Capita’s bid pipeline swells to record £5.7bn as private sector strengthens July 23, 2014 Outsourcing company Capita has announced a total of £1.3bn of major contract wins in the first half of this year, as its major contract win rate has exceeded 66 per cent. Chief executive Andy Parker says that the firm's financial results have been "good", describing the start to the year as "an excellent sales period" [...]
John Lewis retains crown as Britain’s most trusted retailer October 8, 2013 JOHN LEWIS has been voted Britain’s most trusted retailer, according to research out today that showed that overall trust in retailers has hit a four-year low. Of the 10,000 shoppers surveyed by consultancy firm OC&C Strategy, 96 per cent said they trusted the department store group, followed by other heritage brands Marks & Spencer and [...]
Ed Miliband tries to thaw Labour’s relations with business July 2, 2014 Labour leader Ed Miliband will today attempt to convince UK financial leaders and entrepreneurs that he backs big business. Miliband will seek to reassure the business leaders at a speech in London that Labour wants to work with, not against them, in a bid to reverse perceptions that the party is anti-corporation. “The only way [...]
Monitise buys voucher firm Markco for £55m June 26, 2014 MOBILE payments firm Monitise yesterday said it would acquire MyVoucherCodes.co.uk and Last Second Tickets owner Markco Media in a £54.5m deal. Monitise said the acquisitions would allow it to become “the enabling partner of choice amid the biggest shift in financial services and shopping in a generation, as brands turn to mobile”. The deal is [...]
City Moves for 02 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 1, 2015 Savills The property adviser has appointed Natasha Demirbag as neighbourly matters director in its building and project consultancy team. She has 17 years’ experience in property, and has previously held roles at Watts and Partners, Drivers Jonas, and Orpwood Associates. Brown Shipley The private bank has appointed Jim Willens as chairman. He has been a [...]
L&G buys Waitrose warehouse May 27, 2014 The property arm of insurance firm Legal & General has agreed to forward fund a new distribution warehouse for Waitrose in Milton Keynes, in a deal worth £114m. The 100,000 square feet warehouse in Milton Keynes’ Magna Park is being built by logistics developer Gazeley and has been pre-let to Waitrose on a 30-year term. [...]
Land Securities buys Bluewater shopping mall stake for £656m June 25, 2014 LAND Securities has bought Lend Lease’s 30 per cent stake in Britain’s fourth largest shopping centre Bluewater for £656m after a heated battle for the site. The acquisition is a coup for property giant, which has been selling several of its regional shopping centres in order to make way for acquisitions in the south east [...]
Tesco pays out £1.2m to former chief executive February 3, 2015 TESCO has reluctantly agreed to hand over more than £2m in payments withheld from its former chief executive and former chief financial officer in the wake of last year’s shock £263m profit scandal. Britain’s biggest supermarket said yesterday that it will pay Philip Clarke £1.22m and Laurie McIlwee £970,880 in “liquidated damages” after lifting suspensions [...]
Tesco: Here’s what the City and analysts are saying about record annual losses April 22, 2015 As the details of Tesco's losses and its turnaround plans sink in around the City, here's the initial take from analysts, business experts and even the man funding shareholder litigation against Tesco over the profit overstatement last year that triggered it all. Louise Cooper, CooperCity – "Tesco is like Miliband – it has two kitchen [...]
Philip Clarke, Euan Sutherland and Dov Charney – the bosses who left us in 2014 December 19, 2014 This year has had its fair share of disasters – from the Co-op’s continued struggles to Tesco’s melting share price. But what of the people behind the stories? We’ve got the best, worst and most surprising people moves of the year. 1. Philip Clarke makes an unceremonious departure from Tesco Clarke stepped down at [...]