BA workers to vote on Xmas strike action November 2, 2009 BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA), the ailing flag-carrier, was dealt another blow yesterday after the Unite union said results of a ballot on strike action would be announced mid-December. The decision to kick off the vote next week came after thousands of cabin crew met at Sandown racecourse yesterday to thrash out a response to BA’s cost-cutting [...]
Tesco is serious about building a profitable telco November 26, 2009 It’s hard to think of two brands more different than Apple and Tesco. One is famed for its sleek gadgets, while the other piles high and sells cheap the kind of electronic goods that wouldn’t look out of place in a Latvian discount store. A Lodus television and a Technika DVD player might be cheap, [...]
M&B toasts a dining uplift November 26, 2009 PUBS group Mitchells & Butlers yesterday said it was optimistic about Christmas trading as it switched to a food focus to compensate for slower drinks revenue. The group said that it has recently introduced its “winter menu” to take advantage of the rise in consumer confidence, which has sparked people to splash out on good [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 25, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES INVESTORS TO SIGN AVTOVAZ AID DEALShareholders in Russian car maker Avtovaz will sign a rescue deal for the near-bankrupt firm at a meeting near Paris this week, Yuri Ushakov, the Russian Prime Minister’s deputy chief of staff, said yesterday. SATYAM SHARES TUMBLE OVER FRESH CHARGESShares in Mahindra Satyam, the fraud-hit IT services group, [...]
13/2 Go Native and 16/1 Weapon’s Amnesty look likely Festival types January 7, 2010 OVER the next nine or so weeks between now and the start of this year’s Cheltenham Festival, we will continue to add to our ante-post portfolio that already contains Somersby for the Arkle at 20/1 (now as short as 13/2 with Boylesports). With heavy snow decimating this weekend’s racing action, I have picked out a [...]
Retailers facing a tough Xmas October 4, 2009 MANY struggling British retailers will face a bleaker Christmas than they did last year, when 15 major chains failed, according to insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor. Christmas is a crucial trading period for retailers but soaring unemployment and low consumer confidence is expected to result in more firms facing financial difficulty. “Christmas 2009 could see just [...]
Retailers facing a tough Xmas October 4, 2009 MANY struggling British retailers will face a bleaker Christmas than they did last year, when 15 major chains failed, according to insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor. Christmas is a crucial trading period for retailers but soaring unemployment and low consumer confidence is expected to result in more firms facing financial difficulty. “Christmas 2009 could see just [...]
BA pension trustees meet to decide the chairman’s future November 17, 2009 BRITISH AIRWAYS’ retirement scheme trustees will meet with chairman Roger Maynard today to discuss his future at the helm of the fund. Maynard has come under fire for combining his role as chairman of both BA’s pension funds with board positions at BA and Spain’s Iberia, suggesting a conflict of interests. A spokesman for the [...]
John Lewis sales boost shows confidence is back November 15, 2009 Bellwether retailer John Lewis provided fresh signs of confidence seeping back into the high street by reporting a 17.1 per cent rise in sales last week compared to last year. And the group said that the past week’s trading is also £500,000 up on 2007, pre-credit crunch, when shoppers spent £71.98 on average each. John [...]
CARE HOME MOGUL GETS BOOST FROM REALITY TV January 6, 2010 A REALITY television appearance is usually more of a kiss of death than a gateway of opportunity, but the case of Balhousie Care Group chairman Tony Banks has proved an exception to the rule. Banks became a household name last year when he travelled to Liverpool on Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire programme and subsequently had [...]