Bargain hunters help lift FTSE May 25, 2012 The FTSE 100 nosed up this morning as bargain hunters snapped up stocks which have been hit in recent sessions. On Monday the blue chip index was at a six-month low but has clawed back ground since then. Gains in Asia and on Wall Street overnight also served to lift sentiment. Insurer Aviva was the [...]
Severn Trent to target bonds at retail investors June 21, 2012 INDIVIDUAL investors will have the chance to buy bonds from FTSE 100 utilities firm Severn Trent, the company announced yesterday. The company hopes to raise up to £100m from the scheme, which will offer individuals a return of 1.9 per cent above retail price inflation (RPI) over the next 10 years. “There’s a lot of [...]
Retail investors step in where others fear to tread July 16, 2012 With UK institutional shareholders effectively closing the door on supporting money-raising for anything that has the smell of risk about it, like an IPO or new issue for instance, some companies and their financial advisers have been scurrying around to find new methods of raising capital. One such instrument that has been gaining currency in [...]
Habitat guru made head of design at John Lewis chain October 17, 2011 RETAILER John Lewis has appointed former Habitat creative director Theo Williams as design manager. Williams will be in charge of developing the seasonal and home design trends. The designer, who headed the creative direction at Habitat for four years, will put his energy into revamping the department, focusing on furniture, lighting and 3D design. He [...]
Habitat guru made head of design at John Lewis chain October 17, 2011 RETAILER John Lewis has appointed former Habitat creative director Theo Williams as design manager. Williams will be in charge of developing the seasonal and home design trends. The designer, who headed the creative direction at Habitat for four years, will put his energy into revamping the department, focusing on furniture, lighting and 3D design. He [...]
Holidays help bring sales joy to Debenhams June 28, 2012 DEBENHAMS posted better-than-expected sales yesterday after events such as the Diamond Jubilee and the Easter bank holiday helped lure shoppers through its doors despite the wet spring weather. Britain’s second-largest department store group after John Lewis said that sales at stores open more than a year rose 3.1 per cent, excluding VAT, in the 16 [...]
It’s not all bad: Britain is becoming safer despite recession July 19, 2012 REMEMBER the view, widespread on some parts of the political spectrum, that recessions and poverty are what cause crime? Well, it’s nonsense. We’re in the middle of a nasty double-dip recession, high levels of unemployment, a national pay cut, falling wealth, still high inflation, an agenda dominated by corporate scandals – and yet crime is [...]
Banks and miners lead FTSE lower June 8, 2012 Miners and banks led the FTSE down in early trading as investors shunned riskier assets and ran for cover as global economic growth stutters. The fall tracked losses on Wall Street yesterday and Asia overnight despite an initial boost after China cut its interest rates in an attempt to accelerate its growth. But US Federal [...]
John Lewis profits hit in price squeeze September 14, 2011 JOHN Lewis yesterday revealed a slump in profits as discounting in the face of the tough consumer climate took its toll. The retailer, which also owns the Waitrose chain, said first half pre-tax profits plunged by 18 per cent to £90.4m. Its Never Knowingly Undersold pledge – meaning that they will offer the lowest prices [...]
A retailer with a view: Long term partners in London’s 2012 Games July 10, 2012 COUNTDOWN TO THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES 16 DAYS TO GO Q What are your reasons for being involved with the Games? A The history of our involvement goes back years. We signed up to opening our new shop in Stratford before we even knew that London was successful. That decision was generated by our [...]