Home Retail Group’s DIY chain Homebase eyed up by French suitor for takeover bid December 6, 2015 Takeover interest in Home Retail Group’s Homebase is heating up amid reports that a French rival is eyeing a bid for the DIY chain. Leroy Merlin, the French home-improvement and gardening retailer with stores in 13 countries, is said to have examined a bid for the group. It is unclear whether the Family-owned group is [...]
Why good culture is so important in business February 29, 2016 What is business culture? In the simplest terms, it is the culmination of behaviours and attitudes of individual people within a company that gives the firm its distinctive identity. The late London Business School professor Sumantra Ghoshal called it “the smell of the place”. A healthy culture can be a core driver of positive business [...]
Making a success of succession planning March 14, 2016 Premier Support Services is a facilities management company founded 20 years ago by entrepreneur Paul Taylor. Originally based in Birmingham, over the last two decades it has grown to have six branches across the UK. Then five years ago, Taylor’s thoughts turned to succession planning. In founder-owned companies, succession planning typically involves planning for the [...]
Greed is not so good: Britain’s bankers are more stressed than ever February 15, 2016 It might be time to feel sorry for Britain's bankers. Apparently turning into social pariahs after the financial crisis has taken its toll on their mental health. Demand for insurance to protect revenues against the cost of paying staff who are too stressed to work has surged, according to data from financial services group Willis [...]
Bank of England clamps down on buy-to-let market with strict new rules for mortgage underwriters March 29, 2016 The Bank of England has today revealed plans to clamp down on the buy-to-let market, setting out strict new rules for banks underwriting buy-to-let mortgage contracts. In a new paper out today, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) said lenders will need to meet a minimum set of requirements before underwriting buy-to-let mortgage contracts, including assessing the [...]
Metro Bank IPO could be hit by Clydesdale flop January 18, 2016 The cut price flotation of Clydesdale Bank could deal a blow to fellow challenger Metro Bank’s IPO plans, experts have warned. National Australia Bank revealed Clydesdale would be valued £500m below expectations today, setting a price range for its London listed shares at 175p to 235p, valuing the bank between £1.54bn and £2.07bn. The lowest end of [...]
Investing beyond 100: How rising life expectancy will change everything July 14, 2016 A century is an important milestone worthy of celebration. We recently commemorated 100 years since the Battle of the Somme. Vogue made headlines in May for featuring a 100-year old model to celebrate the magazine’s centenary year. On your hundredth birthday, you can expect to receive a message from the Queen. But what happens when living [...]
FTSE 100 closes down as Sports Direct struggles – London Report December 11, 2015 Gains for Glencore couldn’t keep the FTSE 100 up last night as both Sports Direct and Old Mutual fell hard. The index closed 0.63 per cent down at 6,088. Sports Direct slumped after Mike Ashley’s retailer posted poor first-half results and the company was criticised for staff conditions. Group revenue ticking up 0.1 per cent [...]
Entertainment One share price: Peppa Pig maker reassures investors after sell-off December 9, 2015 Peppa Pig producer Entertainment One has insisted the company is still trading well after the company announced a debt deal that prompted a major sell-off of its shares yesterday. The company revealed its plans to issue £285m in bonds, as part of plans to replace existing debt facilites, on Friday. But its shares closed down 20 per [...]
Barclays results: British bank expected to sell off African operations and pay former chief executive Antony Jenkins a £500k performance bonus as it announces full-year results this week February 28, 2016 Barclays' new chief executive Jes Staley is expected to announce plans to sell off the lender's African business when the British bank reports full-year results for 2015 on Tuesday. It was widely reported over the weekend that Barclays' board decided last week that it made sense strategically for the British bank to exit the continent and refocus [...]