Findus frozen out by bidders May 25, 2010 PRIVATE equity houses Permira and Lion Capital are emerging as front runners for Unilever’s Italian frozen food unit Findus as other bidders question its profitability, sources close to the situation said yesterday. Permira and Lion, which already run frozen food businesses, both put in offers for the Unilever unit on yesterday’s deadline for first round [...]
Austerity hits house prices June 20, 2010 SEVERE austerity measures and an uncertain economic climate will kill off the recovery in house prices, property website Rightmove will warn today. Revealing in its monthly survey that home asking prices only rose 0.3 per cent in June on the previous month, Rightmove said that the pace is slackening and the market is beginning to [...]
Hayward sent off to Siberia July 26, 2010 BP’S BELEAGUERED chief executive Tony Hayward will stand down in October and is expected to be nominated for a non-executive board directorship with TNK-BP, the group’s Russian joint venture. The oil major is set to announce Hayward’s departure this morning and will reveal that Mississippi-born Bob Dudley, the man in charge of the oil spill [...]
Coller sweeps up Lloyds unit in £480m deal July 5, 2010 BUYOUT house Coller Capital plans to inject £100m fresh capital into Lloyds Banking Group’s private equity portfolio after buying a controlling share in the assets, valuing them at £480m. Coller yesterday paid £332m in cash for a 70 per cent share in Lloyds’ Integrated Finance unit, which comprises equity and debt stakes in 40 companies. [...]
Coller sweeps up Lloyds unit in £480m deal July 5, 2010 BUYOUT house Coller Capital plans to inject £100m fresh capital into Lloyds Banking Group’s private equity portfolio after buying a controlling share in the assets, valuing them at £480m. Coller yesterday paid £332m in cash for a 70 per cent share in Lloyds’ Integrated Finance unit, which comprises equity and debt stakes in 40 companies. [...]
Add some verve and value to your home March 25, 2010 WE all know that moving house at the moment is tricky, but for those who are bored of their home, there is another option apart from upping sticks. Instead of moving, many people are opting to improve their homes this year to add a bit of pizazz. However, that is easier said than done in [...]
How AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes shrugged off the global recession September 5, 2010 IF Tony Fernandes, the chief executive of pioneering low-cost carrier AirAsia, ever suffered from shyness as child, he is certainly cured of it now. The UK-educated Malaysian entrepreneur, who founded the short haul airline in 2001 and its longhaul sister AirAsia X six years later, dominates the meeting room of his West End PR agency [...]
Doubts over Ocado value July 5, 2010 OCADO can expect a frosty reception to its prospectus when it finally launches this morning, as investors and analysts baulk at the expected £1bn valuation of the firm. The roadshow will get underway this afternoon but Ocado bosses face an uphill struggle if they are to persuade investors to part with their cash. The head [...]
Doubts over Ocado value July 5, 2010 OCADO can expect a frosty reception to its prospectus when it finally launches this morning, as investors and analysts baulk at the expected £1bn valuation of the firm. The roadshow will get underway this afternoon but Ocado bosses face an uphill struggle if they are to persuade investors to part with their cash. The head [...]
PROPERTY NEWS July 15, 2010 BISHOPS AVE SITE SOLD FOR £30M One of London’s best development opportunities in Hampstead’s Bishops Avenue has sold for more than £30m. The 2.47 acre site has two planning consents in place – either for a house of 33,000 sq ft or for a block of 16 luxury apartments. This indicates the competition and rising [...]