THOUSANDS TURN OUT FOR GREAT CITY RACE July 15, 2010 THAT time of year seems to have crept up on us again, when thousands of City runners take to the streets for the most popular race of the year – the Standard Chartered Great City Race. After a chilly, blustery day, the sun finally came out to shine on the gathered throng, who signed up [...]
Tories gain more support for jobs tax pledge April 6, 2010 THE TORIES were last night claiming another victory in the battle over National Insurance, after three business leaders added their names to a letter condemning Labour plans to hike the “tax on jobs” after the election. Tory sources said that Yell chairman and ex-Merrill Lynch banker Bob Wigley had decided to support the campaign, along with [...]
Merlin’s magical results mean IPO could happen March 9, 2010 Merlin Entertainments is ready to make a sensational U-turn and resurrect its shelved flotation plans. The change of heart follows the release of tub thumping results by the London Eye owner, with Ebitda shooting up 16.6 per cent last year to £238.6m. Merlin’s revenue for 2009 rose 16.1 per cent to £769m, translating to 9.4 [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 28, 2010 THE SUNDAYS The Sunday Telegraph OCADO TO HIT PROFIT IN TWO YEARS Ocado’s imminent plans for a £1bn stock market flotation have been given a boost after a detailed research note from an expert retail analyst firm said that the online retailer would be making pre-tax profits within “a two-year time frame”. The note said [...]
New Ocado FD indicates an IPO September 15, 2009 Online retailer Ocado is today set to announce a seasoned investment banker as its new finance director, suggesting that the group is heading for an initial public offering (IPO) soon. Andrew Bracey will replace Jason Gissing, an ex-Goldman Sachs banker who once said he’d rather shoot himself than be finance director at a listed company.
New Look postpones IPO February 12, 2010 HIGH Street fashion retailer New Look has shelved its planned initial public offering (IPO) making it the third private equity-backed firm in as many days to abandon a flotation in turbulent financial markets. The decision to pull back from £1.6bn offering will cast a shadow over other IPO hopefuls, like travel firm Amadeus and online [...]
Supergroup will go ahead with float February 28, 2010 SUPERGROUP insists its flotation later this month will go ahead despite the torrid times experienced by other firms planning IPOs this year. The owner of Superdry and Cult Clothing brands will only achieve the lower end of its initial valuation, according to analysts, however. The company hopes to raise £125m through the offering, valuing the [...]
Waitrose sales jump by 15 per cent February 5, 2010 WAITROSE sales jumped by 15 per cent in the second half of last year. The figures mean Waitrose is fastest growing supermarket chain in Britain and come as Ocado – the online grocer that delivers Waitrose products – set a new record for the number of deliveries in a single day, of 17,500. New M&S [...]
IPO market shaken as second firm quits February 11, 2010 The IPO market suffered another blow yesterday when Merlin Entertainments postponed its £2bn flotation. The industry was still reeling from the withdrawal of Travelport’s £2bn listing on Tuesday after it failed to secure enough subscriptions. The developments rocked the hopes of a string of firms planning to list in the coming months. Analysts say furniture [...]
Travelport scraps its £2bn float February 10, 2010 THE biggest stock market flotation in two years was sensationally pulled last night, in a move that will send tremors through the IPO market. The shock announcement came after the firm had already slashed the price range from 210p to 290p – valuing the company at £2.16bn – to just 180p to 190p. But a [...]