Comet launches clearance sale on stock as shop closures loom November 7, 2012 COMET’S administrator has today begun slashing prices on selected stock across the retailer’s 236 stores, as talks to sell all or parts of the business continue. A spokesperson from Deloitte said it had launched “a gentle” clearance sale today on certain items but said it would not hold a full blown fire sale at this [...]
Why far too many young people still struggle to find work after education August 22, 2013 AFTER a summer-size portion of angst and anticipation, judgement day has finally been and gone. More than 600,000 households across the country will be waking up today with the hangover of GCSE results. While some will be bounding out of bed, excited about sixth form in September, a drop in top grades and a falling [...]
Rivals set to gain as Comet nears collapse November 1, 2012 THE FUTURE of Comet is hanging by a thread after the troubled retailer called in administrators yesterday, sending its website crashing and shares in rival electricals retailers soaring. OpCapita, the private equity firm which acquired Comet for £2 less than a year ago, confirmed it has filed its intention to appoint administrators with the view [...]
Former RBS chief executive gives blessing to successor Ross McEwan August 2, 2013 The Royal Bank of Scotland has formally announced the appointment of Ross McEwan to the position of chief executive alongside its half yearly results including a pre-tax profit of £1.4bn (full results). McEwan, head of RBS’s retail arm, will begin working from 1 October 2013. Chairman Philip Hampton said he has already become a “champion” [...]
Coalition’s tweaks and gimmicks won’t reboot our economy June 23, 2013 SO was that it, then? When it comes to measures affecting our ailing economy at least, the coalition’s programme unveiled by the Queen yesterday can only be described as yet another damp squib. It contained a list of modest tweaks of the kind that a complacent government in the middle of a frenzied boom might [...]
Funding for Lending isn’t working: Why the Bank is missing the point April 29, 2013 IN THE debate about why Britain’s monetary policy is not working, there has been too much focus on whether the Bank of England should buy more government bonds or move to negative interest rates. Both miss the point. The primary reason monetary policy is not working is that the transmission mechanism is broken. There is [...]
The ultimate risk-taker eyes growth February 24, 2013 Zurich’s boss tells James Waterson how car insurance can pay if there are no crashes MARTIN Senn seems unusually enthusiastic about the impending destruction of a large part of his business. But the mild-mannered chief executive of Zurich is excited about what a world without car crashes would mean for his company’s motor insurance operations. [...]
MetLife hit by derivative losses February 13, 2013 MetLife, the largest US life insurer, last night reported a 90 per cent fall in quarterly profits as a result of derivative losses linked to its credit spreads. However its operating profit beat estimates and the company reported a fall in net income to $96m (£61m) from $959m a year earlier.
City Moves | Who’s switching Jobs September 3, 2012 AXA Real Estate Dietrich Heidtmann has been appointed global head of investor relations and capital markets at the real estate fund. He joins from Grosvenor, where he was responsible for capital raising and investor relations. Heidtmann has also held roles at Morgan Stanley International. Coface Frederic Bourgeois has been appointed managing director of the credit [...]
IMF warns of easy money timebomb April 14, 2013 PRINTING money for years on end risks long-term damage to the economy and parts of the financial sector, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned yesterday. After so much quantitative easing (QE), it will be very hard for central banks like the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve to even begin reversing the extraordinarily loose [...]