Outlook grim for Unilever as markets slow February 2, 2012 CONSUMER goods group Unilever said 2012 will be a difficult year as growth in emerging markets, which accounts for more than half its business, slows and demand in Europe and North America stays flat at best. The gloomy outlook sent shares in the Anglo-Dutch group sharply lower yesterday after it broadly matched 2011 sales growth [...]
Miners and financials fall on the FTSE 100 September 18, 2012 The blue chip index sank in early trading, as headline mining and financial shares pulled it down. Electrical connections provider Volex was down by more than 30 per cent in early trading as it announced it expects full-year profit and revenue to fall short of expectations. Miners Ferrexpo and Eurasian fell by 4.68 per cent [...]
Open House unlocks London’s hidden gems September 20, 2012 The Gherkin 30 St Mary Axe, EC3A 8EP; Sunday 9am-5pm Sir Norman Foster’s spectacular 40-storey office building has become a landmark of the London skyline. Built in the heart of the financial district, it has 360-degree views across the city. Every 10 minutes, groups of 30 people will be shown around this magnificent building. Heron [...]
Workers should not be spending 650 hours a year on email July 30, 2012 IT seems that we finally have an answer to why productivity is falling in Britain – and no, it has nothing to do with the fact that so many of us are spending so much time watching the Olympics. The problem is much more prosaic and far more devastating: we are spending so much time [...]
Croda ups divi as profits rise July 24, 2012 CHEMICALS firm Croda reported a six per cent increase in first-half profit yesterday as the company sold more higher-margin products and strong demand in North America offset softness in Europe. The company, which counts Procter & Gamble, Unilever, L’Oreal and Estee Lauder among its customers, said adjusted pre-tax profit rose to £132.6m from £124.8m a [...]
Permira plans £400m Birds Eye refinancing July 8, 2012 Private equity house Permira is considering a refinancing of frozen food firm Birds Eye, which would land the firm a €500m (£397m) windfall. Under the terms of the refinancing, the level of Birds Eye’s debt would expand to almost €2bn from €1.4bn. Permira, which bought the UK-based frozen food producer from Unilever for €1.6bn in [...]
Rapid Responses August 14, 2012 Defending UK aid [Re: British aid policy is harming those it seeks to rescue, yesterday] Alan Oxley clearly has precious little grasp of British government aid policies. Far from ignoring innovation, as he asserts, last weekend’s hunger summit called for new and innovative ideas to tackle chronic hunger. We work closely with private companies like [...]
FTSE dwindles as defensive stocks drop ahead of Fed and euro news September 10, 2012 BRITISH blue chip shares dipped yesterday as weakness in defensive stocks outweighed strength in risk-sensitive cyclicals, such as miners, and investors positioned for more newsflow out of Europe and the United States. The FTSE 100 closed down 1.60 points, or 0.03 per cent, at 5,793.20, with the index yo-yoing in a tight range around the [...]
Birds Eye sale set to be frozen as Permira hunts for growth June 25, 2012 PRIVATE equity house Permira could call a halt to the sale of frozen foods maker Iglo after deciding a €2.5bn (£2.01bn) joint bid from Blackstone and BC Partners had come in short. Permira is happy to retain and continue to grow Iglo, which it bought from Unilever in 2006 for €1.7bn before bolting on Findus [...]
InterContinental names Cescau as chairman May 25, 2012 Unilever veteran Patrick Cescau is to become the new chairman of the world’s biggest hotelier InterContinental Hotels Group at the beginning of next year following the retirement of the 67-year old David Webster. French born Cescau, aged 63, spent 35 years working for the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant culminating in his role as chief executive [...]