“You’ve got a lot more bullshit than me, and I have 1,000 bullocks”: Sir Ken Morrison’s best quotes February 1, 2017 Sir Ken Morrison, the legendary chairman of the eponymous supermarket, has died aged 85, the company confirmed today. Known for his outspoken (and sometimes downright abrasive) management style, it wasn't just rank-and-file workers who fell foul of his temper – on one memorable occasion, then-chief executive Dalton Phillips took a very public tongue-lashing, too. From [...]
Boardroom merry-go-round: Dunstone takes on exec role at TalkTalk and hands over Dixons Carphone reins to Livingston February 1, 2017 Lord Livingston will take over as chairman of Dixons Carphone from Sir Charles Dunstone, who today unveiled plans to concentrate his attentions on a new exec chairman role at telecoms firm TalkTalk. The move means a return to Dixons Carphone for the former minister for trade and investment, who was previously the finance chief at Dixons for six years. Read more: [...]
Sports Direct’s pay policy and Mike Ashley’s dominance slammed by key investor February 1, 2017 Beleaguered retailer Sports Direct has been slammed by a top investor over its remuneration policy and founder Mike Ashley's dominance. Standard Life Investments has called for big changes at the retailer in its annual governance report. The asset manager is the fourth largest shareholder in Sports Direct with a 3.5 per cent stake. As at December [...]
Goerge Osborne: Brexit talks with the EU will be “bitter” February 1, 2017 In a rare intervention, former chancellor George Osborne has predicted the government faces "bitter" talks when it gets around the negotiating table with the EU. Speaking as MPs debated the passage of a Bill granting Prime Minister Theresa May the power to launch divorce proceedings, Osborne said the government had not "put the economy first" in the [...]
Southern commuters launch legal claim as DfT faces fresh scrutiny over its handling of the crisis with National Audit Office investigation February 1, 2017 Southern rail commuters announced today they have launched a legal claim in an attempt to force the government to take action over the service. An application for a judicial review of the Department for Transport's (DfT) handling of the crisis has been filed by lawyers for the Association of British Commuters. A group spokesperson said: "It is right that [...]
Fresh from its dispute with Sky, Discovery channel Eurosport has clinched the Olympics across six countries February 1, 2017 Fresh from securing a last-minute deal with Sky to save its channels yesterday, Discovery today announced an Olympic tie-up with broadcasters across six European countries. Discovery spent last week embroiled in a public spat with Sky over the future of its channels on Sky's UK and German platforms. Read more: Sky & Discovery close in on 11th [...]
EU leaders don’t believe UK will walk away from trade talks, according to the UK’s former ambassador to Europe February 1, 2017 Senior European leaders do not believe the UK will follow through on Theresa May's claims "no deal is better than a bad deal", according to the UK's former ambassador to the EU. May made the claim as part of her landmark Lancaster House address last month, warning EU leaders against seeking a punitive deal with the [...]
Heineken set to clinch Punch Taverns as rival suitor pulls out February 1, 2017 Heineken is set to win the hand of Punch Taverns after a rival suitor decided today not to pursue its bid. The deadline for offers is this Friday but it is understood that Emerald, backed by entrepreneur Alan McIntosh, has stood down giving Heineken a clear path to a takeover of Punch, subject to any [...]
Mayor’s concessions to the unions over Tube strikes will cost £17m a year, say GLA Conservatives February 1, 2017 Efforts to avoid a repeat of this month's hugely disruptive Tube strike will come at a hefty cost, GLA Conservatives have warned. London Underground (LU) bosses have been in fresh talks with the RMT union to try and avoid more walkouts starting at the end of this week. As part of its proposals made to both the RMT [...]
Legendary Morrisons chairman Sir Ken Morrison has died February 1, 2017 Sir Ken Morrison, who made his father's Morrisons grocery chain into a supermarket giant, has died, the Press Association reported this morning. He passed away aged 85 after a short illness, his family said. Morrison took over his father's Bradford egg and butter stall, turning it into one of the UK's big four supermarkets within [...]