Interserve posts a decline in profit… March 9, 2011 MAINTENANCE and outsourcing firm Interserve reported a decline in full-year pre-tax profit yesterday, citing challenging conditions, and said it expected stable trading conditions in 2011. Interserve, which last month made a cash and shares approach to peer Mouchel, posted pre-tax profit for 2010 of £64.1m compared to £89.2m in 2009. The company, which provides services [...]
Interserve posts a decline in profit… March 9, 2011 MAINTENANCE and outsourcing firm Interserve reported a decline in full-year pre-tax profit yesterday, citing challenging conditions, and said it expected stable trading conditions in 2011. Interserve, which last month made a cash and shares approach to peer Mouchel, posted pre-tax profit for 2010 of £64.1m compared to £89.2m in 2009. The company, which provides services [...]
Why filling in the census improves your life March 9, 2011 SO, how old are you? Have you ever been married? Who do you live with? Do you have a mortgage? How many bedrooms do you have? What religion are you? Yes, it might feel like Big Brother plopped on our doormats this week. The 2011 census asks questions that probably many of us would find [...]
Supermarket sales slowing as shoppers rein in spending March 1, 2011 SALES growth at grocers slowed in February, despite higher prices, according to market research published yesterday, adding to signs of growing caution among consumers since the start of the year. Kantar Worldpanel said grocery sales rose 3.9 per cent year-on-year in the 12 weeks to 20 February, down from 4.2 per cent growth for the [...]
GOK WAN TO DESIGN FOR SAINSBURY’S March 1, 2011 TV FASHION guru Gok Wan is set to create a number of womenswear collections for Sainsbury’s with the first due to hit the shelves this autumn. He will design for the retailer’s TU clothing label as part of a move to expand its clothing category. Wan said: “While I’ve styled thousands of women over the [...]
Six things to check before setting up the family’s financial safety net February 23, 2011 PERSONAL insurance premiums are set to rise this year, as the market vies to boost profitability. That was the prediction last week from Axa, after it unveiled a drop in 2010 underlying earnings to £131m from £235m in 2009. So what better time to make sure you’re covered? While hunting down a competitive deal is [...]
FTSE falls below 6,000 level as Middle East woes weigh February 22, 2011 BRITAIN’S top share index closed lower yesterday as troubles in the Middle East clouded sentiment, but bumper consumer confidence figures from the US spurred a late rally and boosted commodity stocks. The FTSE 100 closed down 18.04 points or 0.3 per cent lower at 5,996.76, having finished at a two-week closing low on Monday. “The [...]
What the other papers say this morning February 16, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES OAKTREE RETURNS INVESTOR’S CASH Oaktree Capital’s distressed investment fund has returned $3bn of the $10bn it raised from investors, reflecting its difficulties in finding opportunities as the economy improves, people familiar with the matter say. The fund, run by Bruce Karsh, was among the most aggressive buyers of distressed debt after the failure [...]
What the other papers say this morning February 16, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES OAKTREE RETURNS INVESTOR’S CASH Oaktree Capital’s distressed investment fund has returned $3bn of the $10bn it raised from investors, reflecting its difficulties in finding opportunities as the economy improves, people familiar with the matter say. The fund, run by Bruce Karsh, was among the most aggressive buyers of distressed debt after the failure [...]
Morrisons in £70m deal to join web war February 15, 2011 WM MORRISON yesterday announced that it had finally taken the plunge into online retail, splashing out £70m on baby goods firm Kiddicare. The supermarket giant has so far resisted the move to the web while rivals like Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda see online sales as vital to their financial health. But the purchase of Kiddicare [...]