Tobacco firms take the puff out of FTSE amid merger talks – London Report March 31, 2015 WEAKER tobacco and commodity company stocks hit Britain’s leading share index yesterday – but the FTSE 100 still managed to make its biggest quarterly gain since 2013. The FTSE was down 118.39 points, or 1.7 per cent, at 6,773.04 by the close, but is up 3.2 per cent this year. Consumer staple stocks were responsible [...]
Kingfisher bid for rival Mr Bricolage has suffered a setback March 24, 2015 Europe's biggest home improvement retailer Kingfisher suffered a setback to its bid for rival Mr Bricolage. The B&Q owner, which makes about half of its annual profit in France, said the board of Mr Bricolage and franchisee group ANPF, a major shareholder of the company, have reservations about the takeover deal and are yet to receive clarification [...]
Sir Ian Cheshire bows out after seven years turning around the B&Q and Castorama owner September 10, 2014 KINGFISHER chief executive Sir Ian Cheshire announced yesterday he was to leave after seven years at the helm, having doubled pre-tax profits at the DIY chain and helped to steer it out of the recession. Sir Ian, who will be replaced by Castorama boss Veronique Laury, said that Kingfisher needed a chief executive to commit [...]
Kingfisher in a fix over buying out Mr Bricolage March 24, 2015 EUROPE’S biggest DIY group Kingfisher yesterday suffered a setback to its bid for Mr Bricolage after facing opposition from one the French rival’s major shareholders. The B&Q owner, which makes about half of its annual profit in France, said the board of Mr Bricolage and the franchisee group ANPF, a major shareholder, “have reservations” about [...]
B&Q owner Kingfisher’s share price rises as it names Veronique Laury as Sir Ian Cheshire’s replacement September 10, 2014 Shares in B&Q owner Kingfisher opened 2.8 per cent higher this morning after it revealed its new chief executive as Sir Ian Cheshire prepares to step down. He will be replaced by the chief executive of Castorama France, Veronique Laury, before the end of the financial year. Cheshire, who has been with the company for [...]
The new Porsche Macan road test: it’s all things to all men April 13, 2016 Subtlety is not my Porsche Macan Turbo’s strong suit. In fact, it feels rather out of place. I’ve driven it to the Goodwood Members Meeting, a rather exclusive affair reserved for owners of historic cars, experienced racers, and the tiny handful of civilians who managed to get their hands on tickets. The throngs that come [...]
Mobilegeddon: The FTSE 100 winners and losers from Google’s algorithm changes April 21, 2015 It’s the end of the (online) world as we know it – and more than a third of FTSE 100 firms are not fine. So-called “mobilegeddon” is here. But that doesn't mean quite the end of the world – unless that is you happen to have a website which people tend to find through Google [...]
Britain’s still great: Opportunities abound from the Northern Powerhouse to infrastructure revamp June 18, 2015 EUROPE REFERENDUM To the relief of many, the UK election turned out to be a simple affair. But while we avoided protracted wrangling over the make-up of the government, the key risk facing the UK now is the referendum on European Union membership. It is due to be held before 2017 – but some business [...]
Stimulus hopes in China help to send FTSE up – London Report March 30, 2015 EXPECTATIONS that more infrastructure spending and policy stimulus in China will boost mining companies yesterday sent Britain’s top share index higher. The blue chip FTSE 100 index finished 0.5 per cent higher at 6,891.43 points, after dropping 2.4 per cent last week. The index rose towards a record high of 7,065.08 set last Tuesday, but [...]
Reputation of Kingfisher boss Veronique Laury tarnished after collapse of Mr Bricolage deal March 30, 2015 Europe's biggest DIY group Kingfisher said yesterday that its €275m (£201m) bid for smaller French rival Mr Bricolage had collapsed after facing opposition from one the French rival’s major shareholders. Kingfisher first entered exclusive talks in April last year to buy 26.2 per cent of the share capital from the Tabur Family and 41.9 per [...]