Ad giants Publicis and Omnicom agree $35bn tie-up July 28, 2013 MEDIA powerhouses Publicis and Omnicom have agreed to merge, in a deal that will create the world’s largest advertising firm. The companies, which spent several months in talks before yesterday’s announcement, generated a total of $22.7bn (£14.8bn) in revenues last year, and have a combined market value of $35.1bn. Omnicom will keep its [...]
Rexam expects sales growth in North America February 21, 2013 DRINKS-can maker Rexam yesterday reported full-year underlying profit above estimates and said it expects sales to grow in its largest market North America, sending its shares up by over five per cent. Rexam said it has a 20 per cent market share in North America, the world’s largest beverage can market with 100bn cans used [...]
How positive start-up innovation is making full-time work redundant May 3, 2013 ASK a business owner 20 years ago how big their company was and, like the pharaohs, he or she would soon tell you how many people they employed. Full-time staff numbers denoted personal achievement and the business’s (and owner’s) social value. Today, precisely the opposite is true. In volatile markets and desperate to avoid fixed [...]
Buffett Dines on Heinz for $28bn February 14, 2013 US BILLIONAIRE investor Warren Buffet and 3G Capital have swooped in to buy Heinz in a $28bn (£18bn) deal that marks one of the food industry’s largest ever acquisitions. Buffett’s investment firm Berkshire Hathaway and the Brazilian-backed private equity firm will pay $72.50 per share for the baked beans and ketchup maker, a 20 per [...]
Who’s switching jobs December 12, 2012 Westhouse Securities Finlay Thompson has been appointed specialist oil and gas salesman on the stockbroker’s institutional sales desk. He has 18 years’ experience in the industry, and has previously held roles at ABN Amro, Credit Lyonnais, Natixis and others. Quadrangle Phil Rance has been appointed corporate development director at the consultancy firm. He was previously [...]
Lacklustre US results drag on Wall Street April 18, 2012 US stocks slipped yesterday, a day after Wall Street’s best gains in a month, as uninspiring earnings from tech bellwethers IBM and Intel gave investors a reason to take profits. Chesapeake Energy dropped 5.5 per cent to $18.06 and was the most actively traded stock on the New York Stock Exchange after a Reuters report [...]
Mentors are vital for entrepreneurs September 23, 2012 AT THE recent Made entrepreneur festival in Sheffield, business and enterprise minister Michael Fallon announced that the Mentorsme online portal – which connects mentors and mentees – has over 22,000 accessible mentors. That’s an awful lot of knowledge on tap. Setting up a business involves serious trials and tribulations. So speaking with someone who has [...]
HGCapital sells SHL for $660m July 3, 2012 PRIVATE equity group HgCapital has sold employment consultancy SHL to larger rival Corporate Executive Board for $660m (£420.6m), having quadrupled the value of the firm within six years. HgCapital, which bought the firm for £100m in 2006, has sold out from SHL after helping to almost double the firm’s revenues and treble its earnings. HgCapital [...]
Changing face of internet as list of .brand sites revealed June 13, 2012 THE INTERNET’S biggest shake up is one step closer after the list of submissions for new domain names was yesterday unveiled. ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) revealed the 1,930 website domains applied for – including .blog, .youtube and .bbc – which will hit the world wide web from early 2013 alongside the usual [...]
WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS June 26, 2012 Mayer Brown Andrew Block has been appointed as a partner in the pensions group of the law firm. He was previously a partner at Travers Smith, and started his legal career at Linklaters. Block acts in occupational pension scheme matters. He will be based in Mayer Brown’s London office. Manches The law firm has announced [...]