Carphone stays quiet on merger as revenues rise April 29, 2014 MOBILE phone retailer Carphone Warehouse stayed silent yesterday on the progress of its potential £4bn merger with Dixons Retail as it posted a rise in fourth quarter revenues across its core business. The group did not comment on its talks with Dixons Retail, however discussions are understood to be progressing well with an announcement expected [...]
Deadline delay in Carphone and Dixons takeover March 24, 2014 CARPHONE Warehouse and Dixons have asked the Takeover Panel for an extension to the negotiations for their £4bn merger. The deadline of 24 March was originally set by the Panel when the retailers revealed they were in discussions for a merger in February. But with today’s deadline looking unlikely to be met, Dixons and Carphone [...]
What you need to know before the open May 15, 2014 A less positive open is expected today, as investors digest the EU inflation and growth numbers due out today. So far, numbers have shown a shock flatlining of French growth in the first quarter, as the stuttering economy saw household consumption drop. It’s a different story in Germany, however, where warmer weather saw the powerhouse [...]
Phones4U’s swoop to gatecrash Dixons-Carphone deal hits shares March 24, 2014 TRADERS hung up on Carphone Warehouse yesterday after it emerged the firm’s merger target Dixons had been flirting with rival outfit Phones4U. Shares in the business fell 4.83 per cent due to fears a potential £3.8bn tie-up between Carphone and Dixons was under threat. It came after reports that UK private equity firm BC Partners [...]
Dixons boss set to be chief exec if deal happens February 24, 2014 DIXONS Retail chief executive Sebastian James is expected to head one of the high street’s biggest chains if talks with Carphone Warehouse lead to a merger, with Sir Charles Dunstone expected to become chairman. The two companies yesterday confirmed “very preliminary” merger talks that could create an electricals and mobile phone giant with a market [...]
What you need to know before the open May 19, 2014 A mixed open is expected for European markets this morning, following the choppy trading seen globally last week. All eyes will be on Deutsche Bank, following its announcement that it plans to raise €8bn in new capital, and AstraZeneca’s latest announcement that it’s rejected Pfizer’s latest takeover bid. Deutsche Bank’s move could impact what the [...]
Bottom Line: A merger of egos could be difficult to seal February 24, 2014 AS THE world’s telecoms bigwigs gathered in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress yesterday, something was afoot much closer to home. Forced to reveal much earlier than planned that they were in “very preliminary” talks over a potential merger, Carphone Warehouse and Dixons quickly became the FTSE 250 darlings – climbing almost nine and seven per cent respectively. [...]
Vodafone announces 150 new UK shops and 1,400 jobs April 3, 2014 Vodafone says it’s going to open 150 new shops across the UK, creating 1,400 jobs. The mobile phone giant is injecting a £100m boost into Britain’s high streets, taking its investment across the country to £1bn this year. The firm’s 2014 capital investment programme is the biggest in its history. Prime Minister David Cameron has, [...]
London Report: FTSE pauses for breath as stocks fall from highs May 15, 2014 THE UK’S top shares dropped yesterday, led down by airlines, as investors bet on a period of consolidation for the FTSE 100 after it reached a 14-year high earlier in the day. Profit-taking continued for shares of British Airways owner IAG, and EasyJet. Both airlines have jumped around 40 per cent in the last 12 [...]
Markets hit fresh highs February 24, 2014 BOOMING stocks hit fresh highs on both sides of the Atlantic yesterday as upbeat investors kept on pumping cash into equities, fuelled by economic recovery and low interest rates. The surge in stocks follows a flood of merger and takeover activity, with Facebook’s $19bn (£11.4bn) buyout of messaging service Whatsapp last week setting the tone [...]