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    Techs appeal

    After my recent blog on wearable technology, I thought I’d take a look at another emerging market: home technology. Increasing numbers of ‘robotic’ devices are making their way into our homes…

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  • Reinventing the hotel

    If you’ve ever stayed with a friend in a foreign country, you’ll know that the comfort of a real home is more relaxing than even the most luxurious hotel. Smart companies are now beginning to make this connection, and have come up with various luxury twists on the home away from home…

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  • Whose art is it anyway?

    The annual Frieze Art Fair has come and gone, the grass of Regent’s Park has started to grow back and the last of the padded vans have rolled out, transporting this year’s weird and wonderful installations back to their studios, warehouses and galleries…

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  • In with gin

    Gin has undergone a major image revamp over the past five years or so. Once seemingly drunk almost exclusively by elderly gentlemen in St James’s clubs and alcoholic great-aunts, now everyone wants a piece of the action…

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  • Gone in a flash!

    Discount shopping’s new kid on the block – the flash sale – has received some attention of late. A recent BBC Radio 4 programme, ‘The Bottom Line’, broadcast an in-depth discussion about this extreme form of discounting, prompting me to wonder what this says about consumers.

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  • Pop down to a pop-up

    Pop-up eateries have been around for a while. Frequently it’s a tent serving some twist on authentic burritos in London’s East End. So when did top-end restaurants start pushing into the pop-up market?

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  • Standing out by blending in

    Next time you spot a colleague sauntering around in joggers and trainers, don’t assume it’s Dress-down Friday – it could be ‘normcore’. Defined by Wikipedia as “the unisex fashion trend characterised by unpretentious, average-looking clothing”, normcore has been making headlines all year…

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  • Nothing adventured, nothing gained

    If you thought adventure travel was a euphemism for backpacking, think again. Recent research from travel specialist Fitness Adventure Travel shows that growth in the adventure travel market has accelerated at a phenomenal rate of 65% year on year since 2009…

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