Intertek beats forecasts August 3, 2009 Manufacturing testing firm Intertek beat expectations with a 50 per cent rise in first-half profit and said yesterday that it was seeing good trading in most of its businesses, though growth would slow in the second half. The firm added it is looking to expand through acquisitions as the recession and the absence of private [...]
Rexam slashes Russian output August 3, 2009 Rexam, the world’s biggest drinks can maker, said yesterday that it will cease its operations at its Russian Dmitrov plant, after the global economic downturn saw demand in the region plummet. The closure will reduce output by 1.3bn cans per year.
Flush 888 looks for a full house August 3, 2009 Online gaming firm 888 said that it is close to making an acquisition after strong trading on its casino, bingo and sports betting websites led to an improved performance in the second quarter. 888 reported operating income of $61m (£40m), up seven per cent on the previous quarter. The firm, which holds cash of $110m [...]
Telecity doubles profit August 3, 2009 Data centre operator Telecity yesterday said its first-half adjusted pre-tax profit doubled to £13.5m due to strong demand for internet services and that its current order book was in line with expectations. The company, which operates 22 European data centres, said it expected that the progress shown in the first half would continue throughout the [...]
MARKETS SURGE ON BANKING BONANZA August 3, 2009 INVESTORS were cheered yesterday as stocks on both sides of the Atlantic surged on the back of strong corporate and economic news. In the UK, the FTSE 100 index leapt to a 10-month high, closing at 4,682.46 points, its highest level since the collapse of Lehman Brothers last September, while sterling rose on the back [...]
Revenue slide for Deloitte August 3, 2009 ACCOUNTANCY giant Deloitte yesterday said its revenues slid by 2 per cent in the year to the end of May, as the financial crisis weighed on its tax and corporate finance activities. Senior partner John Connolly reported profits distributable to partners of the firm of £601m, and revenues of £1,970m, in a blow to his [...]
BoA to pay $33m fine over Merrill August 3, 2009 BANK OF AMERICA (BoA) agreed to pay a $33m (£19.49m) fine yesterday, to settle charges that it made misleading statements to its shareholders over bonuses at Merrill Lynch. US watchdog the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), filed civil fraud charges against BoA over allegations that the bank failed to tell its investors that Merrill paid [...]
Whitbread’s chief weighs up options for expansion plan August 3, 2009 WHITBREAD chief executive Alan Parker yesterday revealed he will be launching an extensive international and domestic expansion plan and took City analysts by surprise by hinting he might be prepared to tap shareholders for funds before Christmas. Whitbread, which owns budget hotel chain Premier Inn and Costa Coffee, has been eyeing up prospects in the [...]
NEW FACE AT BOA August 3, 2009 EX-CITIGROUP financial officer Sallie Krawcheck was yesterday named as one of four new executives at Bank of America (BoA) by boss Ken Lewis, as the company goes through a shake-up. She will run BoA’s global wealth management unit. Before working at Citi she was chief executive of Sanford Bernstein.
Spotify gets investment interest August 3, 2009 Digital music service Spotify is understood to be close to winning new investment from high-profile investors, including the charitable foundation of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing. The service, which has been widely tipped to challenge the dominance of Apple’s iTunes, wants to raise cash to improve its status in the US. Since launching in the [...]