London Report: BT and Shire lift FTSE as markets remain bullish November 11, 2013 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 rose yesterday, boosted by signs of a strengthening global economy and major deals for pharma group Shire and telecoms group BT. Shire rose to an all-time high after beating competitors to buy ViroPharma, in a $4.2bn deal implying a 64 per cent premium to the stock price of the US rare diseases [...]
Father v son: who will master the snowboard? February 9, 2014 Ski fan Keith Perry swapped his skis for a snowboard at Les Deux Alpes to see if he could give his son a run for his money on the slopes THE FACT that I fall into the so-called “grays on trays” category – snowboarders of a certain age – should have warned me off. That, [...]
Reed Elsevier sells tech group back to founder October 7, 2013 BRITAIN’S fastest growing technology company MVF yesterday announced that it has bought back Approved Index, the business that its founder sold to Reed Elsevier in 2008. Titus Sharpe sold Approved Index to the FTSE 100 firm five years ago, before using the proceeds of the sale to found MVF, which uses technology to win customers [...]
Bottom Line: Costs bite but Premier commitment pays off October 17, 2013 NO MATTER who wins, wars are always expensive. When BT kicked off its bid to take on rival BSkyB with its own dedicated sports channels earlier this year, it sparked a bidding battle for Premier League football rights that sent prices soaring. Sky acknowledged the hit in its first quarter results yesterday as programming costs rose [...]
Investing around the election: What should you think about? February 10, 2015 Be wary of specific sector bets, but look to policy changes around smaller firms for opportunities. With less than three months to go until the General Election, we’re no closer to a clear outcome. The two largest political parties have almost identical support in the opinion polls – both are hovering at around 32-33 per [...]
Pawnbroker set for £35m stock rescue package September 30, 2013 TRADERS turned on high street pawnbroker Albemarle & Bond (A&B) yesterday after it laid plans for an emergency £35m cash bailout to salvage the troubled business. The Bristol-based outfit, the UK’s second biggest pawnbroker behind H&T, lost nearly half its value after shares fell over 40 per cent, slashing the value of the 30-year old [...]
How Martin Gilbert is poised to challenge the US giants February 2, 2014 A painful experience in the past has helped Aberdeen Asset Management build for the future. Its CEO tells David Hellier how his latest deal can be a catalyst for US expansion WHEN Martin Gilbert and his board first discussed the acquisition of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) from Lloyds last March, they turned the deal [...]
BSkyB shares fall on BT Champions League news, but did BT pay too much? November 11, 2013 BSkyB is dragging the FTSE 100 down 4.4 points, as it shares dropped more than eight per cent this morning, after rival BT won the exclusive broadcasting rights to Champions and Europa League football matches. BT Sport will be the home of UEFA from 2015-2018, in a £900m deal announced on Saturday. BT has agreed to [...]
Kingfisher cuts back on space to save on costs September 11, 2013 B&Q OWNER Kingfisher said yesterday it is to scale back or exit 18 of its stores across the UK as the DIY retailer looks for ways to ease its lease burden and boost profitability. Several retailers, including Topshop owner Arcadia, have been shedding stores as leases come up for renewal to reflect changes in [...]
Better weather means B&Q owner sees profit up in second quarter September 11, 2013 Retail group Kingfisher, who own companies including B&Q and Screwfix, have seen a statory pre-tax profit increase of 10.2 per cent in the 26 weeks up to 3 August (up £401m from £364m for the same period last year) (Release). CEO Ian Cheshire puts the increase down to better weather, commenting on the effect of [...]