Saga poaches Domino’s Pizza boss Batchelor December 9, 2013 PRIVATE equity-backed insurer Saga yesterday named Domino’s Pizza boss Lance Batchelor as its new chief executive. Batchelor, a former Royal Navy submarine officer and Domino’s chief executive since December 2011, will leave the fast food chain in April to join Saga, almost four years after he first joined Domino’s as a non-executive director. Batchelor’s departure [...]
We must help the poor – but hurting the rich makes no sense February 18, 2014 MORE Ferraris are now sold in the UK than in any other European country. No fewer than 677 of the Italian supercars were delivered to the UK, out of total global sales of 7,000, more even than Germany, home of autobahns with no speed limits. Many people will be upset at this. Real wages are [...]
Angry fans count cost of ticket resale platforms February 6, 2014 WOULD you spend £1,000 on 90 minutes of entertainment? That’s the figure Tottenham fans are charging each other for tickets to next month’s derby with Arsenal at White Hart Lane – and it’s all perfectly legal. With demand outstripping supply in Tottenham’s relatively small 36,000-capacity stadium, many are forced to look to the club’s official [...]
House sales jump as Help to Buy kicks in November 6, 2013 British house building company Persimmon has posted an increase in weekly private sales of 45 per cent in the third quarter. The firm attributed a large part of the stronger growth to the government's Help to Buy scheme, which the company says "has proved particularly attractive." Persimmon sold 3,000 homes under the first phase of [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 06 February 2014 February 5, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Super rich in London boost economy London’s super-rich are “major contributors to the UK economy”, spending £4bn a year on goods and services, according to new research that underlines the financial impact of the capital’s wealthiest homeowners.Foreign investment in London property has become a political issue, with overseas buyers blamed for pricing locals [...]
Housebuilding lags as UK population swells November 21, 2013 THE UK’S population is growing at one of the fastest rates in Europe, yet housebuilding remains too slow to keep up with expanding demand. Estate agents Haart will reveal this morning that first time buyer registrations have surged upward over the past year, rising 74.3 per cent between October 2012 and last month. In the [...]
Help to Buy lifts housebuilder Taylor Wimpey November 14, 2013 HOUSEBUILDER Taylor Wimpey yesterday raised its profit margin forecast for 2014 and said it expects profitability will return to long-run levels the year after, helped by government schemes to encourage house-buying. The company, which like rivals saw profitability slide during a long and deep recession, said its 2014 operating profit margin could improve by 200-300 [...]
Brothers who built brand with purpose February 16, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks travelling, Topman, and the English weather with Rob Forkan – the tsunami orphan who co-founded new flip flop brand Gandys INNOCENT may have pioneered a whole new approach to marketing (the company has even published a book about its “story,” and “what they’ve learned”), but no business tale will ever be as [...]
Low-key pension fund that owns $4bn of UK assets November 18, 2013 Housed in a discreet Georgian terrace-lined street in Mayfair lies one of the world’s most powerful and influential investors. Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan – which aims to pay the pensions of 300,00 retired and current Canadian teachers – would appear a cuddlier proposition than some of its hedge fund neighbours, but its deal making prowess [...]
Cote Restaurant owner snaps up bottle maker November 10, 2013 THE PRIVATE equity owner of high street dining chain Cote Restaurants has added a British gin and whisky bottle maker to its growing list of companies. CBPE Capital, which also owns ten pin bowling company Hollywood Bowl, has snapped up Yorkshire based Allied Glass for between £120m and £130m. Allied Glass makes the glass bottles [...]