Marks and Spencer has always been the big name for “under one roof shopping” on most UK high streets with their luxury food choices for every occasion and tremulously scrumptious advertising which leaves consumers bewildered on how they can afford exquisite dining during this tough economical period. Personally I brand M&S as food products as ‘treats’ because simply that is their end objective. In the downfall of new, cheaper food stores opening large cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester & Newcastle and their competitors cheaper price product lines becoming a current trend, Marks and Spencer have put away the ‘Sparks’ and brought in the ‘Simply (Savers)” in an attempt to benefit those who may be working in office blocks earning the best bakers dough whilst those may be scratching and saving to buy the last loaf of bread.

Their new product range features many of their traditional favourites but with a dramatic drop in the price – some almost by 45-50%. This new product line is another huge dent for the loyal Markies brand dating back to Leeds in the 1880′s after the introduction to other brands such as Kleenex, Tetley and Heinz to be placed on the shelves of their over 600 stores within the UK and Ireland. This was a slow but demanding move for M&S afterall, they have their own finance packages including bank and insurance in place across their stores under the Your M&S branding, likewise for other supermarkets, the prime examples being the budget supermarkets.

Source: Daily Mail

However, will this new budget range persuade customers to buy back into the Sparks trade or could it be a huge publicity stunt that could come full circle and bite their low income customers in the backside once the recession is over? After all, they will be bringing new customers into their stores therefore putting their love and loyalty into the business which become such a desire once again. Whilst you’re reading this article you could be sat in a train station having once bought your sandwich and drink from the rich money fountain across the concourse – or then again, you could be biting into Boots.

The news casually broke as he posted an update to his 13,000,000 subscribers, on the social network which he famously founded back in 2004 in a Harvard dorm room.

Mark’s week couldn’t get better: not only did he marry Chan this week (or perhaps now Priscilla Zuckerberg) but he also rang the NASDAQ opening bell, opening trading on Facebook’s share, which stood at an IPO of $38/share, giving the company a value of over $110,000,000,000.00. The site also recently announced that is now have over 901 million active users.

The most shocking part? Zuckerberg – famous for his ‘dress down’ approach, and often snapped in a hoodie – wore a suit to his own wedding! Shocking stuff.

So here’s an update.

We are planning to launch our first print edition in November, on 10.11.12, to our print subscribers, and (if all goes to plan) across the UK’s rail networks. Yup, that’s right, we’re targeting rail commuters.

Without going into a sales pitch, this is because trains and train stations see 100,000s of people who fit our demographic pass through everyday; before sitting on a train for on average over an hour with nothing to do. Another impressive statistic is that 84% of all train trips here in the UK either start, or finish in London.

This is a way to get advertisers the numbers and statics they look for, whilst ensuring we can reach as many of you – the reader – as possible.

A push for editorial has already started for the first issue too. We’re going to be targeting it around lifestyle, fashion and startups.

We’ve got some more really exciting announcments coming soon, and can’t wait to share them with you. Follow us on Twitter, @MagnateUK

Does BBC One's 'The Voice' pose a threat to Simon Cowell?

Britain, home to Her Majesty the Queen, world-famous attractions and the iconic cup of tea. We’re a nation that prides ourselves on our own way of doing things, including spelling words correctly, unlike our American cousins. However, we’re also a nation of variety; and that very variety has been showcased on our television screens for decades.

Talent shows and variety acts have long been a part of primetime British television. We invite them into our homes to make us smile, frown, laugh, cry and be entertained. The talent show is a part of British culture.

Historically, variety shows have been shown on British TV on Saturday evenings, peak time for TV viewing. Shows such as New Faces and Opportunity Knocks entertained the nation from the 50s to the 80s, and produced many household names such as Lenny Henry. Such shows were seen as light entertainment, and it was a family event to watch. However, just after the start of the new millennium, ITV launched a new show which would take talent shows to a whole new level.

In 2002, Pop Idol first came onto our screens. Millions of viewers tuned into ITV1 to watch Ant and Dec crown Will Young as the winner of the original Idol series (a franchise which went on to span dozens of countries). Over 8 million people picked up the phone to vote, a record at the time. The singing talent show was born.

Later in 2002, BBC One launched their rival to Pop Idol. Fame Academy was a high-budget retaliation from the BBC, attempting to steal the limelight from their commercial rival. Fame Academy took the idea of a talent show and mixed it in with the idea of a reality show. It borrowed a portion of its format from Channel 4′s Big Brother. The contestants lived inside a house, which was monitored by a network of cameras, live streaming to the TV audiences. The population watched as the contestants were tutored inside the house, then fought for survival in live shows. Fame Academy lasted two series before the BBC scrapped the show.

Instead, the BBC decided to start a different take on primetime talent shows, by launching Strictly Come Dancing. In 2004, the BBC launched the ballroom dancing-centric show fronted by Bruce Forsyth. This dancing format was later adapted by ITV’s Dancing On Ice, which featured celebrities attempting to ice-skate.

Also, in 2004, Simon Cowell decided to create his own talent format to battle against Simon Fuller’s Pop Idol, and The X Factor was born. ITV dropped Pop Idol in favour of Cowell’s show. Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh joined the panel to judge the contestants, and find Britain’s next superstar.

A superstar, however, they did not find. Steve Brookstein was crowned winner of the first series, but did not make a successful career. He was dropped by Cowell’s label, Syco, and went on to tour local clubs and bars around the country.

It wasn’t until 2006, when Leona Lewis won the third series of The X Factor, that Cowell succeeded in finding an international superstar. Lewis went on to sell a multi-platinum album, topped the charts in over thirty countries, and claimed the best selling single of 2008 for ‘Bleeding Love’.

Leona Lewis became a worldwide hit for Cowell

Cowell decided to expand on his empire in 2007, when Britain’s Got Talent was launched. ITV bought the rights for Cowell’s new Got Talent franchise, which was launched in America the previous year.

Britain’s Got Talent brought variety back to British television, letting us see magicians, dancers, musicians, comedians and acrobats on our TV sets, alongside dogs and pensioners. Anyone could enter, and there were no age limits. Britain’s Got Talent brought back the variety show of yesteryear, and provided respite from the singing-focused talent shows of recent years.

Britain’s Got Talent was hugely successful, pulling in over 17 million viewers for the final of its third series, when dance troupe Diversity took home the

So tonight I’ve been watching Sky News, ‘The London Debate’ . It got me thinking, just how empty are Ken Livingstone’s promises? Is what Boris saying about Ken actually true? I did some research…

Ken’s claim: “I can cut the fares 7 per cent by using TfL