THE RIVALS September 7, 2009 DENIS O’BRIENINM’s second largest shareholder ANTHONY O’REILLYFounder, former chief executive and largest INM shareholder
CITY VIEWS: Do you think house prices are beginning to stabilise? September 7, 2009 JONATHAN HIPSON STATE BANK OF INDIA“I think it depends on the availability of finance. At the moment there is a real squeeze. New buyers are really struggling to get a mortgage, which now requires a 40 per cent deposit paid upfront. And with interest rates going back up, any rise in prices is just not [...]
Hotel goes bust every other day September 7, 2009 The number of property and construction companies going bust is now running at more than twice the rate than in the third quarter of 2007, according to research out yesterday from Wilkins Kennedy. More than 17 real estate and construction businesses are currently going bust everyday, and despite a rise in so called “staycations” a [...]
Large fall in vacant property September 7, 2009 The risk of companies flooding the commercial property market with their excess space may be easing, says property firm NB Real Estate. Empty space at European property firms has fallen from 18.8 per cent of portfolios last year to just three per cent in 2009. And 56 per cent of corporate occupiers surveyed said that [...]
Goals is on the ball as profits rise September 7, 2009 FIVE-a-side football firm Goals Soccer Centres yesterday showed it was giving the downturn a kicking, reporting a five per cent rise in pre-tax profits. The group posted pre-tax profits of £3.9m for the six months ended 30 June, with total sales lifting 12 per cent to £12.9m. Managing director Keith Rogers, who founded the first [...]
RBS moves to cut overdraft charge in half September 7, 2009 ROYAL Bank of Scotland has broken ranks with competitors by slashing charges on customers who go overdrawn without agreement or exceed their overdraft limit. From 1 October, RBS and subsidiary NatWest will slash the fee for returning a cheque, direct debit or standing order to £5, while the fee for paying an item on an [...]
Bankers see no change to pay September 7, 2009 City bankers have seen little impact on their salaries from political efforts to reform remuneration structures and are even expecting a pay hike this year, a new study shows. According to the survey from eFinancialCareers.com, a minority of survey respondents said they had experienced any recent change to their pay structure. A small majority of [...]
Beatty wins 250m contracts September 7, 2009 Construction group Balfour Beatty announced yesterday it had secured a £250m contract on six construction groups via Mansell, its contractor. The framework will involve new-build and refurbishment projects over the next four years including a range of educational facilities, civic buildings, leisure facilities, emergency service premises and health service buildings. The framework will also be [...]
BP looks into Libya drilling September 7, 2009 Oil group BP will complete a seismic survey off the coast of Libya next month, as it seeks to drill its first well in the north African country for over 30 years. The news comes amidst controversial reports that trade may have played a role in the recent release of the Lockerbie bomber. The group [...]
Moonpig yearly profits double September 7, 2009 Moonpig, the online greetings card company, said yesterday its pre-tax profits for the year to April had more than doubled from £2.54m to £6.7m. Revenue at the group also more than doubled to £20.9m in the year, up from £7.9m the previous year. Moonpig founder Nick Jenkins named the firm after his school nickname.