Spirit Pub Company planning to start buying more pubs this year January 14, 2014 SPIRIT Pub Company, the firm behind brands such as Chef & Brewer, Flaming Grill and Fayre & Square, yesterday reported a seven per cent rise in sales during the 20 weeks to 4 January due to strong trading over the Christmas period. The firm said it is continuing with work to grow its own managed [...]
What you need to know before the US open February 25, 2014 Housing and retail are in focus today, with figures just in. House prices are still rising, but the pace has moderated a bit. The house price index for December increased 0.8 per cent – a revised figure showed they fell 0.1 per cent in November. The S&P/Case-Shiller indices rose 13.4 per cent in the month. [...]
London Report: Upbeat investors help drive FTSE to eight-month high January 15, 2014 THE UK’S top equity index rose yesterday to set its highest closing level in eight months, as the World Bank’s upward revision of global growth forecasts buoyed the market. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index finished up by 0.8 per cent, or 53 points, at 6,819.86 points – marking its highest closing level since late May [...]
New power-cut emergency line to be launched January 8, 2014 GOVERNMENT ministers and the energy industry have agreed to launch a new emergency phone line to help people who have had their electricity cut off. Energy secretary Ed Davey yesterday chaired a meeting of operators responsible for the UK power network to discuss lessons to be learnt from the recent poor weather and subsequent power [...]
7 UK retail bosses that have quit unexpectedly February 24, 2014 Mothercare’s future on the UK high street looked promising when Simon Calver, the former head of online movie rental service Lovefilm, was appointed by chairman Alan Parker two years ago to lead its turnaround efforts. The board banked on his online experience to overhaul its estate and turn the chain into a multi-channel retailer. But [...]
Android strong in key markets over Christmas January 26, 2014 GOOGLE finished 2013 on top with sales of phones running its Android operating system dwarfing those of rivals iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry over the Christmas period. Data from researchers Kantar Worldpanel found that Android had a 68.6 per cent share of sales in the five largest European markets for the 12 week period to [...]
Lonely Christmas for traditional retail as web dominates January 6, 2014 BRITAIN’S bricks-and-mortar retailers have had another disappointing Christmas, with in-store sales failing to match inflation and online spending making up more than half of seasonal boost in spending. Compared to 2012’s Christmas period, consumption only rose by 1.2 per cent in physical retail stores, Barclaycard revealed this weekend. Despite a slight improvement, the increase was [...]
Another activist hedgie hovers over Morrisons January 19, 2014 BILLIONAIRE hedge fund boss Tom Sandell has revealed a small stake in beleaguered supermarket Morrisons, the latest activist investor to pursue an investment in the struggling chain. Sandell, who runs Sandell Asset Management, owns a tiny proportion of the firm’s shares, thought to be well below the three per cent threshold required for public disclosure. [...]
White Company founder and top bosses awarded bumper bonus January 7, 2014 CHRISSIE Rucker, founder of the White Company, took home £4.5m last year after the home furnishings and fashion retailer reported a rise in sales and profits. Accounts filed this week at Companies House also show that £2.9m was set aside to pay out a long-term incentive scheme for the group’s top managers. The nightwear and [...]
FA Cup: Fulham face fixture woe January 26, 2014 SHEFFIELD UNITED 1 vs FULHAM 1 FULHAM boss Rene Meulensteen has lashed out at a congested fixture list that he blames for forcing him to change the entire starting XI for yesterday’s 1-1 draw at Sheffield United. The Cottagers needed a 75th-minute equaliser by Hugo Rodallega to stay in the FA Cup, after Chris Porter [...]