Cybertruck

Tesla has received almost 150,000 orders for its new pickup truck, boss Elon Musk has said, despite an embarrassing hiccup at its launch. Mr Musk was caught out on stage when the windows of the Cybertruck shattered during a demonstration supposed to show their durability. Tesla shares dived 6.1% after the event on Thursday and several bad reviews. With its distinct angular design, the electric truck was greeted with cheers but also bemusement. The demand had come despite "no advertising & no paid endorsement" for the truck, he said. No date has been given for the Cybertruck's release, but analysts said it would not be ready before the end of 2021 at the earliest. The pickup market represents a significant opportunity for Tesla as it improves its battery technology, meaning carrying heavier loads over long distances is now practical. Tesla's truck will be sold starting at $39,900 (£30,900), a model which has a range of 250 miles (402km), while the most expensive model, at $69,900, will have a range of 500 miles. The truck will seat up to six adults and haul a payload of 3,500lbs, Tesla said.

Cybertruck

Kylie Sells Stake

Kylie Jenner will sell the majority of her cosmetics company for $600 million (£463 million). The 22-year-old's brand, including Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin, will be controlled by beauty giant Coty.  Kylie says she is building the brand into an "international beauty powerhouse". Forbes reported that she made $360 million in sales in 2018, making her the youngest self-made billionaire ever.  The chairman of Coty's board called Kylie a "modern-day icon, with an incredible sense of the beauty consumer". The reality TV star launched her brand in 2015 with a line of lipsticks, and has since then branched out into face make-up and skincare. Although she's the youngest, Kylie is the highest earner in the Kardashian family. She faced backlash after being named a "self-made" billionaire, but defended herself saying that none of her money has come from inheritance. She has more than 151 million followers on her personal Instagram account, as well as 22 million on her Kylie cosmetics account. Coty, which owns brands like Max Factor and Hugo Boss, will have a 51% stake in the company. It said the deal will be completed in 2020.

Kylie

Hotella Nutella

In early 2020, an official Nutella hotel is opening in the US. Hotella Nutella (of course) will be a pop-up getaway experience offered on the weekend of January 10-12. During the stay, guests will get to enjoy massive Nutella jars and themed décor including alarm clocks, furniture and bedding including fluffy croissant pillows. Iron Chef’s Geoffrey Zakarian will serve up Nutella-based meals for dinner, while professional chef Tanya Holland will create a Southern-style savoury brunch using a little spread we like to call… Nutella. ‘Hotella Nutella reimagines the joy of the hotel stay with a special breakfast experience that allows fans to enjoy Nutella in new and different ways,’ Todd Midura, vice president of marketing at Ferrero, said in a statement. Curiously enough, entry to Hotella Nutella is a bit of a Willy Wonka kind of deal, with the accommodation available to just three people and their guests. Unfortunately, the competition is only open to US residents. If you fit the bill, record a one-minute video showing how Nutella ‘makes your morning special’ and submit it at www.HotellaNutella.com. Applications close on Sunday 8 December 2019.

Hotella Nutella

Mars Goes Vegan

Mars is to launch a vegan version of its best-selling Galaxy bar in the UK, the first move by a large mainstream confectionery brand to offer consumers a plant-based alternative to milk chocolate. The new variant, certified by the Vegan Society, will be available in three flavours: smooth orange, caramel and sea salt and caramelised hazelnut. It will go on sale online and in store at Tesco, Ocado and Amazon from Monday, costing £3 for a 100g bar, double the price of the regular Galaxy. Mars, the UK’s second-largest confectionery brand, says it has taken more than six months to reformulate its best-selling chocolate bar, which has involved replacing dairy with hazelnut paste and rice syrup. The UK vegan confectionery market has grown to a record £10m but is dwarfed by the size of the overall confectionery market, which is now valued at £4bn. It is also Mars’ first UK confectionery product to be wrapped in compostable film packaging. It is made from wood fibre and breaks down in home composting in a few months while the outer card sleeve is widely recyclable.

Mars Vegan

Huawei Foldable Mate X

Huawei's foldable smartphone, the Mate X, has, briefly, gone on sale in China. The handset went on sale for a price of 16,999 yuan (£1,900) via Huawei's online store and reportedly sold out out "within minutes". Phone fans who did not manage to buy a Mate X on Friday will get another chance on 22 November when a second batch will go on sale. Anyone buying one of the folding devices also gets 50% off screen-related repairs and replacements. Huawei said the phone was available in "limited quantities" for the first sale but did not give a precise number on how many were sold. Growing numbers of phone-makers are starting to offer foldable devices. Samsung, Xiaomi and Motorola have both made flexible devices alongside smaller players such as Royole. Other phone-makers, including Apple and Google, are known to be experimenting with their own designs. The phone is currently available only in China but Huawei has said it will be available in other countries at some point.

Mate X

Lynx Car

Unilever’s male deodorant and shower brand Lynx has teamed up with Custom Accessories Europe Ltd (CAE) to launch a premium range of car air fresheners.Each one carries the Lynx logo for added stand-out and comes in some of the brand’s most popular scents, including: Africa; Dark Temptation; Ice Chilll; Black; and Gold. The launch of the car air fresheners will be supported by activity across online, PR and social media platforms to help maximise sales. Julie McCleave, global licensing director at Unilever UK & Ireland, commented: “Lynx is an iconic brand with fragrances loved by millions, so by partnering with CAE, who are experts in the car accessories category, we are delighted to bring consumers the fragrances they love in a new and exciting format.

Lynx Car

Google Buy Fitbit

Fitness device marker Fitbit is being bought by Google for $2.1bn (£1.6bn). The move allows Google to expand into the market for fitness trackers and smart watches. It comes at a time when loss-making Fitbit has been looking to expand into other areas.  "Google is an ideal partner to advance our mission," said James Park, co-founder and chief executive of Fitbit. The bid values Fitbit at $7.35 a share, a premium of about 19% to the stock's closing price on Thursday. The company, one of the first sellers of tech-enabled fitness trackers, was valued at more than $4bn at the time of its flotation in 2015.  It has sold more than 100 million devices, but has struggled with waning demand for its products as other companies enter the market. It put itself up for sale last month. The transaction is expected to be completed in 2020, pending approval by the board and regulators. Regulators in the US and abroad have been taking a closer look at acquisitions by the tech giants, amid growing concerns about monopoly power. Fitbit said its "health and wellness" data would not be used for Google adverts and pledged to maintain strong privacy protections. But analysts said the health data was key the deal. 

Google Fitbit

Ultimate Selection Box

Cadbury's has been slammed for its £45 Ultimate Selection box - that has just £27 worth of chocolate inside. The hamper of chocolates - marketed as "probably the World's biggest selection box" - includes everything from Flakes to Crunchies and Freddos. The description adds "Best of luck fitting this under the tree...." But the 75cm x 48cm box - containing 26 chocolate bars and weighing more than 2kgs - has come under fire for its whopping £45 price tag. In fact, when all the retail prices for the chocolates are added up, it only comes to £27.43. And shoppers were left outraged after doing the maths. One wrote online: "Could make it myself for £25 and even have chocolate left over to do a smaller one." However, some eagle-eyed shoppers said the box also included Cadbury World tickets inside. A Cadbury spokesperson said: "This year’s Cadbury Ultimate Selection Box is a chocolate lovers dream, not only including 26 of our most loved bars, but also two children’s tickets to the home of Cadbury chocolate – Cadbury World in Bourneville. "These tickets retail at £12.85 each, so we think at £45 the Ultimate Selection Box is great value for money and a fantastic festive gift to share with family and friends this Christmas."

Ultimate Selection Box

Pradidas

Italian fashion house Prada and German sportswear giant Adidas are joining forces to produce a limited edition trainer and sailing shoe.It's the first time two of the most famous names in retailing have combined in what they say is a long-term partnership. Prada's marketing department could probably do better, though, as they've already demonstrated peerless descriptive powers in the press release. "The aim of this partnership is to investigate the realms of heritage, technology and innovation - and to challenge conventional wisdom through unexpected strategies." These won't be any old trainers, as Prada is bringing an "iconicity" that "resides in the interplay between form and function, luxury and utility, and the ability to juxtapose different ideologies". Prada does not get involved in many collaborations, so a tie-up with Adidas was seen as a surprise among the fashionistas and a coup for the German company. As GQ magazine points out, the companies "sit in different fields".  Adidas has dipped its toe into the high-end fashion world before with collaborations with Stella McCartney, Rick Owens, and Kanye West's Yeezy line. The collection launches next month with two styles of trainer, and next year will see the release of sailing footwear under the Luna Rossa label. The limited-edition footwear will all be made at Prada's factory in Italy.

Pradidas

Mothercare Appoint Administrators

It was once the one-stop shop for all things baby-related, but Mothercare's 79 UK stores are not profitable and 2,500 jobs are at risk. Mothercare said its 79 UK stores were "not capable" of achieving a sufficient level of profitability and that so far it had failed to find a buyer. It said its stores would continue to trade as normal for the time being. Analysts said Mothercare had been slow to adapt to competition from rivals and the switch to online retailing.The firm said the decision to appoint administrators was "a necessary step in the restructuring and refinancing" of the group. In the financial year to March 2019, Mothercare's international business generated profits of £28.3m, whereas the UK retail operations lost £36.3m. In its heyday, Mothercare had hundreds of stores. It was the go-to place for new parents. But it failed to keep up with our changing shopping habits. Mothercare's UK arm has been loss-making for years. One big reason is there's so much more competition these days.  From Zara and H&M to the major supermarkets, there are no shortages of places to buy children's clothing and often at cheaper prices. And then there's online, with the likes of Amazon who are able to deliver basic kit to your doorstep within hours of ordering. It has all eaten into Mothercare's market share. Truth is, this is a business that's been losing money for a very long time. Mothercare ran out of time and money to try to revive its fortunes.

Mothercare

Hotel Hell

Britannia Hotels has been rated the worst hotel chain in the UK for the seventh year in a row, with guests repeatedly describing its rooms as “filthy” and complaining about mouldy bathrooms and peeling paintwork. EasyHotel and Ibis Budget also performed badly in an annual satisfaction survey by the consumer group Which?. At the other end of the scale, Wetherspoon Hotels was rated best for the first time. It shared the top spot with Premier Inn, Britain’s biggest hotel chain, which has come first for the last four years of the survey. Which? asked more than 8,000 hotel guests of 40 well-known chains to rate everything from bed comfort to value for money as well as the quality of food, customer service and overall cleanliness. Britannia, which has 61 hotels across the UK, received one star out of five in almost every category except customer service, for which it scored two stars. The chain received a total score of 39%, slightly above the 35% it had last year. Cleanliness proved to be a particular issue with guests repeatedly describing it as “filthy”, “dreadful” and “scruffy”. On average, guests were 10 times more likely to rate Britannia poorly in this category than across almost all the other hotel chains covered by the survey.

Worst Hotel

Save Our Planet

Vans has just released a Save Our Planet footwear collection, following in the footsteps of other fashion companies shining a spotlight on the environment. Famous for its footwear, it makes sense that the collection features a range of high-top and regular trainers. Every piece showcases a world map – be it in colour or in black and white – and has the slogan ‘Save Our Planet’ printed on it in a graffiti style. The streetwear brand has said it will donate up to £160,000 of the proceeds to Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii – a foundation that works to tackle coastal pollution – As part of this initiative to create awareness of how to care for our oceans for generations to come-because clean beaches start at home.

Green Vans