Latest news with #Capri
Auto Car
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
The new Ford Explorer is based on a Volkswagen - so can it wear the Blue Oval with pride?
Open gallery There's enough Ford magic to make the origins of its platform a moot point Blue plaque at Trafford Centre commemorates Ford's factory on the site Explorer's official 354 miles and 3.4mpkWh didn't seem unduly optimistic Explorer was comfortable and supple, but road noise can intrude at times Steve's simple plan turned into a long day Heritage collection in Daventry is nirvana for fans of the Blue Oval Close It was a bright, beautiful April Fool's Day. At 6.30am, a magnificent golden orb lit the eastern horizon with a brilliance we probably won't see more than a dozen times this year. The breeze was sweet and the air so clear you could practically see blades of grass on the horizon. Despite the beleaguered state of the retail motor industry, the news feeds were already filling with car companies' traditional April Fool spoofs: a free tattoo for every new Volkswagen owner, BMW to launch an off-road version of the M2 – that sort of thing. And in Manchester, the Volkswagen ID 4 in which I was about to cross the country had turned into a Ford. To be fair, we've known for years that Ford was basing its first all-European electric cars – the Explorer and the Capri – on the VW Group's excellent and well-proven MEB platform, the same component set used to underpin the ID 3 and ID 4. This was undoubtedly a pragmatic decision, given that Ford urgently needs to do better in the European EV race. And despite a nine-month production delay, the project is turning into a modest – if not yet profitable – success. Selfishly speaking, Ford's MEB decision didn't suit me. Outside the limits of the impartiality needed to be a fair-minded road tester, I'm a Ford fan: my grandfather was a pioneering Ford dealer in the Australian bush, we had lots of family Fords and my first new car was a Cortina 1600E. My view of Ford is that it may make everyman cars, but it also does things first – such as the life-changing Model T, the first affordable V8, unitary steel construction, MacPherson struts, the original Mustang, the GT40, the first 'computer-designed' Cortina, all those fast Escorts and much, much more. I simply didn't enjoy the notion of a me-too European Ford based on a rival manufacturer's mainstream product. Especially a Volkswagen. After all, it's not so long since the glorious, game-changing Ford Focus was forcing all comers – and most prominently Ferdinand Piëch's Mk5 VW Golf – to ride, steer and handle better to meet a much-elevated industry standard. When James Attwood's 2025 Ford Explorer long-termer – a £50k, two-wheel-drive long-range model – arrived a few weeks ago, it became clear it was high time for me to get over myself. Especially since Attwood had pronounced it a good machine, distinct from the various VW Group models with the same underpinnings. A workable plan seemed to be to immerse the Explorer – and myself – in as much Ford heritage as we could find in a day, to see how well it fitted. Or how well it didn't. The simple plan was to take it on a day-long journey starting at Trafford Park, Manchester, where Henry Ford made 300,000 Model Ts for his first 20 years of British business from 1911, before moving to Dagenham in the early 1930s and turning the Manchester place over to the manufacture of Rolls-Royce Merlin aero engines during the war years. From there, we would roll across the country to Ford's heritage centre at Daventry, to associate the Explorer with as many of its ancestors as possible under the eye of curator Len Keen. Then we'd continue south-east to Dunton, the research centre that nowadays doubles as Ford's British HQ, ending our journey beside a statue of the founder, Old Henry, erected at Dagenham in 1944 and now overlooking Dunton's main entrance. This drive would be typically British: plenty of motorway, plenty of potholes, some sinuous A- and B-roads and some recharging episodes, with all the parking and service area manoeuvring this involved. Photographer Jack and I arrived in Manchester the night before our journey was to begin, hoping that an unsuccessful meeting with a steam-driven 22kW Geniepoint charger outside our otherwise-comfortable Trafford hotel wasn't an omen of things to follow. For no good reason it wouldn't function, which meant our journey couldn't begin with a full tank, as it were. One thing the hotel did have, bizarrely, was a parking line of about a dozen used, obviously recently imported Yankee cars for sale via eBay. Evidently the vendor was using the hotel car park for selling. We photographed our Explorer beside a US-market Explorer of a very different persuasion, wondering at Ford's tendency to spread familiar names over models of different characters and layouts. Before departure the following morning, I rang the Geniepoint helpline to report the charger failure on behalf of other arriving hopefuls, to be greeted by a polite woman with a voice full of concern, who reset the charger there and then. I watched it click into action, but its charge rate was too slow to justify our waiting. Still, it was a good sign: even when you're talking duff chargers, EV life is getting better. The only sign these days of Ford's former presence at Trafford Park is a blue plaque in one of the many entrance halls of the Trafford Centre, a staggeringly huge and spacious multi-storey mall of satisfyingly appropriate American influence. We found and read the plaques, then jumped back in the car and headed hot-foot for the open road, hooking up after a mile or two with the M6 motorway. Our immediate destination, 40 miles on, was the Sandbach service area and a reassuring bank of a dozen Instavolt chargers that converted our 35% of battery capacity to 85% at a rate of 85kW in the time it took us to drink a couple of cappuccinos. It was pricey, mind, at 89p per kWh. Ford's Daventry heritage base – also a massive parts store and the site of the Henry Ford Academy where technicians further their skills – was now an easy 92 miles away. The car was doing unobtrusively well. It turns out to be a composed cruiser with long-distance seats and sweet steering that's notably accurate at the straight-ahead and thus not tiring for longer journeys. There's not much road noise on smooth stuff but, like many German-developed cars, it gets noisy on the coarse surfaces that are much more prevalent here in the UK than they are elsewhere in Europe. We cruised at around 70mph on the speedo (knock off 2mph for built-in error) because we soon established that at this speed, with a little care, you could turn 3.5mpkWh – the claimed WLTP figure; cruising just a shade quicker caused the figure to fall to 3.1-3.2mpkWh. You become aware of the exponential rise of aero drag with speed so much sooner in an EV than you do in a petrol car. A slightly lower speed and consequent better consumption can add 10-15 miles to the range you get from a 50kW charge while making no important difference to your journey time (this point proved by my own assiduous observations of sat-nav arrival predictions). I was clocking such esoterics as Jack drove, proving himself expert at seeing interesting traffic ('Did you spot that new Corvette?'), which added a lot to the interest of our progress. With miles, the Ford grew on us both. It seemed supple and comfortable, and we negated the sometime road noise by raising our voices when necessary. Neither of us was truly expert on how this chassis compared with a VW version, but our background impression (confirmed later by Attwood) was that the ride was a bit softer yet well damped and composed. This was another good Ford sign. So was the styling: I was liking the blocky, well-proportioned shape. We stayed an hour in Daventry, mainly because Len Keen and his two technician colleagues, Chris and Andy, were so welcoming. The Ford heritage collection brilliantly combines perfect examples of ordinary models with hero cars driven by Hannu Mikkola, Roger Clark and a dozen other road and track stars. They also continue to preserve the Autocar-badged M-Sport Fiesta ST in which then staffer Chris Harris won his class in Wales Rally GB 20 years ago (which had an echo for me; I watched him do it). Photographer Jack, compact of build, amused us with his claim to be the one bloke in our group who could perfectly fit Ford's beautiful silver GT40, the road-going model with wire wheels and three-eared knock-offs, that was sized for Walter Hayes, the legendary communications chief whose determination and strong influence with the Ford family led to the creation of the Ford DFV racing V8, surely the most successful Formula 1 engine in history. On we drove through the afternoon towards Dunton in Essex, spearing east from Daventry on the evocative A45 that links half a dozen defunct British car factories (including Jaguar at Browns Lane and various British Leyland places south of Coventry). This road also doubled for a while as a test track for 1950s Le Mans Jaguars. One story has it that Jag founder Sir William Lyons well understood the need for fast shakedowns on weekdays, but frowned on the idea of high-speed testing on a Sunday… As we drove, this Ford was taking hold of me. Its composure was starting to remind me of Parry-Jones-era Fords, one of which (a Mondeo) I'd driven quite a lot just a few weeks before. This felt like a European Ford, which is a compliment. In particular it was different in composure terms from the US-developed Ford Mustang Mach-E, whose engineers have just about managed to tame a pitching motion in steady-state cruising, after years of trying. This EV had overtones of Ford's European golden age. At Dunton, Henry Ford was waiting. We arrived just before knock-off time at 4pm, which means the cornering shots we did on the entrance roundabout (see above) were a bit unhelpful to the departing workforce. In all, we notched 230 miles at an average speed of 54mph, consuming power at 3.5mpkWh – a very decent performance. The car's economy and its real-world range were honest figures, in line with the maker's claims. Best of all it felt and looked like a Ford, and not a Volkswagen. In one enjoyable day, the ghosts were laid to rest. 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Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
We got a sneak peek at Boohoo's new summer range– these buys will sell out fast
Our Mirror fashion team got an early look at Boohoo's summer range, and it's packed with surprisingly high-quality pieces... One of the perks of our job on a fashion desk is that we get to see early glimpses of new fashion collections before they hit the rails. And last week, we got a sneak peek at Boohoo's latest summer drop. If you had any reservations about the quality or fit of Boohoo products, trust us, you won't after seeing these new-in launches. Playing on summer picnic style, the range features holiday and staycation essentials in breezy linen and silk-like fabrics, fun gingham and stripe prints, and with fruit print motifs. Many of the pieces also come with petite and plus options, meaning there's something for everyone. We spotted five key trends in the collection, ranging from cherry red to skorts, and we predict these pieces below will sell out fast! 'Add to basket' fingers at the ready... Beaded sandals Capri Beaded Sliders, £20 Ibiza Beaded Sliders, £12.50 Beaded slider sandals are set to be the hero shoe of summer 2025 – and it's easy to see why. This season's take blends laid-back, beachy ease with elevated, artisanal detail. Think intricate beadwork, playful embellishments and colour-pop accents that instantly lift a simple outfit. We spotted these two 'Ibiza' and 'Capri' pairs in gorgeous colourways. Co-ord sets Tie Side Linen Top & Wide Leg Trouser Co-ord, £25.20 Gingham Woven Boxy Co-Ord, £25.20 Plus Stripe Linen Look Oversized Shirt, £19.80 (+ matching trousers) Co-ord sets are having a major moment for summer 2025, with linen and satin-like fabrics leading the charge. From crisp, breathable linen that keeps things cool to silky finishes that catch the light just right, this trend is all about ease and elegance. The beauty of a co-ord lies in its instant polish– throw it on and you're done. There's plenty of choice in Boohoo's new range, but these three above are perfect for daytime or evening dressing. Mini dresses Petite Tailored Cowl Detail Wrap Mini Dress, £28.80 Stripe Sleeveless A-Line Mini Dress, £12 Stripe Ruched Flare Cuff Shirt Dress, £24 The mini dress is making a strong comeback for summer 2025, but forget the bodycon bandage styles millennials once lived in. This season's take is softer, more playful, and refreshingly effortless. Think babydoll shapes, flippy hems, and light fabrics that move with the breeze, often styled with flats or chunky trainers for a modern edge. Whether it's puff sleeves, cut-out details or a simple strappy silhouette, the new mini feels flirty without fuss. Cherry red Linen Tie Back Puff Sleeve Midaxi Dress, £22.50 Mon Cheri Applique Oversized T-Shirt, £12.80 Cherry red is set to be the standout shade of summer 2025: bold, juicy and impossible to ignore. This vibrant hue is showing up everywhere, from slinky slip dresses to tailored co-ords and statement accessories, offering a punchy alternative to soft pastels or neutral basics. Whether worn head-to-toe or as a single pop against denim or white, cherry red brings instant energy. Skorts Short With Double Split Skirt Layover, £13 Skorts are making an unexpected, and very welcome, comeback this summer, blending the polish of a mini skirt with the practicality of shorts. Perfect for busy days, festivals, or just keeping things breezy and effortless, they're popping up in everything from crisp cottons to fluid satins. This time around, think tailored cuts, sporty silhouettes and minimalist styling. Less Y2K, more elevated ease. Looking for other new-in collections to shop? M&S has just dropped its own summer range featuring gorgeous pieces for holidays. However, you'll need to head into your nearest store to shop the range, since the ongoing cyber attack is still ruling out online shopping for the moment. Alternatively, H&M's summer range is online and offers designer-looking silhouettes for much less than you'd think.
Travel Daily News
a day ago
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Capri by private jet: A seamless journey to the island of elegance
Capri is not a place you stumble upon. It is a destination you seek with intention. When you choose to travel by private jet, you honor that intention from the very beginning. Capri is not simply a destination. It is an atmosphere, a mood, a world unto itself. Draped in myth and Mediterranean sunlight, the island has captivated emperors, artists, and modern tastemakers for generations. With its dramatic cliffs, azure grottos, and the understated glamour that flows through every piazza and villa, Capri is the kind of place that asks for your full attention. And for high-net-worth travelers, that begins with how you arrive. There is no airport on Capri. Commercial flights do not land here. The island's charm is partly owed to its isolation, which has preserved its exclusivity over the years. The typical route involves flying into Naples or Rome, followed by a car journey and a ferry crossing. For those seeking a more refined and time-efficient alternative, private jet charter offers a much more elegant solution. Private jets can land at Naples International Airport or Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport, both of which are within reach of Capri's coastline. From there, Platinum Jets coordinates a seamless onward transfer whether by private yacht, high-speed tender, or helicopter directly to the island. This level of care turns a fragmented journey into a curated experience. As a trusted private jet charter broker, Platinum Jets offers access to a global fleet of aircraft suited for every type of traveler. Whether you are flying in from London, Zurich, or New York, they can arrange the ideal aircraft and routing to suit your schedule. Their Instant Quote feature allows you to explore options and pricing in real time, ensuring your itinerary is organized with speed and clarity. The moment you leave the airport behind, the transition begins. You glide across the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius in the distance, or soar above the Amalfi Coast by helicopter. Either way, the stress of traditional travel disappears. Your arrival in Capri feels cinematic because it is. Once on the island, the experience only deepens. Mornings might begin with an espresso in the Piazzetta, followed by a private boat tour to the Blue Grotto or a leisurely afternoon shopping in boutiques tucked along Via Camerelle. Capri's luxury lies not in excess, but in its ability to offer beauty and stillness in equal measure. Evenings bring quiet glamour, whether at a family-run trattoria in Anacapri or a sea-view terrace at a five-star hotel. With Platinum Jets handling the logistics, your focus remains on what matters. Their service extends beyond the aircraft, including ground transportation, multilingual concierge support, and custom inflight experiences. For travelers accustomed to seamless luxury, this level of planning is not a perk. It is an expectation. Capri is not a place you stumble upon. It is a destination you seek with intention. When you choose to travel by private jet, you honor that intention from the very beginning. And with Platinum Jets as your private jet charter broker, every detail of the journey reflects the beauty of where you are going.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
First Look: Bold and the Beautiful's Stunning Summer Shoot in Capri
First Look: Bold and the Beautiful's Stunning Summer Shoot in Capri originally appeared on Parade. The Bold and the Beautiful is once again going on location this summer. This time to the stunning shores of Capri, Italy. While the exact storyline details are being kept under wraps, fans can get excited as some of the shows most iconic stars are confirmed to be part of the trip. A first look from the scenic shoot has already surfaced, and it's as glamours as you'd expect. Spotted filming on location is John McCook (Eric Forrester), Thorsten Kaye (Ridge Forrester), Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan) and the recently returned Jack Wagner (Nick Marone). Brooke is set to be at a crossroads with her on-again/off-again relationship with Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) when his half-brother Nick, father to her son Jack Marone, makes an unexpected return. This brings a rush of emotions back to the surface and a sense of stability that she desperately needs. Nick provides her comfort and support, and he could be what Brooke needs to walk away from Ridge once and for all. During his time on The Bold and the Beautiful, Brooke wasn't the only woman Nick was involved with, nor the only one he married. Nick married Brooke's daughter Bridget a total of three times. He also married Brooke's long-standing rival Taylor Hayes (Hunter Tylo). Nick had relationships with both of Brooke's sisters Katie Logan (Heather Tom) and Donna Logan (Jennifer Gareis). His additional flings included Felicia Forrester (Lesli Kay), Pam Douglas (Alley Mills), and Agnes Jones (Sarah Joy Brown). With many of the loves of Nick's life still in town, Brooke's stable life may not be as secure as she envisions. Jack Wagner portrayed Nick Marone from 2003 to 2012 and made a special appearance in the soap's 35th anniversary episode on March 24th, 2022. Wagner is also known for his time on fellow soap opera General Hospital, where he portrayed Frisco Jones, half of the iconic supercouple with partner Felicia Jones (Kristina Wagner). The scenes filmed in Capri will air later this summer. The Bold and the Beautiful airs at 1:30 p.m. ET on CBS and streams daily on Paramount+. First Look: Bold and the Beautiful's Stunning Summer Shoot in Capri first appeared on Parade on May 30, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Capri Holdings' Leaner Portfolio After Versace Sale Support FY26 Inflection: Analyst
Telsey Advisory Group analyst Dana Telsey reiterated the Market Perform rating on Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE:CPRI), raising the price forecast from $17 to $20. On Wednesday, the firm reported a fourth-quarter adjusted loss of $4.90 per share, missing the Street view of a 14-cent loss. Quarterly sales of $1.035 billion (down 15.4% year over year) outpaced the analyst consensus estimate of $986.57 million. On a constant currency basis, total revenue decreased 14.1%.Telsey writes that results were mixed, with a smaller-than-expected sales decline balanced by a more significant drop in gross margins. Since reporting Q3 FY25 in February, Capri has made several notable announcements, including long-term brand-specific targets at its Investor Day, the departure of longtime CFO/COO Tom Edwards, and the $1.375 billion sale of Versace to Prada. Telsey considers these significant developments for a company navigating a delicate phase following the failed acquisition attempt by Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR) in late 2024. Management has reaffirmed its goal of stabilizing operations through FY26, with a return to growth anticipated in FY27. However, Telsey points out that substantial effort is still required, particularly at Michael Kors, Capri's largest brand, which has posted ten straight quarters of revenue declines. While the company absorbed a sizable loss on its Versace investment, the sale is expected to enhance margins, improve the balance sheet, and create room for potential share buybacks. Still, the analyst notes that the macro environment remains difficult for the remaining MK and Jimmy Choo brands, and Capri has considerable work ahead as it seeks to reset its brand portfolio and rebuild momentum over the next two years. Telsey notes that for fiscal 2026, most of Michael Kors' production will be sourced from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia, while Jimmy Choo will continue to rely largely on manufacturing in Italy. As a result, only about 5% of Capri Holdings' total U.S. production volume is tied to China. Under current tariff assumptions, 10% general and 30% for imports from China, the company expects an unmitigated cost impact of approximately $60 million, which could reduce gross margin by around 100 basis points. At the same time, recent weakness in the U.S. dollar is projected to offer slight benefits to both sales and operating expenses in FY26, Telsey adds. Telsey now projects the company's FY26 revenue to drop by 24.3% to $3.36 billion, a sharper decline than the previously projected 7.7% fall. Despite the steeper top-line decline, Telsey has raised the FY26 EPS estimate to $1.33, up from the prior $1.02 forecast. For FY27, Capri Holdings anticipates a return to revenue growth, supported in part by operating margin expansion. Telsey attributes this expected margin improvement to expense leverage stemming from ongoing cost-cutting initiatives, which should help the company rebuild profitability as it stabilizes its business. Price Action: CPRI shares are trading higher by 1.66% to $18.34 at last check Thursday. Read now:Photo by T. Schneider via Shutterstock Date Firm Action From To Mar 2022 Telsey Advisory Group Maintains Market Perform Feb 2022 Morgan Stanley Maintains Overweight Feb 2022 Credit Suisse Maintains Neutral View More Analyst Ratings for CPRI View the Latest Analyst Ratings Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Capri Holdings' Leaner Portfolio After Versace Sale Support FY26 Inflection: Analyst originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
