Travis Perkins slams Osborne over economy February 21, 2013 THE GOVERNMENT needs some radical thinking to get the economy moving, the boss of the country’s biggest supplier of building materials, Travis Perkins said yesterday. “The trouble at the moment is that people are thinking of conventional solutions and I’m afraid we’re not in conventional economic times, so we’ve got to think more radically to [...]
Weir in £55m shopping spree as it extends mining footprint February 21, 2013 ENGINEER the Weir Group yesterday said it had snapped up a trio of companies for £55m, as it extends its footprint into mining industries. The FTSE 100 firm has bought the R Wales group of companies in Canada – which makes rubber linings for the processing industries – in a move into the North American [...]
Boeing nears Dreamliner fix February 21, 2013 BOEING is believed to have found a way to fix the batteries on its new 787 Dreamliner, over a month after signs of burning grounded all 50 of the planes in operation. However, transport watchdogs are yet to decide whether and when to allow the planes to fly again.
Galliford Try posts strong first half for housebuilding division February 21, 2013 GALLIFORD TRY yesterday said a robust first half for its housebuilding division helped offset a tough construction market, with a record number of homes sold in the period. The group yesterday said it completed 1,364 homes in the six months to 31 December, up from 1,352 the same time last year and ahead of expectations. [...]
EasyJet faces AGM questions February 21, 2013 EASYJET will today face tough questioning from its major shareholder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who has called for outgoing chairman Sir Mike Rake to resign immediately. Sir Stelios yesterday published a list of nine questions he will put to the EasyJet board at today’s shareholder meeting, covering his concerns about plans to buy new aircraft, the [...]
Capgemini sees revenue growth over 1pc in 2013 February 21, 2013 FRENCH IT services firm Capgemini yesterday reported a 1.2 per cent surge in revenues to €10.3bn (£8.9bn) for the past year. It marks the first time the IT services group, Europe’s largest based on market capitalisation, has seen full-year revenues top €10bn. The 1.2 per cent revenue rise is on a like-for-like basis, stripping out [...]
Carlos Slim backs KPN plan but steers clear of a takeover offer February 21, 2013 CARLOS Slim, the world’s richest man, has backed KPN’s plan to raise €4bn (£3.49bn) and will take two board seats as he battles to turn around a losing investment in the Dutch telecommunications group. However, the Mexican telecoms tycoon, whose America Movil owns just under 30 per cent of KPN, said he has no plans [...]
Dulux maker AkzoNobel says it plans to slash its costs quicker February 21, 2013 THE NEW chief executive of Dutch paints and chemicals group AkzoNobel said yesterday it plans to speed up cost-cutting and focus on improving returns and cash generation over the next three years. The firm, best known for its Dulux brand, is aiming for a return on sales of nine per cent, return on investment of [...]
Rathbones stays the course despite dip in fund growth February 21, 2013 UPMARKET wealth manager Rathbone Brothers yesterday said people withdrawing funds to maintain their standard of living had contributed to a small fall in organic fund growth last year. Despite posting a solid 13 per cent increase in funds managed up to £18bn and adding 1,100 more clients, money leaving the group’s investment funds increased from [...]
PZ Cussons sells Polish brands February 21, 2013 PZ Cussons is to sell its Polish home care brands to German consumer good giant Henkel for £46.6m in cash, the group announced yesterday. The deal, which includes the sale of laundry detergent and washing up liquid, is still subject to merger control clearances and is expected to be completed in the next six months. [...]
