Land of Leather shares have lost 48% of their value after the retailer’s biggest new year sale failed to tempt customers. The results meant they had to issue a profits warning. Within minutes of issuing the announcement to the London Stock Exchange revealing a 25.5% drop in sales orders shares in the company plummeted by almost 50%.

NHS dental fees rose last year although the number of patients dropped. The amount paid by patients rose by £60 million last year, which is up 15% on the previous year. Figures show that patients paid £16.91 each in NHS dental charges in 2006/2007 compares to £14.58 the year before. This article suggests that people now have less access to NHS dentistry, that there are fewer resources and higher charges.

Marks and Spencer have managed to turn the business around and are now on track to burst though the billion pound profit mark. This is despite recent poor sales. The performance means that the business is likely to announce landmark profit figures when they issue a financial statement in May.

Several of the UK’s supermarkets have announced they will phase out the sale of battery eggs. The decision has come because of consumer concerns over the impact of cheap food on animal welfare. Sainsbury, Morrisons and the Co-op will phase out the sale of eggs from battery hens. Marks and Spencer and Waitrose have already stopped selling eggs from battery hens. Sainsbury expect to end the sale of eggs from battery hens by next year. The Co-op has similar plans and Morrisons will phase them out by 2010. Tesco are reducing the shelf space for eggs from caged hens but have not yet announced a ban.

Despite often being unhealthy ready meals are still very popular. In fact sales of ready meals have trebled in the past decade. Sales of Chinese, Indian and Thai meals have risen within the past five years with fast food sales growing by 73% between 1995 and 2005. Despite this more than 60% of people surveyed still cook at least one meal a day from scratch.

It appears that beer sales have suffered one of the worst months on record. Whilst this is obviously bad news for pubs it could also be a sign that consumer spending is slowing. The statistics which were compiled by the British Beer and Pub Association show that the volume of beer sold fell 9.7% in November. This followed a 7.7% drop in October and an 8.2% decline in September. The BBPA say that volumes in November were at their lowest level since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Other factors such as the smoking ban and people becoming more health conscious have also made life tough for the publican. So the message here, is drink more beer.

There is always a lot in the news about celebrities battling with drug addition. The most recent story involves Brittany Spears who was released from hospital today after being admitted two days ago allegedly for being under the influence of an unknown substance. Whilst incidents like this are widely publicised I often wonder where ordinary people go to get help when they have a drug addition problem. I was looking at this website for a drug addition treatment center that provides drug free rehab.

They are called DrugRehab.net and are one of the oldest drug rehab companies in the United States. Their rehabilitation program involves a four stage process starting with a complete sauna based detox program to cleanse the body of drug residuals so that the person no longer experiences the adverse effects of the drugs they have taken. The second phase includes a course of therapies which are designed to help the addict learn self control and focus on real life goals. Stage three addresses issues of self esteem and aims to cure the need for drugs. The final stage then works on helping the former addict back into society and helping them to lead a drug free life. Their results certainly look impressive with 76% of  their graduates going on to remain drug free and becoming productive members of society.

According to this article energy saving light bulbs could trigger migraines and even seizures in some people. The Migraine Action Association has said that the flickering and the low intensity of the light do trigger migraines in many of their members. There have also been warnings from epilepsy charities about the increased risk of seizures from energy saving bulbs. With the government pledging to prevent the sale of the conventional light bulbs within the next four years this could be worrying for sufferers of both conditions. As a migraine sufferer myself I have replaced most of the bulbs in my house with energy saving bulbs and so far have suffered no migraines. It might be prudent for the government to research this issue further before going ahead with an outright ban.

If you own a small business and are based in the US, you might want to have a look at Crest Capital. They offer help for small businesses including financing and business equipment leasing. Their aim is to help small companies finance equipment or software that is essential to the growth of their business. They offer a number of solutions including loans and leases, refinances and working capital. The advantage of their solutions is that they can be processed very quickly and can cut out a lot of the red tape which is often associated with getting a loan from a bank.

Waitrose has been criticised by human rights activists for selling fish from Zimbabwe. They say it is wrong to fly in food from a country that is on the brink of starvation. Waitrose say that the fish is sourced from a fair trade supplier which is majority owned by native Zimbabweans and which pays its worker substantially more than the minimum wage. Campaigners are planning protests at all Waitrose outlets which currently stock tilapia fillets, the fish at the centre of the debate.