Lego figures are officially a trademark, court rules June 16, 2015 Everything is awesome for Lego (sorry). The Danish toymaker has triumphed in a trademark battle after a ruling by European courts today. Read more: KitKat copycats: Nestle loses trademark battle A Brussels court knocked back a challenge by a rival British toy firm to Lego's trademark over the cute Lego characters beloved by children (and hated by [...]
Goldman Sachs is launching an online lending platform for small businesses June 16, 2015 Goldman Sachs is launching an online lending business for consumers and small businesses, according to an internal memo. It will allow the bank to provide loans more quickly via the internet, helping it to compete with the likes of the Lending Club, for which it was a lead underwriter only six months ago. The [...]
Retail administrations claimed 5,000 jobs last year June 16, 2015 Nearly 5,000 people lost their jobs as a result of retail administrations last year, including Phones4U, La Senza, Jane Norman and Internacionale, a new report has revealed. The UK’s 13 biggest high street failures led to 735 stores closing up and down the country in 2014, with half the roles put under risk ultimately [...]
Royal Mail share price slides as Ofcom launches “fundamental” review of Royal Mail June 16, 2015 Communications regulator Ofcom today announced plans for a "fundamental" review into Royal Mail's direct delivery service, sparked by the withdrawal of Whistl, Royal Mail's only rival in the sector. Read more: Opinion – Lessons learned as final Royal Mail parcel goes on sale Shares were down 2.5 per cent at 492p as Ofcom said the [...]
UK house prices: Crest Nicholson enjoys fruits of high demand as profits rise 52 per cent June 16, 2015 Crest Nicholson’s profit before tax leaped 52 per cent in the six months to the end of April, thanks to an improving market characterised by a sustained demand. Read more: Rents growing across the UK for only the third time on record The figures Residential developer Crest reported profit before tax of £58.3m, a 52 per [...]
Warren Buffett splurges $500m on Australian insurer IAG June 16, 2015 Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and second-richest man in the world, is clearly interested in protecting his fortune, after he spent AU$500m (£248m) on the Insurance Australia Group (IAG). Under the deal, Buffett will end up with a 3.7 per cent stake in the company, while IAG will have options to place another five per [...]
Applegreen IPO: City funds help fuel €300m listing of petrol station firm June 15, 2015 Irish petrol station group Applegreen is set to drive off with a €300m (£220m) valuation after winning backing from top City investors for the biggest European float on the junior stock market this year. The firm, which has 152 sites mainly in the UK and Ireland, has secured €70m of backing from investors, including City [...]
H&M beats forecasts as currency movements work in its favour June 15, 2015 Swedish fashion retailer H&M posted a bigger-than expected jump in sales in May, helped by weakness of the Swedish crown against other international currencies. H&M has benefitted from a recovering US economy, a stronger online presence and a broader product offering, which includes new brands such as & Other Stories and sales of homeware. Sales [...]
Dragon Oil share price soars as board agrees £3.7bn takeover offer June 15, 2015 Dragon Oil’s board yesterday approved a sweetened takeover offer from Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), breathing fire into its share price on hopes that minority shareholders will accept the deal. Shares in the oil explorer, which operates in Turkmenistan, soared 9.6 per cent to a record high of 734p in early trading, before settling [...]
Digital money transfer firm Azimo raises $20m to push its expansion June 15, 2015 Digital money transfer service Azimo has raised $20m (£12.8m) to accelerate its expansion. The latest funding round was led by Frog Capital – backer of local tradesman comparison site RatedPeople.com, as well as MCI Investments and existing investors, including e.ventures and Greycroft Partners. The London-based tech firm, set up three years ago, allows customers to [...]