Marston’s sales benefit from appetite for food April 7, 2010 PUB group Marston’s saw first half revenues rise after being boosted by strong food sales. The company, which has 2,200 pubs across Britain, said sales at its managed pubs open for more than a year were up 1.4 per cent in the 26 weeks to 3 April. During the half year, food sales were up [...]
Thiam set for £5m payday April 7, 2010 TIDJANE Thiam, the architect of the biggest M&A deal of the year so far, Prudential’s audacious £23.4bn takeover of the Asian assets of AIG, is in line for a remuneration package worth up to £5.22m if he delivers on the insurer’s performance targets. Thiam could receive shares worth up to £2.7m as part of a [...]
Shareholders take a tougher line with firms April 7, 2010 ARE institutional shareholders finally getting tougher with the companies in which they invest? Investors have taken their share of the flak for being too weak to intervene when things were turning sour in the run up to the financial crisis. While non-executive board directors failed in their duty to stand up to the likes of [...]
Balfour Beatty selected for Dallas International Airport revamp plan April 7, 2010 A JOINT venture consortium involving British infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has been selected for a $900m (£589m) pre-construction and construction services project at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport. The work will include renovation of terminals A and C, intended to improve efficiency, passenger processing and the aesthetic appearance for all four terminals in the [...]
The biggest Mad Man in the world still retains a close eye for detail April 7, 2010 This downturn is evidently really beginning to get on the nerves of WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell. He says: “People’s expectations have shifted. Company profits were down 30 per cent in 2008, now that they were only down, say, 13 per cent last year, they are calling that good. But if profits keep falling [...]
BA loses up to £45m in strike April 7, 2010 BRITISH Airways has said that last month’s cabin crew strike cost the company up to £45m. The company said in its traffic statement for March, it said that the action hit passenger numbers as scores of flights were grounded. However, BA said it managed to operate 79 per cent of long-haul flights and 58 per [...]
Eurozone growth revised down to zero April 7, 2010 THE eurozone’s economy failed to grow in the last three months of 2009, according to revised figures. European Union official statistics show that the quarter-on-quarter growth in the three months to December was zero – revised down from a previously reported 0.1 per cent. Year-on-year, the economy of the 16 countries using the euro contracted [...]
Marston’s sales up after food boost April 7, 2010 PUB group Marston’s saw first half revenues rise after being fuelled by strong food sales. The company, which has over 2,200 pubs across Britain, said sales at its managed pubs open for more than a year were up 1.4 per cent in the 26 weeks to 3 April. During the half year, food sales were [...]
Heritage given green light in Tullow deal April 7, 2010 BRITISH oil explorer Heritage Oil today tempered the prospect of five-month delays at its latest well in its Iraqi operations with news it has the backing of the Ugandan government in the sale of two oil fields to Tullow Oil. The Miran West-2 appraisal well in Kurdistan will need to be deepened to 4,600 metres [...]
Cider tax hike shelved April 7, 2010 PLANS for a ten per cent tax hike on cider have been shelved. The rise, announced in the Budget, was fiercely opposed by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. With Parliament dissolved the Government has insufficient time to squeeze the law through. However, the Government said the rise would be re-instated if it wins back power. [...]