Ladbrokes shares plunge as it cuts revenue forecasts for gaming machines August 8, 2013 Shares in Ladbrokes plunged over five per cent today as the UK betting company reported its pre-tax profits nearly halved to £67.3m from £123.7m in the first half of the year. Basic earnings per share fell to 5.2p from 12.5p. It warned that it is no longer expecting like-for-like revenue growth from gaming machines for [...]
Morrisons tops FTSE despite profit decline as supermarket remains confident of second half bounce September 12, 2013 Supermarket Morrisons has seen its pre-tax profits drop from £440m to £344m in the half year to 4 August (release). The announcement also includes a 10 per cent decline in underlying profit to £401m. We anticipate an improvement in our sales performance during the second half and accordingly the Board believes the Group's performance for [...]
Engineer Kentz is confident of standalone prospects as two bidders disappear in as many days September 13, 2013 Engineer Kentz has released an update after German M+W has issued no further takeover proposals for the firm (release). That comes after Amec withdrew interest yesterday. Since its announcement of 19 August 2013, Kentz can confirm that it received no further proposals from either Amec plc or M+W. The Company remains confident it can deliver [...]
Hodgson tells off-form Hart England place not in danger October 3, 2013 ENGLAND manager Roy Hodgson has vowed to keep faith with goalkeeper Joe Hart for the conclusion of the World Cup qualifying campaign despite growing concerns about his substandard form. Hart, 26, was twice beaten at his near post in Manchester City’s 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday and has made other costly errors for [...]
G4S outlines plans to strengthen balance sheet after disappointing first half losses August 28, 2013 Outsourcing company G4S has announced plans to sell businesses and issue new shares to strengthen its balance sheet. The company, whose reputation has suffered from failures at last year’s Olympic and Paralympic games and more recently from the alleged overcharging of the taxpayer for the provision of electronic tagging services, plans to place 140.9m new [...]
Spring sales help H&M post jump in second quarter profits June 20, 2012 SWEDISH fashion retailer H&M yesterday posted a 23 per cent jump in second quarter profits, boosted by strong sales of its Spring collection, in spite of the tough retail environment. The company reported a net profit rise of 5.2bn krona (£474m) in the three months to 31 May, up from Skr4.3bn last year, beating consensus [...]
Defective EU carbon trading scheme is adding billions to UK energy costs October 20, 2013 YOU MAY never have heard of it, but a European scheme, designed to achieve carbon emissions targets that have already been met, is adding billions to consumer energy bills. This year and every year until 2020, the UK government will auction hundreds of millions of carbon credits – called European Union Allowances (EUAs) – into [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 30 August 2013 August 29, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES NFL agrees to settle lawsuit The US National Football League agreed yesterday to pay $765m to settle lawsuits filed by thousands of retired players who suffered debilitating health consequences from years of head trauma endured while playing the sport. The agreement allows the NFL to avoid a lengthy court battle, which could have [...]
EasyJet shares are flying high as pre-tax profits are set to rise by over 40 per cent July 24, 2013 Airline easyJet has announced that it expects pre-tax profits of £450-480m this year, a rise from £317m in the last period, "assuming no further significant disruption" (release). Total revenue for the third quarter grew by 10.5% to £1,142 million, driven by a 3.6% increase in capacity and improvement in revenue per seat. … With 73% [...]
Before the open – 08/08 August 8, 2013 The Nikkei erased early gains late last night after the Japanese Cabinet Office’s Eco Watchers Survey revealed a bleaker-than-expected view of the economy and its outlook. The survey came in at 52.3 for the current view of the economy and 53.6 for the short-term outlook – below the respective 53.5 and 54.1 predictions. Markets were [...]