Hotel Chocolat reports record full-year profit January 20, 2013 HOTEL CHOCOLAT, the upmarket chocolatier, offered some hope to Britain’s beleaguered high streets this weekend after reporting record sales and profits. The retailer and cocoa grower posted a 84 per cent leap in pre-tax profits to £5.4m on sales up six per cent to £63.8m in the year to 30 June 2012. Angus Thirlwell, co-founder [...]
Property firm Hammerson hires Sainsbury’s head as chairman January 14, 2013 DAVID Tyler, the chairman of Sainsbury’s, is to take on another FTSE 100 role, after it was announced yesterday he will replace John Nelson as chairman of property giant Hammerson. Tyler, who has also been a non-executive director at luxury group Burberry for more than a decade, will join the board with immediate effect on [...]
Telecity pleases market with robust outlook February 13, 2013 DATA centre operator Telecity yesterday posted a 22 per cent rise in full-year earnings, meeting analyst expectations, and gave a confident outlook for 2013 underlined by robust demand. The British company bases its facilities in European cities like London, Amsterdam and Paris, where multiple Internet connections provide near failsafe services to retailers, banks, social media [...]
City Moves for 22 January 2013 | Who’s switching jobs January 21, 2013 Mayer Brown The law firm has appointed Alistair Graham as a litigation partner in its London office. He joins from White & Case, where he was a partner in its London commercial litigation practice. Graham has previously worked as enforcement counsel to the FSA, where he assisted in the run up to the introduction of [...]
Billionaire duo shortlisted for $4bn Polyus Gold shareholding January 29, 2013 TWO Russian billionaires have been shortlisted to buy a stake in Polyus Gold, sources said, in a deal which could pave the way for a merger with rival Polymetal to create a national gold mining champion. Sources close to the matter said retail boss Zelimkhan Mutsoyev and fruit juice magnate Gavriil Yushvayev wanted to buy [...]
Vickers claims tough ring fence will boost City competitiveness January 16, 2013 RING-FENCING retail banking operations to separate them from investment banking are the best way to reform the sector and will in fact increase London’s competitiveness in the long run, the author of the plans insisted yesterday. Sir John Vickers even argued that MPs’ and peers’ proposals to electrify the ring fence with the threat of [...]
Bank ringfences will solve little February 11, 2013 Chief Market Strategist, Cantor Index I AM enormously proud to have survived 50 years in the City of London. Over the last week, however, there has been little news involving banks to be remotely glad about. We heard some “mea-culpa” testimony to the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards from Lloyds Banking Group’s chief executive Antonio [...]
Facts are vital to the debate on welfare and banking reforms April 9, 2013 HYSTERIA never makes for good law, in financial services, welfare or any other area. But while there have been many voices rightly pointing this out in recent days, as the government introduces a series of changes to the welfare state, it is a shame that so few appealed for calm during the height of banker-bashing. [...]
Rolex wins title of consumer superbrand for a second year February 24, 2013 LUXURY watch-maker Rolex has come top of an annual chart of consumer “superbrands” for the second year running, leaving Apple and Microsoft trailing in second and third place, a poll published today shows. The iPad and iPhone-maker jumped 16 places to clinch second place, missing out on the top spot to Rolex. Over 2,900 British [...]
Amazon expands Tech City hub by hiring 100 new employees January 9, 2013 AMAZON has announced plans to expand its global development hub in London, hiring 100 staff to work on new projects. The web retailer opened the eight-floor centre in Barbican in September, moving staff from its two UK acquisitions, Lovefilm and Pushbutton, to the office where hundreds are employed. The new staff, who will be hired [...]