Iceland boss Malcolm Walker: Which? supercomplaint over supermarket offers was “b*****ks” July 17, 2015 Iceland boss Malcolm Walker – the supermarket sector's answer to Michael O'Leary – has blasted the Which? supercomplaint over misleading deals as “bollocks”. The consumer group took a petition signed by more than 100,000 to the Competition and Markets Authority earlier this year, claiming it had found examples of “dodgy special offers” that led [...]
Royal Mail’s share price just fell off a cliff as Ofcom revealed the scope of its review July 17, 2015 Royal Mail's share price has dropped this morning as Ofcom revealed the scope of its wide-ranging review of regulation for the business. Shares, which had been trading slightly up, suddenly fell off a cliff as the watchdog released its “discussion document” settting out its remit for the review. Royal Mail's share price was down [...]
Surge in Airbnb for business trips as travellers prefer flat rentals to hotels July 17, 2015 Do business travellers prefer Airbnb? The flat rental site has become a popular lodging option for cheap getaways – but now it seems Airbnb is on the rise for business trips as well. Rather than using it to source wacky budget holidays – whether you fancy an Alaskan cabin in the woods or a Mongolian [...]
888 share price bounces as it agrees to buy Bwin.party for £900m July 17, 2015 888 put it all on red, and has now emerged triumphant, having agreed to buy rival Bwin.party for £898.3m. That values Bwin.party at 104.09p per share, a premium of 16.4 per cent to the closing price on 14 May, the original day the offer was made. Since then, shares have risen as high as 108p [...]
Dragon Oil share price falls while Elliott Advisors says Enoc offer undervalues company July 17, 2015 Activist investor Elliott Advisors has become the latest Dragon Oil shareholder to say Emirates National Oil Company's (Enoc) takeover bid "substantially undervalues the company". Enoc, which owns 54 per cent of the Turkmenistan-focused oil producer, offered 750p per share in June. But Dragon Oil's second- and third-largest shareholders, Baillie Gifford and Setanta Asset Management, have said they want [...]
British Airways owner International Airlines Group’s takeover of Aer Lingus given clearance for takeoff July 17, 2015 British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) said today it's been given the go-ahead to buy budget Irish airline Aer Lingus, after the company received acceptances from more than half of shareholders. The news brings IAG, which also owns Iberia and Vueling, a step closer to completing its €1.36bn (£951m) deal to take over [...]
Marks & Spencer’s share price tumbles as head of general merchandise John Dixon quits July 17, 2015 Marks & Spencer's head of general merchandise John Dixon has quit the business after three years in the role, prompting the retailer's share price to tumble in early trading. Dixon "has decided to leave the business to pursue career opportunities outside of the company", the retailer said this morning. He will step down from [...]
Fraud and credit checks bolster Experian’s sales July 16, 2015 Data company Experian yesterday posted a five per cent rise in first-quarter revenue in the UK, with particularly strong growth in its anti-fraud services. “We’re making solid progress in the UK and Ireland, with further revenue momentum in the quarter, and good strategic progress as we secured a number of significant client wins by combining [...]
Ebay revenue up seven per cent as PayPal spinoff draws near July 16, 2015 The figures Revenues at e-commerce giant Ebay jumped seven per cent to $4.38bn (£2.8bn) in the three months to the end of June , according to a report released today. The company’s net income fell to $83m, or seven cents per share in the second quarter, from $676m in 2014. Ebay has announced an additional $1bn [...]
Angry Birds 2: After six years and 2bn downloads, Rovio finally announces Angry Birds will get a sequel July 16, 2015 Get ready for the addiction to strike anew: Angry Birds 2 is coming at last. Six years after the smartphone game that drove us into a bird-throwing frenzy, Finnish game developer Rovio Entertainment has finally announced it will be getting a sequel. The original Angry Birds stormed to the top of the charts when it [...]