Carpetright chairman Lord Harris to take his leave after 26 years October 21, 2014 CARPETRIGHT founder and chairman Lord Harris announced yesterday he would be stepping down – and this time for good – after naming Mitchells & Butlers boss Bob Ivell as his successor. Harris first announced his retirement in May only to reveal weeks later that he planned to stay on as non-executive chairman until a replacement [...]
Patent trolls are a threat to competitive markets – and the UK may not be immune October 16, 2014 LONDON’s technology sector is booming. Driven by big venture capital investments (tech firms attracted a record $1bn in the first nine months of 2014), and encompassing everything from finance to fashion, it is one of our greatest recent success stories. But this nascent sector also faces a worrying potential threat. A fresh menace to the [...]
BSkyB sees off BT with profit and revenue rise in first quarter October 16, 2014 BSkyB has reported a good start to its financial year after ear-marking £5.3bn for Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia with a rise in revenue, profit and subscribers in the first quarter, slightly ahead of expectations. The British broadcaster increased revenue by six per cent to £1.9bn for the three months to September 30, with operating [...]
A major fire has broken out at Didcot B Power Station October 19, 2014 A fire has broken out at gas-fired Didcot B Power Station, according to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue. The blaze broke out in one of the cooling towers just after 8pm, and 60 firefighters have been sent to fight the flames. Emergency services from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police South and [...]
London at risk of running out of affordable offices, agents warn October 20, 2014 LONDON could run out of more affordable, secondary office space, property experts warned yesterday, as demand from companies taking up space in the capital continued to gather pace in October. Property advisory firm DTZ said the availability of second hand office space – relied on by start-up and small businesses – was at a 13-year [...]
Did Sony lose the plot when it cancelled The Interview release after pressure? December 21, 2014 A film about the assassination of the North Korean leader has led to a diplomatic crisis. Sony Pictures has been in the doghouse ever since it announced last week that it would not go ahead with the Christmas Day-release of new film The Interview, following a series of cyber attacks on the company and threats [...]
ATP Prize Money: Roger Federer clears $7.1m for the year, Andy Murray earnings up to $3.3m following victory November 11, 2014 Andy Murray saw off Milos Raonic in straight-sets tonight to keep alive his hopes of winning a first ATP World Tour Finals. The Scottish ace added a cool $155,000 (£97,377) to his bank account for the evening’s work, bringing his take from the tournament up to $310,000 and his overall on-court earnings for the [...]
Virgin urges Ofcom to probe cost of football September 30, 2014 Virgin Media yesterday slammed the soaring cost of Premier League football on TV, as it revealed it had urged broadcast regulator Ofcom to launch a competition investigation into pricing. “Significant consumer harm” had resulted from the skyrocketing cost of live Premier League TV rights, said Virgin Media. Costs jumped 70 per cent to £3bn at [...]
FTSE 100 slips again as oil prices hit energy groups – London Report December 10, 2014 Britain's main equity index fell yesterday for a third day in a row as a further drop in the price of oil hit energy stocks. The blue chip FTSE 100 index closed down by 0.5 per cent, or 29.43 points, at 6,500.04 points – its lowest closing level since early November. Following the decline [...]
Cheltenham Festival fever hits the City again March 8, 2015 PATRICK CALLAGHAN REPORTS FROM UNIBET’S CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL PREVIEW EVENT AT THE BREWERY HAVING been treated to some belting stories from Arsenal legend Paul Merson, the last guest interviewed at the Unibet-sponsored City A.M. Long Lunch on Friday afternoon, those that ventured downstairs after for the Cheltenham Festival Preview were in good spirits. Chaired by Channel [...]