Andrea Felsted

Here's How Brits Can Visit Spain, Italy and Greece This Summer

Britain’s guidance on where Brits can go on holiday is about as clear as a pair of sunglasses smudged with sunscreen. This is creating headaches for everyone: people trying to plan vacations; countries like Spain and Greece that depend on summer tourists; and travel companies such as EasyJet Plc…

American Tourists Can’t Save Greece, Spain and Italy

It’s the American Dream for Europe’s troubled tourism sector. On Sunday European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times that fully vaccinated American tourists could visit the bloc this summer. But the US accounts for a tiny proportion of travelers to tourist-dependent…

Pandemic Stress Smoking Is Helping Out Big Tobacco

So much for lockdowns making us more health-conscious. Last week we saw Brits endure arctic conditions for a pint. Now there’s data showing they’re smoking more too. Market researcher Mintel found in a survey of 2,000 British adults last fall that more than half of cigarette users were stress…

European Summer Getaways May Have to Wait Until 2022

That European summer holiday you booked a month ago is looking like wishful thinking. After UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson raised post-COVID hopes with his roadmap for exiting lockdown, the government has warned that a ban on foreign holidays could be extended beyond its May 17 end date…

Can an Activist Change One of Europe’s Biggest Food Companies?

Danone SA has attracted the attentions of an activist investor for the second time in three years. On this occasion, the outsider stands a good chance of bringing about change. Perhaps it will force the French food company into the shakeup it needs. Bluebell Capital Partners, run by finance…

When the Billionaire Bling Kids Get to Run Tiffany and Prada

With the acquisition being LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE’s biggest deal to date, and an expensive trophy asset despite the last-minute price cut, there’s little wonder that the company’s chief executive officer is sending experienced staffers from his flagship brand Louis Vuitton to oversee…

What We Bought in 2020 and What We'll Buy in 2021

First, we stocked up on sweatpants, then we made home improvements. Next will we be booking vacations and buying beach bags? It’s not the most outrageous idea. Since the arrival of a Covid vaccine, there has been a “great rotation” in the stock market: Investors have been pulling out of safe…

Will London's Oxford Street Survive Covid?

“In a West End town, a dead end world,” sang the Pet Shop Boys in the mid-1980s. Fast forward 35 years and the electronic-pop duo would be just about right. Covid restrictions and a lack of global tourism have turned the West End, London’s premier shopping and dining district, into a shadow of…

We're Better off without the Black Friday Frenzy

The Christmas lights are on, but few are coming to see them. That was the scene last week on Oxford Street, London’s leading retail thoroughfare, as non-essential shops in England remained closed. It’s hardly the run-up to Black Friday that retailers had hoped for. I’ve argued before that…

Clicking for Cartier and Gucci Just Got a Lot Easier

Johann Rupert, chairman of Swiss luxury house Cie Financiere Richemont SA, said on Friday he had no mortal enemies in his industry, known for its bitter personal rivalries and historic feuds. That’s a good thing, because Richemont, which owns online retailer Yoox Net-a-Porter, is cozying up to…