Government caps planned rail fare rise October 7, 2012 COMMUTERS will be hit by smaller than expected fare rises in January, after the Department for Transport yesterday lowered the planned price hikes to an average of 4.2 per cent. The DfT cut the planned increases to one per cent above the retail price index (RPI) rate of inflation for the next two years, down [...]
David Montgomery eyes Lepe back into the newspaper world November 8, 2012 It would be no exaggeration to say that the boutique investment banks are hurting due to the dearth of deal activity but in their favour they have increased their market share of deals and every so often they pop up quite spectacularly when one is least expecting them. Hence when BP bought (and then later [...]
Season of mellow fruitfulness and energy price rise myths October 14, 2012 I LOOKED out at the frost on my lawn yesterday and thought about the joys of autumn. The golden leaves falling from the trees, the mist on your breath on long walks, log fires in a local pub and, most predictable of all, the seasonal skewering of us consumers by the energy suppliers. Yes, last [...]
Supermarkets enjoy a rare lift during summer September 3, 2012 THE RETURN of the warmer summer weather together with the Olympics and the use of vouchers helped grocers enjoy their best trading performance of the year last month, in a rare bright spot amid the gloom across the rest of the retail industry. According to the latest figures from Nielsen, grocery sales in the four [...]
Barratt signs £250m Croydon deal August 20, 2012 Housebuilder Barratt Developments announced yesterday it has exchanged contracts with Greater London Authority for a £250m redevelopment on Cane Hill in Croydon. Proposals for the 83 hectare former hospital site – the size of 100 football pitches – include 650 homes of which 163 will be affordable, as well as 70,000 square feet of office, [...]
JJB shares dive as it looks for a white knight August 30, 2012 SEVERAL bidders have expressed interest in taking control of crisis-hit retailer JJB Sports, which was forced to put itself up for sale yesterday after failing to secure fresh funding from investors. The company, which has 180 stores and employs 4,000 people, has been locked in discussions with suppliers and investors in recents months in a [...]
Retail sales growth slows in July – BRC August 7, 2012 British retail sales growth slowed in July as a sunny spell towards the end of the month failed to make up for weeks of rain which depressed sales of summer clothes and other seasonal products, the British Retail Consortium said today. The BRC’s findings tally with other surveys and retailers’ reports, showing that consumers were [...]
The City is poised to take advantage of Chinese currency liberalisation September 9, 2012 OFFSHORE renminbi (RMB) – or dim sum bonds, as they have affectionately come to be known in the West – have more in common with their culinary counterparts than meets the eye. Traditionally enjoyed at yum cha – the Chinese equivalent of afternoon tea – by farmers after a hard day’s work, dim sum have [...]
India’s long journey towards reform holds lessons for the City’s future October 7, 2012 LOOKING back at Europe from New Delhi – and the City delegation’s business visit to India – it is clear that reform tops the agenda in both places. Whether it is Vickers, Liikanen or Singh, the detailed reasons behind reform may be different. But the desired overall outcome is the same: to create stable jobs [...]
FTSE 100 jumps on German court ruling September 12, 2012 The leading share index was up in early trading, as investors reacted positively to news that German judges ruled in favour of the Eurozone’s rescue fund. Meanwhile, holding company Chesnara led the fallers on the FTSE All-Share, down 6.87 per cent. Embattled platinum miner Lonmin shed 5.56 per cent, as strikes continued at its Marikana [...]