Leahy slams education policy October 13, 2009 Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy has launched an attack on the “woefully low” standards of the nation’s schools. Speaking at a grocery conference, Labour’s education adviser accused the government of interfering in schools and distracting teachers from their priority of passing knowledge to children. Tesco hires more school-leavers than any other UK business.
Obama has made American brands more popular October 13, 2009 ACCORDING to the Nobel citation, President Obama deserved the Nobel Prize for Peace because of his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”. Was it an absurd award, or a prescient one? Has Obama made America more popular? We have in the past used BrandIndex as a subliminal measure of America’s popularity [...]
Booker cuts debt pile as sales jump October 13, 2009 BOOKER, the UK’s largest cash and carry business yesterday said its first-half profits had climbed by 12 per cent. The group, which runs over 170 branches supplying corner shops, grocers, and restaurants, said it made a pre-tax profit of £29.7m in the 24 weeks to 11 September, up from £26.5m the year before. Booker said [...]
JP Morgan traders lift its earnings October 13, 2009 JP MORGAN Chase will today report third quarter earnings significantly above last year, as strong trading in its investment banking operations offsets rising loan losses. Analysts are expecting the bank to report quarterly earnings of $0.49 per share, well above the $0.11 per share seen in the same period of last year, due to a [...]
Cisco to buy Starent for $3bn to boost its presence in the mobile web space October 13, 2009 CISCO Systems plans to buy wireless telecommunications equipment maker Starent Networks Corp for $2.9bn (£1.83bn), betting that demand for advanced wireless equipment will grow as more consumers download videos and access the web from mobile phones. In its second major acquisition this month, Cisco said it would pay $35 a share in cash for Starent, [...]
Berlin takes control of lender Hypo Real Estate October 13, 2009 THE GERMAN government completed the nationalisation of stricken lender Hypo Real Estate yesterday, setting up a prolonged legal battle with minority shareholders, including US investment firm JC Flowers. A Munich court approved the squeezing out of minority shareholders, Hypo Real Estate said yesterday, which allowed for the German government’s rescue fund SoFFin to take control [...]
RYANAIR’S CHIEF O’LEARY PROVES HIMSELF A SUCKER FOR PUBLICITY October 13, 2009 RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary isn’t exactly renowned for taking criticism lying down, so the BBC’s Panorama programme will probably have seen yesterday’s tirade coming. After Monday evening’s programme on the airline, Ryanair unleashed a campaign to maximise publicity from the episode – offering 1.1m free flights, labelling the show a “hatchet job” and slamming 11 [...]
Connaught ups its dividend as profits increase October 13, 2009 Support services group Connaught yesterday said that it had met expectations with a 39 per cent increase in full-year profit and that its expanding order book would provide good future earnings growth. Connaught, which provides property services to owners and occupiers of buildings, posted a pre-tax profit of £42.5m for the year to the end [...]
Eurostar plans makeover as European rivals circle October 13, 2009 Eurostar, the high speed rail operator, yesterday said it was embarking on a massive rebranding exercise in a bid to fend off competition. The EU’s planned liberalisation of rail lines in January 2010 means that European operators, such as Air France and Deutsche Bahn, are preparing to launch their own services from London to the [...]
Airport rule changes will benefit BAA October 13, 2009 THE government yesterday watered down proposed new solvency rules for big airports, making it easier for Spanish-owned BAA – which runs Heathrow and Gatwick – to raise funds. Plans have been dropped for a special administration regime to ensure airports stay open even if their operators go bust, which would have meant investors in airport [...]