Wellcome boost helps charities December 21, 2011 THE WELLCOME Trust, the prominent UK charity for health research, yesterday pledged to increase its donations by 30 per cent over the next five years, after its investment portfolio comfortably outperformed global stock markets. The fund, chaired by City stalwart Sir William Castell, reported a total return of two per cent on its investments this [...]
Brisbane: still surfing, sun, and lots of fun October 2, 2011 NOT so long ago, Brisbane was little more than the country cousin to Sydney and Melbourne, and the gateway to Surfers Paradise and Noosa. However, this city, the third largest in Australia, and the capital of Queensland, is transforming into a fast-paced modern metropolis. Brisvegas, as it is affectionately known, is making a name for [...]
Record drop in retail jobs as consumers spend less October 26, 2011 LOW consumer spending has led to the fastest drop in retail employment since the British Retail Consortium (BRC) started monitoring data in 2008, a study released yesterday showed. Employment fell by 23,000 in the twelve months to September. Part-time staff were worst hit, while full time employment in the third quarter fell 5,780 on the [...]
Record drop in retail jobs as consumers spend less October 26, 2011 LOW consumer spending has led to the fastest drop in retail employment since the British Retail Consortium (BRC) started monitoring data in 2008, a study released yesterday showed. Employment fell by 23,000 in the twelve months to September. Part-time staff were worst hit, while full time employment in the third quarter fell 5,780 on the [...]
Hornby profits up November 11, 2011 Hornby posted an 80 per cent jump in first-half pre-tax profits with a turnover of £28.4m, increasing 11 per cent from the same period last year. The owner of model railway, model car brands, and Airfix models, Hornby said it is expecting positive results from the full year. Christmas traffic and a new line of [...]
MTR eyes two UK rail routes December 4, 2011 MTR CORPORATION, the company that operates Hong Kong’s metro system, is believed to be working on plans to bid for two more British rail franchises. The Hong Kong group is keen to operate the c2c (Essex Thameside) and Thameslink franchises, according to weekend reports. The Department for Transport is understood to be inviting bids for [...]
Debenhams to create 6,500 Christmas jobs October 10, 2011 DEBENHAMS is to hire an extra 6,500 seasonal staff to cope with the Christmas rush, it said yesterday. The temporary workers will be employed in mid-November and cover the period to the end of the January sales. Retail is the biggest private sector employer in the UK, with around 3m people working in the industry. [...]
JJB issues profit warning as losses widen October 31, 2011 JJB Sports, the struggling British retailer rescued by a deal with landlords in March, posted wider first-half losses and warned the full-year outcome was likely to fall short of internal expectations. “As with most retailers, our year-end outturn is dependent on Christmas trading, nevertheless if current trading conditions continue our year-end outturn is likely to [...]
Sales increase at Theo Fennell September 29, 2011 THEO Fennell, the Aim-listed jeweller worn by Naomi Campbell and Elton John, has posted a nine per cent rise in sales in the first half of 2011, but remains cautious ahead of its peak trading period. The company has launched a number of new collections in preparation for the peak Christmas sales period, but said [...]
HOPING FOR A CHANGE IN ECB POLICIES November 28, 2011 EQUITY markets bounced back yesterday, but last week was another grim period. Anyone hoping for an equity market rally into Thanksgiving will have been severely disappointed. The major stock indices across Europe, the US and Asian Pacific countries all fell sharply, with many breaking below significant support levels. From a technical perspective, last week’s sell-off [...]