Profits jump at JD Sports on sales rise September 22, 2009 JD Sports yesterday shrugged off the gloom, reporting an 11 per cent rise in profits, despite the consumer downturn battering the high street. The group said profits rose to £10.1m in the six months to 1 August, boosted by a jump in sales. JD Sports said that group total sales were up by 8.4 per [...]
HOW WELL IS JD SPORTS PERFORMING IN WHAT CONTINUES TO BE A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT FOR RETAILERS? September 22, 2009 KEITH BOWMAN HARGREAVES LANSDOWN The figures are at the higher end of expectations and the dividend hike is encouraging, though recent sales are a little disappointing. But JD Sports seems to have avoided the worst of the retail shakeout due to its young customer base, so it will be given the benefit of the doubt [...]
HORSES FOR COURSES FOR CITY RACING SET September 22, 2009 IT SEEMS barely a moment since the end of the horseracing season, but the City is already gearing up for the bevy of racehorse auction sales coming up over the next few weeks, starting with the Goffs Orby Sale in Ireland next week. Racing buffs might recall that sellers at the spring sales teamed up [...]
CITY EYE September 22, 2009 Don’t look down: the view from the top of Tower Bridge in the City of London, looking into the murky waters of the Thames
BA boss pledges emission cuts September 22, 2009 Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways, yesterday pledged that the entire aviation industry would see its carbon dioxide emissions slashed to half of 2005 levels by 2050. He said the proposals were the “best option for the planet”, although air fares could rise.
Google wins EU court backing September 22, 2009 An adviser to the European Union’s top court yesterday backed Google in a row with luxury goods maker LVMH over internet advertising, saying that the search firm had not infringed trade mark rights by allowing companies, such as shoe stores, to pay to place their name next to search results for brands that they sell. [...]
C&W launches deal with Ryanair September 22, 2009 Cable & Wireless announced yesterday that it has signed a five-year, €15m (£13.5m) contract to manage budget airline Ryanair’s European telecoms network, which covers 180 airports, as well as bases, data centres and corporate offices in 26 countries. Ryanair’s self-service check-in kiosks will also run on the C&W network.
Imperial Tobacco says trade is in line with its expectations September 22, 2009 IMPERIAL TOBACCO, the world’s fourth-biggest cigarette group, yesterday said trading in its financial year to the end of September was in line with its expectations. The group, which makes Lambert & Butler cigarettes, also said its integration of acquisition Altadis is on track to deliver expected cost savings. Analysts expect the group to issue earnings-per-share [...]
CBI: Crisis is averted but risks remain September 22, 2009 THE CBI will today say that economic Armageddon has been averted and that growth is on the cards, although it will warn over the perilous state of the government’s finances. Speaking at today’s CBI economic forecast, director-general Richard Lambert will say that the risk of a 1930s-style recession in the UK has now faded. The [...]
BUILDERS GO CAP IN HAND FOR 850M September 22, 2009 HOUSEBUILDERS Barratt and Redrow are today expected to tap shareholders for a total of £850m to shore up balance sheets that have been battered by the property slump. Barratt is set to unveil plans to raise £700m in a placing and open offer through its house broker UBS. And rival Redrow is expected to launch [...]