BA: Ryanair passengers ‘like freight’ October 20, 2005 British Airways boss Willie Walsh has shocked the airline industry with an attack on Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary. Walsh slammed the low-cost airline claiming that it treats its passengers worse than BA treats freight. In an interview with CityA.M. Walsh said: “I think we actually treat our freight better than he treats his passengers.” The [...]
OFT slams ‘too high’ Visa fees October 20, 2005 The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) stepped up its assault on British banks yesterday, announcing an in-depth inquiry into Visa fees. The investigation relates to so-called “interchange fees” which are levied by high street banks on retailers when they process Visa credit card transactions. In a related investigation into Mastercard fees, the OFT last month [...]
Bugatti Power October 19, 2005 Veyron keyed up for super speeds YES, YES, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes please can I have one?! This is the long-awaited Bugatti Veyron which has the most amazing statistics of any production car I’ve ever come across. Its engine is a massive eight litres, it has 16 cylinders, four turbos, and seven gears. [...]
Alas Sugar and Jones October 19, 2005 Sir Alan Sugar teamed up with Griff Rhys Jones to save the Hackney Empire. Now they have reunited to lay on a fundraising extravaganza involving teams from the Square Mile. Sir Alan Sugar and Griff Rhys Jones are an unlikely double act. One left school at 16 and, following a short stint as a civil [...]
Your friendly neighbours at the Barbican October 19, 2005 Residents of City apartment complex the Barbican are thinking of forming a vigilante group to take on the “Johnny foreigners” at the nearby YMCA. Their noisy antics have become the subject of heated exchanges in one of the chatrooms on www.barbicantalk.com. One of the more gung-ho residents, who calls himself Flangia, has even proposed the [...]
House prices to stay static October 19, 2005 John Watson, chief executive of Bellway, the housebuilder, yesterday dampened expectations of a significant increase in house prices between now and next summer. Commenting as the company delivered otherwise impressive annual results, he said: “My feeling is that it is right to assume nil house price inflation in our next financial year, which is to [...]
M&A work boosts Huntsworth income October 19, 2005 PR group Huntsworth has reported that income in its core public relations and healthcare division has risen above last year’s. The company, which owns investor and financial PR companies Citigate Dewe Rogerson and Hudson Sandler, saw like-for-like income rise 3.7 per cent in the six months to 30 June. Rising stock markets and the increased [...]
Theft costs shopkeepers £2.13bn October 19, 2005 Shoplifting and violence against shop workers reached new heights last year as store chiefs picked up a £2.13bn bill for retail crime. According to the British Retail Consortium’s annual crime survey, customer theft alone cost the retail sector £589m, a staggering 44 per cent increase from 2003. The value of losses blamed on staff also [...]
Roche shares bird flu virus October 19, 2005 Roche Pharmaceuticals has said it is willing to let other manufacturers make generic versions of its anti bird flu drug. The United Nations has warned that a bird flu pandemic could kill up to 150m people around the world. The UN’s Dr David Nabarro, who is co-ordinating the organisation’s response, said: “It’s like a combination [...]
More upheavals at Highbury House October 19, 2005 Mike Frey has left troubled magazine publisher Highbury House Communications just 18 days after his appointment as chief operating officer. In a brief statement yesterday the company, headed by former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie, said Frey, who had at one stage been due to take over as chief executive, had “left the company by mutual [...]