br/> <br/> Gauging the Indian consumer’s willingness to splash out on relatively expensive toys will also be crucial. Marks & Spencer, which is also in talks with Reliance, has failed to make an impression in India so far after pricing itself out of the market. At the end of last year it was forced to reduce prices for its clothes, which it sells through an Indian joint venture, by up to a third.<br/> <br/> Reliance, whose interests range from chemical production to fresh food, appears to have set its eyes on the high end of the Indian market. The group is planning to build a number of shopping centres in large cities, including Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore, to appeal to the burgeoning middle classes. It has also held talks with the luxury marques Versace, Bulgari and Cartier.<br/> <br/> A Reliance source said: “We expect to have something substantial to announce in four to five months.”<br/> <br/> The talks came after Reliance rebuffed partnership approaches from the world’s three largest retailers - Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco – to strike out on its own.Read Full Article Europe Approves Google’s Merger With DoubleClickEuropean regulators approved Google’s $3.1 billion takeover of the online advertising company, the final hurdle to a deal that would strengthen Google’s already powerful position on the Web.Read Full Article A Bride, a Groom and Bellini’s Bel Canto HurdlesThere were no meltdowns during the Opera Orchestra of New York’s concert performance of ?Sonnambula? on Wednesday, but plenty of emotion onstage and off accompanied some fine singing.Read Full Article Music Review: A Bride, a Groom and Bellini’s Bel Canto HurdlesThere were no meltdowns during the Opera Orchestra of New York’s concert performance of ?Sonnambula? on Wednesday, but plenty of emotion onstage and off accompanied some fine singing.Read Full Article External News for: hurdleGamble sets HPU 100-meter hurdles record at Wake Forest - HPU PanthersGamble sets HPU 100-meter hurdles record at Wake ForestHPU Panthers"Manika had really good performances in both hurdle events," said HPU head coach Mike Esposito. "Obviously getting the school record in the 100 hurdles was ...and more »Gamble sets HPU 100-meter hurdles record at Wake Forest - HPU PanthersGamble sets HPU 100-meter hurdles record at Wake ForestHPU Panthers"Manika had really good performances in both hurdle events," said HPU head coach Mike Esposito. "Obviously getting the school record in the 100 hurdles was ...and more »Nuclear expansion is close to clearing a hurdle - Houston ChronicleNuclear expansion is close to clearing a hurdleHouston Chronicle... approve a draft environmental document related to the expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear power plant, a key regulatory hurdle for the project. ...and more »Gamble sets HPU 100-meter hurdles record at Wake Forest - HPU PanthersGamble sets HPU 100-meter hurdles record at Wake ForestHPU Panthers"Manika had really good performances in both hurdle events," said HPU head coach Mike Esposito. "Obviously getting the school record in the 100 hurdles was ...and more »Nuclear expansion is close to clearing a hurdle - Houston ChronicleNuclear expansion is close to clearing a hurdleHouston Chronicle... approve a draft environmental document related to the expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear power plant, a key regulatory hurdle for the project. ...and more »Ready or Not: Deacons say they know Wildcats pose a big hurdle - Winston-Salem JournalWinston-Salem JournalReady or Not: Deacons say they know Wildcats pose a big hurdleWinston-Salem JournalAP Photo Ish Smith celebrates with David Weaver and LD Williams after his game-winning shot against Texas. By Dan Collins When a team comes out ready to ...and more » |
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