Lewis gets his way at M&B as Laffin goes January 28, 2010 THE scene was set for a venomous Mitchells and Butlers board meeting yesterday – and the key players did not deviate from the script. Simon Laffin, the chairman, knew his time at the helm of the pub chain was up. Sympathetic cheers from the swathes of minority shareholders packed into the ICC Birmingham would have [...]
Suits with the kecks factor January 28, 2010 FOR all its strengths, the trouser suit does not have the glamorous reputation of its older but sexier sister, the skirt suit. But if you’re the sort of woman who prefers to have her legs warmly encased in fabric during the winter months, and who wants to cross her pins without worrying about exposing any [...]
M&B chair could be ousted at crunch annual meeting January 27, 2010 THE power struggle at Mitchells & Butlers will come to a head later this morning when a bitter annual meeting kicks off. More than 400 investors will gather to decide on new board members in a vote that has been shrouded in controversy. A feud has festered between the board of the pub chain, which [...]
M&B rejects olive branch from Joe Lewis January 25, 2010 MITCHELLS & Butlers (M&B), the pub group that owns All Bar One, yesterday said it was rejecting a last-minute olive branch from currency trader Joe Lewis, its largest shareholder, over the make-up of the firm’s board. The move sets the scene for a dramatic showdown at the group’s annual meeting on Thursday. Current chairman Simon [...]
M&B row with rebel reaches fever pitch.. January 24, 2010 BOSSES of All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers are steeling themselves for a showdown with rebel shareholder Piedmont at its annual meeting on Thursday. The company is facing a bid by Piedmont, which owns 23 per cent of the business, to install four independent directors on the board. Piedmont is understood to want M&B [...]
John Lewis sales up after thaw January 21, 2010 JOHN Lewis’s sales shot up last week as the big thaw saw customers flooding back. The department store chain reported an 11.1 per cent rise in turnover – with more than half its outlets up on last year’s equivalent sales. Fashion sales were up 19 per cent with cold weather clothing. Oxford Street grew sales [...]
Weak pound fuels London sales boost January 18, 2010 SHOP sales in the capital soared over Christmas as tourists and Londoners embarked on spending sprees. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported that in London sales jumped 12 per cent in December – the best performance since it started publishing the figures in 2002. Visitors from Europe, China and the Middle East hit the shops, [...]
Vince Cable wades into row over boardroom stand-off at M&B January 17, 2010 LIBERAL Democrat Treasury Spokesman Vince Cable yesterday stepped into the shareholder row at pubs group Mitchells & Butlers by writing to the financial services watchdog voicing his concerns. The Takeover Panel on Friday rejected a claim by the pubs group that its biggest shareholders – billionaire currency trader Joe Lewis and the investment vehicle controlled [...]
THE TIPSTER January 17, 2010 Retailers have had mixed fortunes over the Christmas period. Although shoppers spent huge amounts of cash in the run-up to the festive season, not everybody has gained in the same way. Supermarkets and cheap high-street chains have out-performed – department store John Lewis recorded its best ever revenues in December. But others could not keep [...]
Cool colours for kids’ bedrooms January 14, 2010 1 Reversible double duvet with planes, Cath Kidston, £48, www.cathkidston.co.uk 2 Cowboy print cushion, Cath Kidston, £6, www.cathkidston.co.uk 3 Posh graffiti wooden letters A-Z, John Lewis, £4.95, www.johnlewis.com 4 Rocky ceiling light, John Lewis, £52, www.johnlewis.com 5 Zebra Lamp, Childrens Lighting, £52, www.childrenslighting.co.uk 6 Jet Set Clock, Habitat, £36, www.habitat.co.uk 7 Wool Owl-Shaped Rug, Marks [...]