Retailers: Shop floor beats uni September 25, 2011 SHELF-STACKING in a supermarket from 16 can be a better career move than studying for A-levels and a degree, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) will claim today. On-the-job training and good career prospects can be preferable to a longer formal education with higher debts, the industry body will say. Retailers invest an average of £1,275 [...]
OFT to probe Thomas Cook and Co-op merger January 7, 2011 The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to probe a move by Thomas Cook and the Co-operative Group to merge their High Street travel businesses. The European Commission had studied the deal but decided the OFT was better placed to investigate because the merger would only affect UK business. Thomas Cook said it would “continue [...]
Osmond in bank interest July 27, 2011 HUGH Osmond, the entrepreneur behind Pizza Express, Punch Taverns and the insurance group Pearl, has emerged as a surprise potential bidder for Lloyds Banking Group’s 632 branches that are up for sale. Sources close to Osmond say that he has been in discussion with Lloyds since the end of last year and is hopeful of [...]
German GDP blow drags down markets August 16, 2011 European markets were this morning dragged down by figures showing spluttering German GDP growth. The slowdown in the Eurozone’s strongest economy cast a shadow over today’s summit between France’s Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany’s Angela Merkel aimed at hammering out solutions to the bloc’s debt crisis. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down [...]
Six parties in Lloyds talks for branches July 24, 2011 LLOYDS is in talks with six interested parties over the sale of its 632 branches, City A.M. understands, despite only two of them having submitted formal bids so far. However, some of those involved are only interested in chunks of the £68bn in assets on sale, which could prove a headache for regulators who want [...]
UK’s co-operatives: we’ve boomed since credit crisis June 26, 2011 CO-OPERATIVES have massively outperformed other organisations since the credit crunch, a group promoting the sector will claim today. The turnover of all UK co-operatives, including companies such as John Lewis and the Co-op, has surged by 21 per cent since the financial crisis hit in 2008, its figures show. The combined turnover of all co-operatives [...]
Paragon eyes Northern Rock July 3, 2011 MORTGAGE lender Paragon has emerged as a surprise contender to buy Northern Rock. It is understood Paragon has requested documentation relating to the sale with a view to making an offer. The sale is expected to return around £1bn of the £1.4bn invested in the failed institution by the taxpayer. Paragon joins Coventry building society, [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 24, 2011 ASHCOURT ROWAN The wealth management group has appointed Jeremy Rance, its chief operating officer, as an executive director. Rance, 48, joined Ashcourt Rowan as director of planning in June last year. He led the negotiations on the acquisition of the Co-op Independent Financial Adviser business in October 2010. Rance was appointed as chief operating officer [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 24, 2011 ASHCOURT ROWAN The wealth management group has appointed Jeremy Rance, its chief operating officer, as an executive director. Rance, 48, joined Ashcourt Rowan as director of planning in June last year. He led the negotiations on the acquisition of the Co-op Independent Financial Adviser business in October 2010. Rance was appointed as chief operating officer [...]
RETAIL BANK OF THE YEAR | The Shortlist day seven June 27, 2011 Retail banking in Britain is in the throes of monumental change this year, as the big-name players grapple with the reforms being drawn up by the Independent Commission on Banking. The shifting landscape has also allowed newcomers to gain a foothold in the market, giving our list of top retail banks this year a fresh [...]