Manufacturing giant Premier Foods to increase prices due to Brexit vote January 10, 2017 Premier Foods, the supplier of iconic brands such as Mr Kipling cakes and Bisto gravy, is in talks with its major retail customers about lifting prices due to a double whammy of weaker sterling and higher commodity costs. City A.M. can reveal that the listed food manufacturer last month opened discussions with the likes of [...]
EU follows UK lead and considers plans to test bank defences against a cyber attack January 23, 2017 The EU is contemplating plans to test banks' ability to repel cyber attacks in an initiative that would mirror measures already put in place by the Bank of England. Cyber and technological-enabled attacks have been on the Bank of England's radar since 2013 with 30 out of 35 "core firms" having completed the UK's cyber stress testing [...]
WannaCry ransomware NHS cyber attack: A final warning for banks and fintech May 15, 2017 It was the most high profile cyber attack in some time, and one of the largest ever carried out. Governments, hospitals, companies and universities in over 150 countries were affected by the recent ‘WannaCry’ cyber attack, which affected more than 230,000 computers with ransomware and demanded bitcoin payments. Media coverage in the UK focused on [...]
Who owns London? The capital’s biggest landowners: Qataris own as much land as the Queen and TfL put together March 17, 2017 A company part-owned by the Qataris own almost as much land in the capital as Transport for London and the Queen put together, a new ranking has suggested, while the City of London was ranked second. Figures compiled by Datscha for property trade bible Property Week showed Canary Wharf Group, which is joint-owned by Qatari [...]
At the close: FTSE pushed higher by banks and miners, as Tesco and Premier Foods fall April 13, 2016 Banks and miners moved the FTSE 100 higher today as data from China reassured investors over growth in the world’s second largest economy, adding more than 100 points to the index’s rise. The FTSE 100 ended the day at its highest for four months at 6,362.89 points, up 120.50 points, or 1.9 per cent. Tesco shed [...]
William Hill has named Philip Bowcock its new chief executive March 10, 2017 Philip Bowcock has been named the new boss of William Hill with immediate effect. Previously chief financial officer of the bookmaker, Bowcock has worked as interim chief exec since July 2016. Chairman Gareth Davis said: "Since his appointment as interim chief executive last July, Philip has driven the business forward at real pace and we have seen important [...]
Rio Tinto appoints a new legal chief after Guinea payments probe sacking March 3, 2017 Rio Tinto has appointed Philip Richards as group chief of legal to replace Debra Valentine, who was removed in November due to a payments probe related to mining rights in Guinea. The company sacked Valentine and former chief executive of energy and minerals Alan Davis for having "failed to maintain the standards expected of them" under Rio [...]
Supermarkets had a record Christmas – but prices are rising January 10, 2017 Supermarkets had a record Christmas period in 2016, with sales growing at their fastest rate since June 2014, but prices are finally starting to rise following the Brexit vote. The latest figures from Kantar Woldpanel show that sales were up 1.8 per cent for the 12 weeks ending 1 January. Consumers spent nearly half a billion pounds [...]
Private equity firm Privet Capital cuddles up with Care Bears maker Vivid Toy Group March 14, 2017 Private equity firm Privet Capital has snapped up a toymaker behind Care Bears, Thunderbirds and Moshi Monsters. Vivid Toy Group sells its products to major retailers across the UK, France, Benelux, Germany and the US, including in Tesco, Argos, Wal-Mart, Toys ‘R’ Us and Amazon. Headquartered in Guildford, the firm also has operations in Paris, Frankfurt and [...]
Torrential rain in Spain means spinach shortage and blow to Popeye wannabees January 13, 2017 New Year gym-goers aiming to build up a Popeye-like physique have been dealt a major blow. Torrential rain in Spain has damaged this winter’s spinach crop, and supermarkets are struggling to feed consumer demand. Read more: Manufacturing giant Premier Foods considers price rises due to Brexit vote Waitrose supermarkets, for instance, have signs warning shoppers [...]