Utility firms lift FTSE 100 as cold snap drives power sales December 20, 2010 UTILITY stocks helped push Britain’s top shares higher yesterday, as the UK’s near-Arctic conditions boosted demand for energy, but British Airways toiled as the big freeze disrupted airline services. The FTSE 100 closed up 19.86 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 5,891.61. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 closed up 6.33 points at 11,433.11. It touched a [...]
Utility firms lift FTSE 100 as cold snap drives power sales December 20, 2010 UTILITY stocks helped push Britain’s top shares higher yesterday, as the UK’s near-Arctic conditions boosted demand for energy, but British Airways toiled as the big freeze disrupted airline services. The FTSE 100 closed up 19.86 points, or 0.3 per cent, at 5,891.61. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 closed up 6.33 points at 11,433.11. It touched a [...]
HMV warns that profit will be at lower end January 5, 2011 Music and books retailer HMV said full-year profit would be around the lower end of forecasts and meeting the terms of its lending rules would be tight after bad weather hit Christmas trade. HMV, which has been battling for years with competition from supermarkets and the internet, said on Wednesday it would exit about 60 [...]
HMV warns that profit will be at lower end January 5, 2011 Music and books retailer HMV said full-year profit would be around the lower end of forecasts and meeting the terms of its lending rules would be tight after bad weather hit Christmas trade. HMV, which has been battling for years with competition from supermarkets and the internet, said on Wednesday it would exit about 60 [...]
Mothercare issues profit warning January 6, 2011 Mothercare has issued a profit warning after the snow hit its UK business. Like-for-like sales in the last three months of 2010 dropped four per cent as the freezing conditions caused “widespread disruption”. Toy sales were hardest hit after the firm cut off Christmas online orders early to ensure delivery. Chief executive Ben Gordon said: [...]
OUT OF OFFICE December 8, 2010 RUDOLPH PIE FOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS Covent Garden’s confusingly-named Battersea Pie Station – a paradise for those who like their lunches hot, meaty pastry-topped – is getting in the festive spirit with a very tasty reindeer pie – called The Rudolph, natch – that’s available throughout this month. If those reindeer aren’t actually going to help [...]
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE YEAR OF THE GRISLY KILLER POLICY RABBIT January 3, 2011 IT seems you can hardly call yourself an analyst these days without issuing a long list of annual predictions, and Societe Generale’s Michala Marcussen keenly threw his hat in the ring yesterday. But while his SocGen colleague Dylan Grice analyses “Popular Delusions” in his regular note, Marcussen went for the more unusual theme of “Policymakers and [...]
Persimmon beats forecasts January 10, 2011 Housebuilder Persimmon said underlying pre-tax profit for 2010 will be at the top end of market views, despite bad weather knocking sales before Christmas. The UK’s largest homebuilder by market value said it completed 9,384 homes in the year to 31 December, against 8,976 last year. Prices rose by six per cent to 167,000 pounds, [...]
Persimmon beats forecasts January 10, 2011 Housebuilder Persimmon said underlying pre-tax profit for 2010 will be at the top end of market views, despite bad weather knocking sales before Christmas. The UK’s largest homebuilder by market value said it completed 9,384 homes in the year to 31 December, against 8,976 last year. Prices rose by six per cent to 167,000 pounds, [...]
Game bullish for full-year despite fresh competition January 13, 2011 COMPUTER games retailer Game Group posted 2.1 per cent lower like-for-like sales over Christmas and said annual profit would be within analysts expectations despite increasing competition from downloads. The company has been hit by an absence of new console launches in 2010, increased competition from supermarkets and changing gaming habits, with people increasingly playing mobile [...]