Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open July 5, 2016 The Bank of England has slashed its capital requirements for UK banks, the pound is at a new 31 year low, and Australia's central bank has held interest rates unchanged at 1.75 per cent. Here's what you need to know before the US open at 2.30pm London time. US futures are pointing south after coming back from [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open July 6, 2016 Sterling and bond yields continue to slide, though gold has been labelled as the go-to investment for the rest of the year. Here's what you need to know before the US market opens at 2:30pm London time. US stock futures are not looking good ahead of the open. The S&P is down by 0.62 per cent, the Nasdaq is [...]
Boots to cut up to 350 jobs as part of plans to simplify chemist business February 1, 2016 Boots is to cut between 300 and 350 managerial roles from its UK stores as part of a wider move to simplify the business. The chemist, which was bought by Walgreens in 2014, has started consultation with its assistant store managers in the larger stores across the country. Although it admitted some of the job cuts would come [...]
Pessina: CEO of Walgreens Alliance Boots July 9, 2015 WALGREENS Boots Alliance said yesterday it has appointed Stefano Pessina as permanent chief executive following the US pharmacy giant’s takeover of Pessina’s European chain Alliance Boots last year. The Italian billionaire, who is Walgreens Boots Alliance’s biggest shareholder, has been acting chief executive since Greg Wasson stepped down in January following the completion of the [...]
EU referendum: Asda, HSBC, Vodafone and nearly 200 sign letter saying Brexit would threaten jobs – but Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s are not on the list February 23, 2016 The bosses of HSBC, BT, Vodafone and Asda are among those to have put their name to an open letter backing the remain camp and Prime Minister David Cameron's reforms in Europe. More than a third of the UK's biggest companies were represented in the letter, which was published in The Times this morning, saying they represented [...]
Boots owner Walgreens reports a massive 33 per cent profit rise April 9, 2015 The owner of Boots the chemist yesterday reported a massive 33 per cent rise in profits rise in the first update since a £6bn mega-merger last year between US retailer Walgreens and the British high street icon was completed last year. Walgreens Boots Alliance reported profits of $1.2bn (£0.8bn) for the three months to the [...]
Walgreen’s chief Greg Wasson to retire after Alliance Boots mega-merger December 10, 2014 US drugstore chain operator Walgreen has said its chief executive Greg Wasson will retire after the completion of its pending takeover of Alliance Boots, owner of the UK high street pharmacy Boots. Stefano Pessina, executive chairman of Alliance Boots, will serve as acting chief executive after Wasson steps down. “With the creation of Walgreens Boots [...]
Walgreens’ £6bn takeover of Alliance Boots confirmed August 6, 2014 US pharmacy giant Walgreens is set to buy the remaining 55 per cent stake in high street chemist Alliance Boots. The Walgreens board will now ask shareholders to approve the £6bn deal. The company is hoping to cut £600m of costs over the next three years. The combination would establish the world's largest pharmaceutical wholesale [...]
Gibraltar and Guernsey hit back at Ed Miliband’s tax haven blacklist threat February 8, 2015 Labour leader Ed Miliband is under fire from Britain’s overseas territories, after he threatened to put them on a tax haven blacklist. The latest row comes after Miliband wrote to the territories, threatening that they will be listed as tax havens, and consequently incur sanctions, if they fail to compile a list of offshore companies [...]
Walgreens stays in the US after £9bn Boots deal August 6, 2014 US pharmacy giant Walgreens yesterday ruled out plans to pursue a controversial tax inversion as part of its £9bn merger with Alliance Boots, amid fears that it would subject it to years of scrutiny from US tax authorities. Walgreens is pressing ahead a £9bn deal to acquire the 55 per cent stake it does not [...]