The bike and car parts retailer who wants to own Britain on the move June 20, 2010 Halfords and its chief executive David Wild are having a good recession. Earlier this month, the bikes and car maintenance retail chain posted a strong set of full-year figures: pre-tax profits rose 42 per cent to £110m, while sales rose three per cent to £832m. The FTSE 250 business said the trend for healthy living [...]
House prices rise but double dip fears persist March 30, 2010 HOUSE prices managed to rise 0.7 per cent in March on the previous month, mortgage lender Nationwide reported yesterday. However, the gain did little to dispel fears of a double-dip in the housing market as buyers exercise caution ahead of the election. Martin Gahbauer, chief economist at Nationwide, said: “The last two months are consistent [...]
Debenhams lingerie sales lifted by Carrie Bradshaw April 29, 2010 Sales of sultry lingerie among older women are booming in Britain thanks to the glamorous 40-somethings of “Sex and the City 2” and “Cougar Town”, retail chain Debenhams reported yesterday. The hit television show, and forthcoming feature film, featuring the bedroom antics of women in their 40s and 50s and their much younger partners, is [...]
Halfords eyes acquisitions after sales rise March 23, 2010 HALFORDS expects to beat full-year profit forecasts after a surge in by demand for car parts during recent bad weather and its acquisition of Nationwide Autocentres. The company said its pre-tax profit for the year ending in March would be around £116m – above analysts forecasts of £112.7m. Sales at shops in the UK and [...]
Halfords beefs up its profit forecasts March 23, 2010 HALFORDS expects to beat full-year profit forecasts after a surge in demand for car parts during recent bad weather and its acquisition of Nationwide Autocentres. The company said its pre-tax profit for the year ending in March would be around £116m – above analysts forecasts of £112.7m. Sales at shops in the UK and Ireland [...]
Bovis says house prices are on the up but warns of an uncertain year to come May 6, 2010 BOVIS Homes said yesterday it had sold houses at prices slightly ahead of its expectations so far this year. However, it warned the general election had created uncertainty in the housing market and that a recovery was too early to call. Chief executive David Ritchie said: “We expect trading to continue to be stable, although [...]
GOLDMAN CASE STRIKES FEAR INTO HEARTS OF PRUDENT COMPETITORS July 8, 2010 THE SEC’S fraud case against Goldman might have proved an almighty headache for the bank’s own staff, but at least it’s spawned a valuable lesson for rivals. Citi took the opportunity to send employees a missive in the wake of the accusations, imperiously titled “Think Before You Write: Avoiding Improper Electronic Communication”. The 11-page illustrated [...]
GOLDMAN CASE STRIKES FEAR INTO HEARTS OF PRUDENT COMPETITORS July 8, 2010 THE SEC’S fraud case against Goldman might have proved an almighty headache for the bank’s own staff, but at least it’s spawned a valuable lesson for rivals. Citi took the opportunity to send employees a missive in the wake of the accusations, imperiously titled “Think Before You Write: Avoiding Improper Electronic Communication”. The 11-page illustrated [...]
MTG sees profits during first year May 9, 2010 PRIVATE client law firm Maurice Turnor Gardner (MTG) is the first City legal practice to give an indication of the 2009 financial year after the firm reported profits of roughly £2m. MTG, which spun off from “magic circle” firm Allen & Overy (A&O) last year during a restructuring, said that it had emerged as “comfortably [...]
Fresh strikes to hit Greece May 12, 2010 GREEK unions yesterday announced they would stage a 24-hour nationwide strike on 20 May, the second major protest against tough austerity measures pledged in exchange for billions of euros in aid. The main public and private sector unions led a 50,000-strong march a week ago in which hundreds of angry Greeks fought pitched battles with [...]