INSURER OF THE YEAR July 31, 2012 OUR INSURER of the year award celebrates firms from across the industry, ranging from small specialists to global giants. Lloyd’s of London firms such as Lancashire qualify for their commitment to innovation and personal service in a global marketplace. Meanwhile the changing face of the British insurance business is recognised with the nomination of firms [...]
The whole City must work to rebuild the trust destroyed by a rotten few July 15, 2012 AFTER weeks of problems in the banking sector making front pages, it’s time we start taking steps to move business back to where it belongs: the business sections of our papers (though that would, of course, be hard in the case of this newspaper). Reputation matters and it’s the driving force behind any good business. [...]
St Modwen says net asset value lifted by housebuilder demand July 3, 2012 REGENERATION SPECIALIST St Modwen yesterday said that a strong appetite for new homes, particularly in London and the South East, helped lift its net asset value (NAV) in the first half of the year. Chief executive Bill Oliver said despite the on-going challenges in the economy it had delivered “a strong set of first half [...]
What Team GB really needs is international investors July 30, 2012 AFTER years of cynicism, Londoners appear to have finally taken the Olympics to their hearts. Yet there is an uncomfortable air of the Roman “panem et circenses” – keeping the common people happy with bread and games – about the spectacle. At a time when GDP figures suggest there’s less bread to go round than [...]
Is the Prime Minister right to predict that the Olympic Games will boost the UK economy? July 26, 2012 YES John Longworth The London 2012 Olympics is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of Britain and make it clear to visitors and spectators from across the globe that we are ready to trade with the world. We believe the Olympics will provide a timely confidence boost for businesses, particularly in the retail, hospitality [...]
INDITEX BUYS FLAGSHIP ZARA STORE IN WEST END FOR £155M June 18, 2012 Inditex, the world’s largest fashion retailer, yesterday announced it has bought the flagship Zara store at the heart of London’s West End for £155m. The Spanish-listed group, which owns Zara, said it had bought the 7,000 square-metre property at the intersection of Oxford Street and New Bond Street from German fund manager Deka. Last year [...]
Severn Trent to target bonds at retail investors June 21, 2012 INDIVIDUAL investors will have the chance to buy bonds from FTSE 100 utilities firm Severn Trent, the company announced yesterday. The company hopes to raise up to £100m from the scheme, which will offer individuals a return of 1.9 per cent above retail price inflation (RPI) over the next 10 years. “There’s a lot of [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 2, 2012 Kingfisher Karen Witts will join the home retailer’s board as finance director in October. She is currently finance chief for Africa, Middle East, Asia and Asia Pacific at Vodafone, and is also a non-executive director of Wolseley. Witts worked at BT Group for more than 10 years, most recently as finance head for BT Retail. [...]
Sterling could win from London’s Olympic success August 13, 2012 FX360 HOSTING the Olympics is an honour for both the city and the country where it is held. One of the major benefits is the financial investment – sporting facilities are built or upgraded, public transport is overhauled, and businesses flock to the area. But what happens after the stadiums empty and the medals are [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 24, 2012 Intelligent Environments The digital banking software provider has appointed David Webber as its managing director. He has over 20 years’ experience in financial services software and joins from Patsystems Group, where was chief executive. Houlihan Lokey Magnus Scaddan has been appointed managing director, and head of consumer and retail for Europe, Middle East and Africa, [...]