Walt Disney has snapped up a fresh stake in its struggling Euro Disney firm and eyes full control February 10, 2017 Walt Disney has raised its stake in its embattled Euro Disney firm and is now seeking to take full control through a deal with a Saudi billionaire. The American media giant today said it will acquire most of Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Kingdom Holding's stake in the company, taking its holdings to 85.7 per cent [...]
Punch Taverns shareholders seal the deal on Heineken’s £403m takeover offer February 10, 2017 Punch Taverns shareholders today voted to approve Heineken's 180p-per-share takeover offer, totaling £403m. The offer was made by Vine Acquisitions, the vehicle Heineken shares with partner Patron Capital. On the news of the decision, Patron said: "We are delighted that an overwhelming majority of shareholders are in support of the acquisition and look forward to progressing towards completion of [...]
Copper prices soar to a new high on talks of a force majeure at BHP Billiton’s Escondida mine February 10, 2017 After substantial gains yesterday, London Metal Exchange copper prices have today jumped to their highest level since June 2015. Benchmark copper has risen 4.5 per cent to a session high of $6,083 a tonne. The surge came as news emerged that BHP Billiton is declaring a force majeure on shipments from its Escondida mine in Chile, which is [...]
London and the South East could get an inch of snow during evening rush hour tonight February 10, 2017 Brace yourselves: London could get as much as an inch of snow during evening rush hour tonight, after the Met Office issued a yellow warning for London and the South East. This morning it said showers in and around the capital could bring accumulations of 2cm-3cm, and warned commuters to brace themselves for disruption to [...]
Sigh. There’s going to be another British Airways strike this month February 10, 2017 Another day, another life-disrupting transport strike: today the Unite union announced members working for the company will stage a four-day strike, from midnight on 17 February to midnight on 20 February. It's the latest in a series of walkouts by cabin crew over low wages. The announcement was generously timed to coincide with the penultimate day [...]
Exclusive: Charlie Mullins says Pimlico Plumbers will “more than likely” appeal court decision February 10, 2017 Pimlico Plumbers is consulting with lawyers over a probable appeal of today's court ruling on the employment status of the tradesmen it hires. Charlie Mullins, who owns and runs the company, told City A.M. he was "quite surprised" by the Court of Appeal decision handed down this morning. He said the group was in discussions [...]
The Only Way is Ethics: L’Oreal and the mission-led challenge February 10, 2017 Barely a decade after its purchase of ethical retail flagbearer, The Body Shop, L’Oreal has announced its intention to sell the company. With profits sharply decreasing by 38 per cent in the year ending 31 December 2016, the business has faced increased competition from mainstream and ethical competitors, such as Lush, leaving some customers alienated [...]
Growth accelerated in January as UK consumers kept on spending February 10, 2017 The UK economy started the year strongly with an acceleration in January, according to estimates by an influential economic think tank. GDP grew by 0.7 per cent in the three months to January, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr). That compares to confirmed growth of 0.6 per cent in the [...]
This is the longest journey you could possibly make in London February 10, 2017 While wearing our curiosity-oriented thinking cap the other day, a stray thought struck us. What are the two furthest points from each other within Greater London? We presumed someone else would have already calculated this, but a Google search later left us none the wiser. That's when we decided to grab the cartographic bull by [...]
The steel and oil and gas industries have been classed as “low priority” in Brexit negotiations February 10, 2017 A leaked government document reveals securing the future of the steel and oil and gas sectors will be a low priority during Brexit negotiations. Officials have divided British industries into high, medium or low priority categories according to a document which was obtained by The Times. The government plans to focus most of its efforts on higher ranking [...]