Sunday 7 March 2010

BigFish Media Business News

After a few weeks away, we can now resume our regular business news from BigFish Media Voiceover Artist Sasha Twining:

FILLING SPACE?
Dentist receptionists all over the UK may have cause to celebrate. That staple of the waiting room, Readers’ Digest may have been given a reprieve. The American company who owns the publication said last month that they couldn’t support the UK magazine any more. Since then, the administrators have received 100 enquiries about the sale, and 25 of them are said to be serious contenders.

EVERY LITTLE HOUSE
Next time you push your virtual trolley down the virtual supermarket aisle, make sure you stop to check out the properties on sale. Following the Office of Fair Trading’s promise to relax the rules on online estate agents, Tesco has wasted no time by sticking up their ‘For Sale’ sign. For £999 you can list your home with the supermarket chain, a possible saving of thousands of pounds. Sadly the pilot service is only available in Bristol.

COF-FEEL GOOD TREAT
Forget nipping out for a coffee at your local cafĂ©, it seems increasing numbers of us are brewing up at home. Sales of jars increased by 17% last year. The biggest rise though was in the more expensive beans and ground coffee which bubbled up by nearly 50%. Experts think we’re buying more because it’s a relatively cheap way to get a ‘feel good’ treat.

ITV HAS THE X FACTOR
Talk about a turnaround – last year ITV lost £3billion, but this week they revealed pre-tax profits of £25million. They’re putting it down to cost cutting, and an increase in advertising revenue. Record figures for Saturday evening programmes like The X Factor didn’t harm their cause either.

EXCHANGE RATE NOT EXCHANGE GREAT
Finally, acres of newsprint and radio time were allotted to discuss the strength of the pound this week. It dropped below the psychologically important level of 1.50 to the Dollar. Analysts were putting it down to political uncertainty triggered by a poll published last weekend. At least we can take some grain of comfort knowing that exporters might benefit from the level though – even if our trips to the states are making our eyes water.

Sasha Twining is LBC 97.3's Business Correspondent. You can hear her Monday-Friday between 4 and 7pm on the James Whale Programme.

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