Retail sales jump to £7bn per week as UK recovers August 15, 2013 BRITISH retail sales grew at the fastest pace since 2011 in the year to July, official figures showed yesterday, giving further hope that consumer confidence is on the mend. Shoppers spent £7bn in an average week in July, pushing up sales volumes by three per cent on the year, driven by food sales and [...]
Inside Track: Independent analysts don’t always say what you want October 10, 2013 FOR several months now I have been arguing that an understanding of the new issues market would be enhanced by the presence of independent analysts, writing research about companies coming to market ahead of the first day’s trading. Most of the recent London flotations have gone ahead with no research from any bank that is [...]
City Moves for 24 September 2013 | Who’s switching jobs September 23, 2013 Rockspring The property investment company has announced the appointment of David Thomas as European director responsible for its fund accounting team. Thomas was most recently at PwC, where he spent nine years specialising in investment management and real estate. Barclays The bank has recruited Peter Horrell as chief executive of its wealth and investment management [...]
Lloyds believes shake-up gives it lowest costs September 24, 2013 LLOYDS’ cost of equity should soon be the lowest in the industry, chief executive Antonio Horta Osorio claimed in a speech yesterday. He argued the bank’s cost-cutting and its new focus on the UK mean it is set to become among the most efficient in the sector. It came as the bank announced the sale [...]
What does the chancellor’s budget mean for you? December 5, 2013 Catherine Gannon, 51Managing director of law firm GannonThe business is performing extremely well but that is thanks to investments: profits are up but the cost of living has increased, making Catherine feel less well off. She lives with two children, aged 11 and 13, in her own home and holds investment properties. She doesn’t have [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 27 August 2013 August 26, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES MPs step up campaign to break up RBS MPs are stepping up their campaign for a break-up of Royal Bank of Scotland amid suspicions in Westminster that RBS and Treasury officials will try to scupper a good bank-bad bank split. In a letter in today’s Financial Times, the influential Parliamentary Commission on Banking [...]
The real McHoy October 20, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks to Sir Chris Hoy: Olympic athlete turned entrepreneur BRITAIN has caught the cycling bug. Close to 7m people hop on a bike once a month, a rise of 1m in four years. Not only are City professionals now donning full lycra for their daily commutes, but the craze has inspired entrepreneurial flair [...]
LSE sees equity trading rise by five per cent as derivatives drop September 26, 2013 The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has reported UK Equity value trading up five per cent in the five months ending 31st August 2013, as compared to the same period last year (release). Derivatives trading was dramatically down by 31 per cent from last year. Equity capital raised amounted to to £9.3bn with a total [...]
John Lewis is set to create a new restaurant August 14, 2013 JOHN Lewis is poised to launch a new restaurant concept in a move to diversify its catering range and attract more customers into its department stores. Chief executive Andy Street said while John Lewis’ restaurants and cafeterias were profitable and provided good quality, “middle of the road” food, they were not “cutting edge” brands. “There [...]
M&S’s new ad campaign will struggle to reverse slumping fashion sales November 5, 2013 YOU CAN visualise the meeting at Marks & Spencer’s headquarters when its new campaign, advertising its make-or-break Autumn collection, was finalised. An ad agency suggests the idea of female empowerment and the boardroom battleground. Any actual brand idea is forgotten, as the rolodex spins and agents are called. Actress Helen Mirren, artist Tracey Emin, author [...]