Latest news with #charityauction
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
GameStop's ‘Staplegate' Switch 2 Fetches $250,000 in Auction
By It could have been a marketing mess. At the release of Nintendo Co. 's new console last month, some GameStop Corp. customers found their devices' screens ruined after an employee forcefully stapled receipts to the boxes. Instead, the video game retailer transformed the blunder into another viral moment by selling one of the damaged units for about 500 times its retail price in a charity auction.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Dua Lipa changes outfits for charity supercar auction at motorsport event
Dua Lipa impressed onlookers with an outfit change quicker than a F1 pitstop as she headed to Goodwood Festival Of Speed in West Sussex, England on Saturday. The singer looked casually cool as she arrived at the motoring event in a black leather jacket and black, ripped denim shorts for the charity auction of a customized Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which she designed herself. In record-breaking time, Dua switched up her look to a white T-shirt a striped yellow shirt, and blue jeans while leaving her hair long and loose. Featured her name and the German word Rennstall, which means racing team, on the hood of the car, the colourful vehicle was designed by the singer, with all proceeds from the auction going to the Sunny Hill Foundation. The star set up the charity in Kosovo to support vulnerable people in the country, with a focus on arts and culture. The sale was organized with Sotheby's, which says the car has a value 'in excess of $400,000'.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Swap Gear! Dua Lipa shows off her lightning pace at Goodwood Festival of Speed with outfit change quicker than an F1 pitstop
Dua Lipa showed she was a perfect fit for this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed - with an outfit change quicker than a F1 pitstop. Arriving at the event in a black leather jacket and black, ripped jean shorts and a white T-shirt, the singer switched into a striped yellow shirt and blue jeans in record-breaking time. The 29-year-old headed to West Sussex for the charity auction of a customised Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Emblazoned with her name and the German word Rennstall, which means racing team, the colourful car was designed by Ms Lipa, with all proceeds from the auction going to the Sunny Hill Foundation. The Albanian-British star set up the charity in Kosovo to support vulnerable people in the country, with a focus on arts and culture. The sale is being organised with Sotheby's, which says the car has a value 'in excess of $400,000 (£346,000)'. Ms Lipa, said to be worth £100million, has been a Porsche ambassador since 2023. But the singer, who announced her engagement to actor Callum Turner, 35, last month, has shown she's still happy to take the train. On Tuesday, she was spotted at St Pancras station after returning from holiday on Eurostar. More than 200,000 car fans and families are enjoying the sold-out Goodwood Festival of Speed – which has become the nation's unofficial motor show set in a stately home garden party. The four-day automotive extravaganza takes place in the parkland grounds of Goodwood House, near Chichester, and is hosted by the Duke of Richmond – under whose stewardship it has grown massively in scale and ambition since its launch in 1993. As well as attracting a record number of champion drivers and cars from Formula One – this year enjoying its 75th anniversary – the Festival of Speed provides a launchpad for debuts from sporting, luxury, supercar and mainstream car firms including Aston Martin, with its new Vantage S and Vanquish Volante, BMW, Chevrolet and Ferrari. Goodwood marks the UK debut of Renault's new R4 E-Tech electric crossover, which is also tackling the challenging 1.16-mile hill-climb course. Priced in three trim levels from £26,995 to £30,995, the new R4 is the more practical sibling of the award-winning Renault 5 E-Tech, costing from £22,995, which landed in UK driveways from April. Order books for the R4 open from July 15 ahead of the first deliveries in October. On static display is a design model of the head-banging £140,000 555hp Renault 5 Turbo 3e mini supercar, which accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in under 3.5 seconds, up to a top speed of 167 mph. Expect first deliveries from 2027. Legendary American marque Chevrolet is unveiling its first hybrid Corvette 'muscle-car' with my name on it: the 643 horsepower (473 kW) E-Ray. Combining a 6.2 litre V8 petrol engine with an electric motor, it accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in a sizzling 2.9 seconds and is available to order in right-hand drive from £153,440 for the coupe and £159,230 for the convertible. First deliveries in September. Chinese car-giant BYD presents its new premium brand Denza, ahead of its UK launch in early 2026. It is showing three fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars: a Z9 GT shooting brake, upmarket MPV called D9 and a rugged Land Rover Discovery rival called B5. BYD itself recently launched its new Dolphin Surf electric city car with a range of 200 miles and priced from £18,650. Ferrari is featuring four new models, including debuts of the new Amalfi sports car, which I road tested this month, the 296 Speciale, F80 and 12Cilindri. The giant central display in front of Goodwood House honours 60 years of car design by the legendary Gordon Murray, whose highlights include the McLaren F1 supercar and lightweight T.50 hypercar.
South China Morning Post
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Moo Deng, Thailand's star pygmy hippo, celebrates first birthday
Thousands gathered at Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo for a four-day celebration to mark the first birthday of internet sensation Moo Deng. Events included a photo exhibition, a charity auction and a parade.
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Pele, Muhammad Ali and Tiger Woods all have a place in this treasure trove of sporting memorabilia
IT started with two football shirts. They were placed in the cosy reception area of a small business. The company grew and so did the collection of sports memorabilia. Now, 30 years later, John Horne can reflect on how his business, JR Scaffolding, employs 200 people, And smile at how he became one of the biggest collectors of sports paraphernalia in the country. 'My wife, Annemarie, and myself started the business with 1100 quid,' he says. 'I had no business training. I had no experience of dealing with customers or contacts. We put a Celtic strip and a Rangers strip up in the reception. This was 1995 so they were signed by such as Pierre Van Hooijdonk and Jorge Cadete of Celtic and Ally McCoist and Gordon Durie of Rangers. They broke the ice when people came to visit us. 'They would ask what was my team. I never hid the fact that I was Rangers daft. But a tenner is the same colour no matter who you support.' This is said with a chuckle. Horne, manager director of JR Scaffolding, has watched his business affairs outgrow matters restricted to a tenner. He has lived a life that has taken him from Govan, through a football career that brought close encounters with such as Billy McNeill, and now to a thriving business. The sporting memorabilia, too, has moved to another level. Horne has put up 130 items for auction. These reminders of sporting triumph will help address the pain of human tragedy. The charities chosen for his largesse and that of the bidders will be close to his heart. 'The first is the Emmie Smillie Charity Foundation,' he says. Emmie died of cancer in 2015. 'Her father, Andy, has been my friend, my mentor and my father figure since my own dad passed. He was the one who told me to work for myself, to start my own business. He was the one who allowed us to use his yard and put a wee office in there. I am honoured to help the foundation.' The other charity also has personal links. MND Scotland has been chosen because his close friends are the Souttar family who lost their son Aaron to the disease three years ago, aged 42. The Souttar family, of course, has sporting heroes in the shape of both John and Harry, who play for Rangers and Leicester City, respectively. 'My youngest son, Evan, was at Celtic when he was 10 and so was Harry. They became good friends and so did me and Jack, Harry's dad. MND Scotland seemed an obvious choice.' The auction items reflect Horne's lifelong interest in sport. He has his own stories to tell of playing against Real Madrid youth teams and being praised by Billy McNeill, one of the greatest Celtic heroes. But, first, how and why did he amass such a collection of shirts, boxing gloves, signed portraits and, yes, even a signed Gazza water bottle that brings echoes of a day in 1996 that we need not go into too deeply? 'I would buy the stuff at charity auctions at sporting events and then people would approach me to see if I was interested in something. I was asked if I wanted a signed Jimmy Johnstone strip, for example. I think the guy thought I would be reluctant because I was a Rangers fan but I grabbed it right away,' he says. The memorabilia would either be stored or placed in the corridors of his large offices in Paisley. 'We have a dedicated Old Firm corridor and people just come to our offices to see it,' he says. The collection is fascinating for those who love sport. The football highlights include signed objects from Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Pele, Brian Laudrup, Graeme Souness, Shunsuke Nakamura and so many others. Boxing fans will be attracted by a signed Muhammad Ali photograph, a signed Lennox Lewis glove and Manny Pacquiao signed shorts. Golfers will set their sights on a Dubai Classic flag signed by Tiger Woods. The auction began on Monday and continues into next week. More than £11,000 has been pledged already but this should soar. 'I suppose I am a wee bit sad about losing some of the stuff but it is the right decision. It will all go to people who will cherish it and the funds will help the charities,' he says. The corridors will now feature images of the works completed by his firm. There will be one refuge in the offices for sporting memorabilia. 'We are building a staff gym and we will put some stuff in there,' says Horne. The 53-year-old businessman also has a museum in his home. It features Tommy McLean's shirt from the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup final victory against Dinamo Moscow in Barcelona. It reached a world record £19,000 for a Scottish football strip. He also has memorabilia signed by Sandy Jardine. This is deeply personal, not just because Horne is a Rangers fan. 'I was signed for Hearts as a schoolboy when I was at Govan High,' he says. 'Alex MacDonald was the manager and Sandy, of course, was his assistant. Both had wonderful careers at Rangers.' Horne's career immediately went in another direction. He signed for Clydebank, playing with such talents as Chic Charnley and Owen Coyle, before signing as a teenager for Hamilton Academical. 'I had a great drive and ambition to make something of myself,' he says.. 'I realised quickly that I was not going to get anywhere fast earning 60 quid a week playing football.' The scaffolding business soon consumed him but he has much to look back on in football terms. He was given trials at Celtic and played in friendly matches and youth tournaments. 'I went to Spain and played in youth tournaments against Real Madrid, Ajax and Sporting Gijon,' he says. 'When I came back to Glasgow, Celtic asked me to play in a friendly. We were not doing too well at half-time and Billy McNeill, then the manager, came in and gave the players a roasting. 'He looked at me and said: ''Sorry, son, but I have forgotten your name.'' I told him and he told the other players: ''Look at him, he's not even signed here and he's playing as if he belongs here.'' Horne was scheduled to play in the Glasgow Cup final but the match was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch. He did play in a bounce match against the first team and that gave him a lasting memory. 'Paul McStay was playing and I have never seen anything quite like him,' he says. He then went to Leicester on trial but came back to Scotland and the Accies. 'I am an honest guy and I didn't do well at Leicester,' he says. 'I also realised that football would not fulfil my ambitions so Annemarie and I started the business.' Their personal partnership extends back to the days when they were just 15. 'We were so young when we started out,' he says. 'We worked hard and we had drive and ambition.' he says. 'We were dealing with big companies and I had no formal training in business or how to talk to these guys. So we had to do it our way and in our style. The Celtic and Rangers strips were a part of that. But we never forget that people helped us along the way. Andy Smillie was a huge part of that and still is.' Those strips hold more than just sporting memories.
