/lex/consumerhttp://www.ft.com/rss/lex/consumerFT.com - Lex, Consumer & Retailen© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.support@ft.comFri, 25 Jul 2008 09:18 BSTFri, 25 Jul 2008 10:23:33 BSTNewspapers15http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gif/lex/consumer(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/253888f6-5954-11dd-90f8-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/253888f6-5954-11dd-90f8-000077b07658.htmlSmile for the camera; grimace at the manufacturer. Canon Inc, the world's number one digital camera maker, unveiled a year-on-year 15 per cent fall in operating profits to $3.1bn in the first halfThu, 24 Jul 2008 22:13 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/9889696a-5a21-11dd-bf96-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/9889696a-5a21-11dd-bf96-000077b07658.htmlHong Kong's Coca-Cola drinkers are the commodities boom's latest victims. Cans there are being cut in size from 355ml to 330ml. The reason? The price of aluminium has jumped by 25 per cent this year, due to rising energy pricesFri, 25 Jul 2008 09:18 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/639ddce8-58bb-11dd-a093-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/639ddce8-58bb-11dd-a093-000077b07658.html Hamburger aficionados in Europe are still lovin' the Golden Arches. Europe, McDonald's largest region by revenues, is easily outpacing the more sluggish USWed, 23 Jul 2008 23:37 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/7a27fada-58ba-11dd-a093-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/7a27fada-58ba-11dd-a093-000077b07658.htmlThe largest US warehouse discount retailer is stuck between cash-strapped consumers on the one hand, and suppliers raising prices on the otherWed, 23 Jul 2008 21:06 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/8d5c459a-57f0-11dd-b02f-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/8d5c459a-57f0-11dd-b02f-000077b07658.htmlAmex has reported weakening spending and credit quality across the board, and is unable to give an accurate forecast on loan losses for the rest of the yearTue, 22 Jul 2008 20:17 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/233faa5c-549f-11dd-ae9c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/233faa5c-549f-11dd-ae9c-000077b07658.htmlManagement hopes emerging markets, which now contribute 80 per cent of sales growth, will provide a better second halfFri, 18 Jul 2008 20:59 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/33172054-530f-11dd-8dd2-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/33172054-530f-11dd-8dd2-000077b07658.htmlThe UK's fifth largest supermarket chain appears to have done a pretty canny deal for Somerfield, its smaller rivalWed, 16 Jul 2008 21:53 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/348f7ff6-5276-11dd-9ba7-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/348f7ff6-5276-11dd-9ba7-000077b07658.htmlMost of the $106bn of tax rebate cheques designed to stimulate the economy should have reached consumers' pockets, yet judging by June's decline in restaurant sales those cheques are not even being spent on taking the family out to dinner Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:21 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/02bd942c-5244-11dd-9ba7-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/02bd942c-5244-11dd-9ba7-000077b07658.htmlThose camel and red checks are spreading across the globe as the London-listed luxury goods company reports rising sales Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:51 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/abcfd04c-51aa-11dd-a97c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/abcfd04c-51aa-11dd-a97c-000077b07658.htmlPossible interest in TNT from rival FedEx sent shares in the mail group up by more than a quarter. Yet the idea of consolidation has surfaced periodically since UPS, another US competitor, listed in 1999 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:06 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/ecca75b0-4e90-11dd-ba7c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/ecca75b0-4e90-11dd-ba7c-000077b07658.htmlCarrefour, Europe's largest retailer, on Thursday once more unveiled disappointing sales figures in its French home market Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:04 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/d202f612-4deb-11dd-820e-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/d202f612-4deb-11dd-820e-000077b07658.htmlSir Stuart Rose may have weathered the storm at Marks and Spencer's annual meeting on Wednesday but the uncertainty doesn't end hereThu, 10 Jul 2008 08:33 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/8757407e-4d90-11dd-820e-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/8757407e-4d90-11dd-820e-000077b07658.htmlAcross continental Europe the chill is spreading. France's summer sales season – traditionally shoppers' favourite time to hit the stores – is not going wellWed, 9 Jul 2008 22:39 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/78a0efa6-4cc0-11dd-b527-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/78a0efa6-4cc0-11dd-b527-000077b07658.htmlThe odds against a smooth initial public offering for Macao's biggest casino operator just got longerTue, 8 Jul 2008 20:39 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/bdc01a12-4bf8-11dd-96bb-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/bdc01a12-4bf8-11dd-96bb-000077b07658.htmlPunch Taverns, formerly of the FTSE 100, has seen its share price drop by 80 per cent from last summer's high. A presentation to analysts is meant to assuage fears about the company's financial positionMon, 7 Jul 2008 19:50 BST