Business activity picking up across the eurozone September 23, 2009 PRIVATE sector output in the eurozone increased for the second consecutive month in September, as the services sector returned to positive territory, according to data released yesterday. Markit’s purchase managers index (PMI) for the eurozone rose to a 16-month high of 50.8 in the period, up from 50.4 in August, though this was a smaller [...]
Best of British November 24, 2009 I’M CURRENTLY feeling like a WAG. To clarify, this is purely down to my current motor, and not because I’ve hooked up with a Chelsea striker. You see I’m driving around in a Bentley (times are hard). I haven’t been in one for a long time and I’ve always associated them with elder statesmen, people [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPER SAY THIS MORNING November 15, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphUK FACES MAJOR OBSTACLES IN BID TO BE A LOW-CARBON LEADERThe UK risks missing out on its slice of the £4.5 trillion low-carbon industry, the manufacturers’ trade body has warned. The EEF said the country faces major obstacles to becoming a leading centre for so-called “cleantech” products and services, “most notably question [...]
New Look set for return to public market September 27, 2009 HIGH street retailer New Look is mulling a £1.7bn stock market flotation – six years after it was taken private. The budget fashion chain owned by private equity firms Apax and Permira has enjoyed robust trading throughout the downturn as it steals cash-strapped shoppers away from its mid-market rivals. Founder Tom Singh, who still owns [...]
New Look set for return to public market September 27, 2009 HIGH street retailer New Look is mulling a £1.7bn stock market flotation – six years after it was taken private. The budget fashion chain owned by private equity firms Apax and Permira has enjoyed robust trading throughout the downturn as it steals cash-strapped shoppers away from its mid-market rivals. Founder Tom Singh, who still owns [...]
Post strikes will do most damage to Royal Mail October 18, 2009 IF THIS week’s postal strike goes ahead from Thursday, as expected, the Square Mile will not come to a grinding halt. The rise of the internet, email and electronic trading platforms mean that the Royal Mail’s integral role of facilitating business between City firms are long gone. I suspect that more damage will be caused [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPER SAY THIS MORNING November 8, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphBAE HIRES PINOCHET LAWYER FOR SFO FIGHTBAE Systems has instructed General Pinochet’s former QC to handle its defence if the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is successful in persuading the Attorney General to proceed with a fraud prosecution against the arms manufacturer. GOVERNMENT PLANS FAST-TRACK NUCLEAR EXPANSIONThe government is set to hand an [...]
Home Retail Group boosted by kitchens September 10, 2009 HOMEBASE and Argos owner Home Retail Group said yesterday it would match the previous year’s interim underlying profits, as sales of televisions and kitchens held up through the slump. Benchmark profit before tax will be “broadly in line” with last year’s £121m, it said. The group said customers were staying at home in the recession, [...]
F&C DITCHES THE DORCHESTER FOR A LEANER SHOWING AT PING PONG November 25, 2009 THINGS may be looking up in terms of the economy, but the corporate Christmas goose is looking just as lean as it was in the depths of the financial crisis last year – and a little bird tells me that asset management firm F&C Investments is among the companies trimming its budget. Usually, F&C staffers [...]
MARTHA LANE FOX ON SIDE FOR CITY LADIES November 11, 2009 WOMEN who’ve made it to the top in business are creatures all too rare, even in this day and age, so it’s refreshing to find someone who’s willing to put her cards on the table when it comes to supporting the fairer sex. Martha Lane Fox – government digital inclusion champion and co-founder of lastminute.com [...]