Mulberry bags Johnny Coca for its creative lead November 27, 2014 MULBERRY has hired Celine designer Johnny Coca to be its new creative director, ending a year-long search for the crucial post and sending shares two per cent higher yesterday. Coca will leave his post at Celine, where he is head design director of leather, shoes and accessories, in January. However, he will not join Mulberry [...]
RBS to put Aldgate office block up for sale with £90m price tag November 27, 2014 The Royal Bank of Scotland is close to putting one of its office buildings in Aldgate up for sale, as it looks to cut costs and tap into booming demand for property in London’s Tech City area. The bank has lined up agents at DTZ to sell Aldgate Union on Whitechapel High Street, with offers [...]
Essential Living wins funds for Build-to-Rent November 27, 2014 RESIDENTIAL Landlord Essential Living has become the first company to receive funding from the second phase of the government’s build-to-rent fund, paving the way for three private rented sector developments in London and the south east. The company said today it had secured a three-year £51.6m loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland and the [...]
Asia and North America fuels profits at SSP November 27, 2014 TRAVEL catering giant SSP delivered a strong jump in profits in its maiden full-year results since floating this summer, fuelled by growth across its businesses in North America and Asia Pacific. The group, which runs travel concessions for retailers such as Marks & Spencer, said underlying pre-tax profits, which exclude IPO costs, rose 61.4 per [...]
Shaftesbury bolstered by West End property investment boom November 27, 2014 SHAFTESBURY has seen the value of its West End estate soar over the past year, thanks to booming investor interest in London’s prime property market. The FTSE 250 landlord, which owns hundreds of properties around Carnaby Street, Covent Garden, Chinatown, and Soho, posted a 25.7 per cent jump in net asset value per share to [...]
UK shoppers more upbeat than their European counterparts November 27, 2014 UK CONSUMERS are feeling confident in the run up to Christmas and the New Year, survey data released today shows. The consumer confidence barometer released by market research firm GFK yesterday stayed at minus two in November. Despite the fact the figure is negative, it does not signify a decline. The figure also marks an [...]
Mishcon de Reya’s Kevin Gold lives up to his name at British Legal Awards in Old Billingsgate November 27, 2014 AstraZeneca’s titan M&A battle with Pfizer was back on the agenda last night, as it earned legal adviser Freshfields the M&A gong at the British Legal Awards, hosted by Legal Week in Old Billingsgate. “The standout deal in this category was a classic M&A takeover battle, ultimately preserving the independence of one of the UK’s [...]
Hammered: Media legend Felix Dennis’ cellar to go for auction November 27, 2014 When it comes to owning a piece of British media history, it doesn’t come more apt than buying a bottle of booze from the late and wonderfully hedonistic media mogul Felix Dennis’ cellar. Dennis passed away in June of this year and it won’t come as a surprise to anyone, he had an impressive [...]
UK plastics firm RPC Group buys Icelandic rival Promens for €386m November 27, 2014 British plastic packaging manufacturer RPC Group announced yesterday it was set to buy Icelandic rival Promens Group for €386m (£307m). The Northamptonshire-based firm is looking to partially fund the deal by raising £200m in a fully underwritten one-for-three rights issue at £320m. The remainder will come from RPC’s existing revolving credit facility, which the [...]
London startup Yoyo in mobile payments app deal with AirAsia November 27, 2014 Euston-based startup Yoyo is set to launch the first pan-Asian mobile payments and loyalty app as part of an expected agreement with Malaysian budget airline AirAsia, to be announced next week, City A.M. understands. Yoyo co-founders Alain Falys and Michael Rolph are in Singapore today with the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to showcase [...]