Lord Harris donates 150,000 shares to charity July 9, 2014 Carpetright founder and celebrated philanthropist Lord Harris has donated 150,000 shares in the retailer to an unnamed charity. The stock is worth in excess of three quarters of a million pounds, but still leaves Lord Harris with more than 10m shares. Last month he postponed his retirement to stay on as non-executive chairman of the [...]
Sainsbury’s bids adieu to its cherished King July 9, 2014 Hundreds of Sainsbury’s shareholders gathered in Queen Elizabeth Hall yesterday for the Great Justin King Love-in, otherwise billed as the supermarket’s AGM. Van Morrison was blaring, there were “Goodbye Justin” t-shirts and the hall was packed with shareholders eager to bid farewell to their King (as it was actually his last day on the job). [...]
Smashing! Car insurance prices decline for a record 10th quarter July 9, 2014 Car insurance premiums have fallen for a record tenth time in a row according to new research. Consumers are seeing even cheaper prices as premiums are pushed down by a further £17 in the second quarter of 2014, a new survey by Towers Watson and Confused.com has found. Prices for new comprehensive policies fell by [...]
888 Holdings share price rises after it forecasts strong growth in earnings July 9, 2014 888 Holdings, operator of online gambling websites, enjoyed a near-four per cent rise in its shares to 125p yesterday, after it said it expects earnings to have risen strongly in the first half of the year. The London-listed company, based in Gibraltar, said it expects half-year earnings to be “significantly ahead” of last year’s $38.6m [...]
Arty Labour off to Roundhouse for Election Gala Dinner July 9, 2014 The Roundhouse in Camden forewent its usual crowd of thesps and music fans last night to welcome Labour and its wealthy friends and for a night of social spending. Stephen Fry delighted crowds with his hosting skills, as big ticket objects were auctioned off, including a sculpture by Antony Gormley (with a reserve price of [...]
Admiral share price sinks after insurance firm announces £200m bond issue July 9, 2014 Shares in Admiral hit the rocks yesterday after the insurance firm announced a £200m bond issue, a first for the group. Chief executive Henry Engelhardt said the group is seeking to diversify its capital base amid “favourable” market conditions and reasonable rates. “It is an opportune time to strengthen and diversify our capital resources as [...]
Npower and Scottish Power see customer complaints double with new billing systems July 9, 2014 Customer complaints about Npower and Scottish Power doubled in the first quarter of 2014 due to their new billing systems, according to research published today. Npower fared the worst out of the big six energy suppliers, receiving 592.4 complaints per 100,000 customers. Scottish Power received 197.7 complaints per 100,000. SSE had the lowest rate complaints [...]
Value of Blur projects rising July 9, 2014 ONLINE services group Blur said yesterday that the value of projects submitted to its exchange increased by more than 200 per cent year-on-year to just over US$16m (£9.3m) in the first half of 2014. In a trading update the company said “s-commerce is being increasingly adopted by enterprise customers, with Amazon, Solvay, UTI, Menard, Incisive [...]
Zinc price nears three-year high on concerns of supply shortages July 9, 2014 Zinc approached a three-year high yesterday, as investors clamour to buy the metal amid fears of a supply shortage. Stockpiles of zinc in London Metal Exchange warehouses have fallen 29 per cent this year, down to levels held in late 2010. A number of mine closures and forecasts of increased demand from the US and [...]
Reforms force Carlos Slim to split up America Movil empire July 9, 2014 America Movil, the huge Mexican telecommunications firm founded by billionaire Carlos Slim, is to break up its empire. The firm announced asset sales yesterday following regulatory reforms that could spell the end of the company’s dominant position in Mexico’s telecommunications market. The company said in a statement it would sell assets to reduce its national [...]