Supermarket price wars: Money can’t buy me love…or can it? July 24, 2014 As another CEO falls on his multi-million pound sword this week; the convenient simplification of the problem into pricing and the rampant value-retailer onslaught seems to deliver a somewhat myopic view of the task facing the brooding monoliths that are the big retailers. While Mr. Clarke was seemingly handed a metaphorical deuce to seven [...]
Graduate jobs market bounces back to pre-recession levels July 7, 2014 The number of graduate-level job openings has returned to its pre-recession peak, with an 11.6 per cent increase in vacancies this year, according to a study conducted by High Fliers Research. Based on a poll of 18,000 final year university students, the study shows the biggest increase in vacancies since the dramatic 23 per cent [...]
Analyst Views: Have Unilever’s third quarter figures altered your outlook? October 24, 2013 MARTIN DEBOO INVESTEC “We read third quarter sales as in line with expectations, no great surprise given the 30 September warning. Despite the downbeat tone, Unilever are sticking to full-year guidance and their expectation of a better fourth quarter. We keep faith, but continue to urge more radical action on foods disposals. KEITH BOWMAN HARGREAVES [...]
The week in brief May 11, 2014 Publicis Group and Omnicom merger falls apart Publicis and Omicom, two of the world’s biggest advertising firms, have called off ther proposed merger. The $35bn (£22.8bn) deal would have formed the world’s largest ad agency. It was claimed last July that the merger would enable the two giants to compete more effectively in the digital [...]
Philip Clarke, Euan Sutherland and Dov Charney – the bosses who left us in 2014 December 19, 2014 This year has had its fair share of disasters – from the Co-op’s continued struggles to Tesco’s melting share price. But what of the people behind the stories? We’ve got the best, worst and most surprising people moves of the year. 1. Philip Clarke makes an unceremonious departure from Tesco Clarke stepped down at [...]
Unilever drags down peers as Nestle hints at portfolio shake-up October 1, 2013 NESTLE hinted yesterday it was getting closer to disposing of bad brands and shaking up its portfolio, as shares suffered in the wake of a profit warning from consumer peer Unilever. Unilever warned late on Monday of a sharper slowdown in its emerging markets, sending its shares tumbling as much as four per cent in [...]
London Report: FTSE kept flat by Unilever and gold price slide October 1, 2013 LONDON’S top share index closed flat yesterday, as weakness in the gold price and poor sales from Unilever hit miners and consumer staples. The FTSE 100 edged down 2.21 points at the close, flat in percentage terms, to 6,460.01, with mining and consumer staples wiping more than 26 points off the index. Fresnillo fell five [...]
Why Tesco’s share price just fell to an 11 year low September 22, 2014 Another surprise announcement this morning from Tesco has further dampened the supermarket’s outlook when it really must have been hoping to move on from recent rough times. Shares fell more than 11 per cent to an 11-year low after announcing a £250m error in its first-half results. Whether its an accounting error or something worse, investigating the [...]
FTSE ends the day firmer after US jobs report June 6, 2014 UK SHARES advanced yesterday after a solid US jobs report came on the heels of fresh stimulus measures from the European Central Bank that underpinned European markets. Cyclical stocks, so-called because they are highly geared to the economic cycle, were in demand, with money managers St. James’s Place and Aberdeen Asset Management among the top [...]
Spotless sale cleans up for BC Partners June 5, 2014 GERMAN consumer goods group Henkel yesterday said it has agreed to buy French home care company Spotless Group for €940m (£763m) in cash. Private equity firm BC Partners has nearly doubled its money on Spotless, having bought the company for €600m in 2010. BC Partners said the deal would offer the firm potential to expand [...]