So meta: Amazon just opened an online store on Alibaba March 6, 2015 Amazon and Alibaba may be a hair away to declaring themselves official arch-nemeses, but that hasn't prevented the US online retail giant from making the most of the opportunities presented by its rival. Amazon has opened a shop on Alibaba's Tmall, the Chinese tech giant's equivalent of, er, Amazon. What does it all mean? Amazon's [...]
DFS IPO: Shares priced towards bottom of range March 6, 2015 There are plenty of gags about the DFS sale (Q: what are the three things that would survive a nuclear war? A: Cockroaches, termites, the DFS sale), but it looks like that's extending into its IPO. The furniture retailer priced its shares at a bargain 255p today ahead of its IPO. That's towards the bottom [...]
Thomas Cook share price soars after Chinese Conglomerate Fosun International takes five per cent stake March 6, 2015 Thomas Cook's share price soared today after Chinese billionaire Guo Guangchang took a five per cent stake. The tour operator, which staged a marked turnaround after nearly collapsing in 2011, surged 16.2 per cent to 140p per share in early morning trade. The company's shares have risen 9.5 per cent so far this year. Guangchang's conglomerate Fosun [...]
Vodafone just promised minimum 16-week maternity leave to all its female staff globally March 6, 2015 Vodafone has promised female staff across 30 countries a minimum amount of time off when they have a child, making it one of the few companies in the world to introduce a mandatory minimum maternity policy globally. From the end of the year, the telecoms giant will offer women at least 16 weeks of maternity [...]
Chinese Conglomerate Fosun International takes five per cent stake in Thomas Cook March 6, 2015 Chinese billionaire Guo Guangchang has taken a five per cent stake in UK-based tour operator Thomas Cook. Guangchang's conglomerate Fosun International paid £91.8m for 73,135,777 of the company's ordinary shares. Thomas Cook said Fosun intends to double its stake to 10 per cent by purchasing more shares on the open market.
Virgin Money eyes dividend this year as profits more than double March 5, 2015 Challenger bank Virgin Money could start paying dividends as soon as the middle of this year, chief executive Jayne-Anne Gadhia told City A.M. yesterday. Virgin announced operating profits of £121.2m for 2014, more than double the £53.4m recorded in 2013. However, its statutory profits slumped to £34m – 2014’s figures include the costs of its [...]
Morgan Stanley possible target for lawsuit over OW Bunker float March 5, 2015 MORGAN Stanley is one of the banks that could be sued by the Danish Shareholders’ Association (DSA) over the disastrous initial public offering (IPO) of OW Bunker in March 2014. The Danish marine fuel company, which was originally valued at $1bn (£656m), was rocked by scandal in November 2014 when it revealed it was facing [...]
TSB chief exec Paul Pester receives £1.9m March 5, 2015 New bank TSB’s chief Paul Pester received £1.89m in 2014, the bank reported yesterday. The boss’ salary came to £651,588, while his legacy bonus from Lloyds – paid up to June 2014 – came to £377,000. His TSB award was smaller at £36,167, in line with all staff who hit their targets then get a [...]
Aviva rebounds from restructure and regulations March 5, 2015 AVIVA has turned a corner but still has a long way to go said chief executive Mark Wilson as the company reported a rise in profits yesterday. The insurance giant boosted its dividend by 30 per cent and its strong figures for 2014 pushed shares up 7.05 per cent at the close. The company has [...]
IPO flurry helps London Stock Exchange to 19pc profit hike March 5, 2015 The London Stock Exchange (LSE) yesterday reported a 19 per cent jump in profits for the year ended 31 December, boosted by the healthy flow on initial public offerings over the period. The 214-year-old bourse reported adjusted profits before tax of £491.7m for the period, up from £412.7m in 2013. Total income also expanded 26 [...]