Pinewood Shepperton takes full control of its film studios for £37m December 4, 2014 Pinewood Shepperton, home of the James Bond film series, has taken full control of its film production site in Shepperton after buying out Aviva from its joint venture for £36.8m. Shepperton Studios Property Partnership, which has existed since 2006, will now fall under the sole ownership of Pinewood. Since 2006, £9.8m has been invested at [...]
Robert Walters stock up 11pc on trading update December 4, 2014 SHARES in British recruiting giant Robert Walters surged 11 per cent in trading yesterday, after the company forecasted better-than-expected profits for the full year ended 31 December. The multinational mid-market recruiter pointed to strong trading across all it markets in the first couple of months of the quarter as a reason for the boosted forecast. [...]
Blackstone Group deputy chief Tony James eyeing a job in US government December 4, 2014 Tony James, the chief operating officer and second in command of Blackstone, is weighing up whether to leave the American investment monolith to take up a senior position in a future US government, it was reported yesterday. Sources told Reuters that the 63-year-old James had not revealed when or whether he will leave the world’s [...]
Wages start to climb as talent pool is used up and employers chase jobseekers December 4, 2014 The long squeeze on workers’ wages is coming to an end, as recruiters today report that employers are competing harder for talent. As unemployment dives and the economy recovers, more employers are chasing fewer jobseekers, pushing up salaries. However, the intensity of the pressure will ease – the pace at which hiring is growing slowed to [...]
Hays Recruitment buys 80 per cent stake in IT staffer Veredus December 4, 2014 LEADING British human resources and recruitment company Hays has acquired 80 per cent of Veredus Corporation, a specialist IT staffer based in Tampa, Florida, for $44m (£28m). Veredus has 10 offices and 150 employees scattered throughout the south east and mid west of the US, and generates 85 per cent of its net fees from [...]
City Moves for 05 December 2014 | Who’s switching jobs December 4, 2014 Three Crowns The global arbitration law firm has appointed Carmen Martinez Lopez as a partner in its London office. She joins from Covington & Burling, where she was an arbitration partner. Martinez Lopez has particular expertise in the Latin American and Spanish language markets. Armstrong Investment Managers Christopher Sullivan has been appointed director and head [...]
Toyota recalling 190,000 cars as more Takata airbags fail December 4, 2014 Leading Japanese car manufacturer Toyota yesterday announced that it was recalling 190,000 cars, mostly in Japan, because of potentially defective airbags produced by Takata. This adds to Takata’s recall count, which was already at about 10.5m in the past five years. Takata’s airbags have been hit by accusations that they explode too forcefully, and spray [...]
Sears posts $548m third-quarter loss and plans to sell 300 stores December 4, 2014 US department store chain Sears yesterday posted a $548m (£349m) third-quarter loss – slightly less than it had estimated last month. The company said it had been expecting a much greater loss, in the area of $590m-$630m. Revenue fell for the 12th straight quarter, dropping 13 per cent to $7.21bn. The news comes at a [...]
David Beckham and Simon Fuller sign deal with Global Brands Group December 4, 2014 David Beckham and Simon Fuller yesterday signed a deal with Hong Kong-listed Global Brands Group to push brand Beckham into new products – and bring in other celebrities on similar terms. Former Manchester United and England star Beckham and Fuller, his long-term business partner and creator of American Idol, signed a 50-50 joint venture with [...]
Best of the Brokers for 05 December 2014 December 4, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com LANCASHIRE HOLDINGS Westhouse Securities reiterated its “add” rating, following reports that ex-Lancashire chief executive Richard Brindle is in talks to raise money with the aim of launching his own start-up insurer in 2015. The broker suspects the launch “will weigh on Lancashire’s share [...]