THE TIPSTER November 21, 2011 Utility stock Severn Trent reports interim results on Thursday and investors will be hoping to hear that their bumper dividend payout is safe. A typical defensive play, the shares have performed well in 2011 gaining over 7 per cent. With uncertainty continuing, equity investors may well continue to seek the safe haven properties of the [...]
COOK SNUBS M&B BOARD FOR VILLAGE HOTELS LIFE January 31, 2012 MITCHELLS & BUTLERS offered him a “senior role” following his resignation as chief executive of hotel group Malmaison last September. But Robert Cook turned down the chance to help chairman Bob Ivell steer the FTSE 250 pub group into calmer waters to instead put the Village Hotels brand, part of the Lloyds Banking Group-backed De [...]
Pubs outperforming retail sales April 18, 2011 Growth among the UK’s leading restaurant and pub groups slowed in March, but the market still comfortably outperformed retail, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker figures. The research shows like-for-like sales grew 0.9 per cent in March, with total sales, which include new site openings, up 3.4 per cent on March 2010. March [...]
FTSE steady as investors eye US jobs data January 6, 2012 The FTSE 100 was steady in early trading with media and telecoms gains offsetting weak financial services and retail sectors. Investors were focusing on US jobs data out later while the Eurozone debt crisis continued to dampen sentiment. Analysts’ fears that Eurozone countries and banks could struggle to tap markets for capital this year continue [...]
Whitbread still on track despite crunch December 13, 2011 SO Whitbread has finally caught the high street bug. After quarter after quarter of soaring like-for-likes, growth has slowed, as squeezed consumer spending filters down to its Premier Inn and Costa brands. It looks like the hotels have been hit hardest, with growth in revenue per room – a key measure of performance – all [...]
Capital Pub Co to resume dividend April 18, 2011 The Capital Pub Company expects its full-year results to be in line with market forecasts and the firm will resume paying dividends, it said yesterday. The company said London has remained a buoyant market and its pubs, including the Marquis of Granby, have traded strongly.
BEST OF THE BROKERS December 5, 2011 PETRA DIAMONDS Goldman Sachs initiates coverage of the Africa-focused miner with a “buy” rating and a target price of 200p, seeing its recent underperformance as a compelling entry point. The broker sees Petra as having a strong growth profile, and says the diamond market is set to enter a period of prolonged tightness. Goldman forecasts [...]
FTSE solid as banks edge up January 9, 2012 The FTSE 100 saw modest advances today ahead of talks between France and Germany on how to create the environment for a sustained recovery in the Eurozone. The bloc’s debt crisis will be top of the agenda when German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy meet in Berlin. Later this week the European [...]
FTSE solid as banks edge up January 9, 2012 The FTSE 100 saw modest advances today ahead of talks between France and Germany on how to create the environment for a sustained recovery in the Eurozone. The bloc’s debt crisis will be top of the agenda when German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy meet in Berlin. Later this week the European [...]
The best places to dine to ensure a first degree Burns January 23, 2012 Almost 215 years since the death of Scotland’s most famous poet, Burns night has become an established part of the London culinary calendar, with its popularity growing every year. We look at some of the best places to get the most from you haggis this year – and a few places to cut loose once [...]