Majestic Wine gets Naked truth from new CEO Rowan Gormley April 12, 2015 The new chief executive of Majestic Wine says he will “unleash” the retailer’s entrepreneurial spirit and shake-up its online business following the £70m acquisition of younger rival Naked Wines. Rowan Gormley founded Naked Wines in 2008 after coming up with the idea of using crowdfunding to help forward-fund independent vineyards in return for exclusive wines [...]
FTSE 100 closes at record high (again) April 10, 2015 The FTSE 100 closed at another record high today, showing that political uncertainties aren't overtly worrying investors. The index finished the day 1.1 per cent up at 7,092.5 points, only the fifth time it's closed above 7,000 since it finally broke that barrier in mid-March. The close follows a record-breaking day in Japan overnight, where the [...]
General Electric shares leap on plans to shrink finance arm April 10, 2015 Shares in General Electric rose eight per cent to $27.95 in morning trading in New York, after it announced plans to massively shrink its finance arm. Jeff Immelt, the US giant's chief executive, unveiled plans to reduce the size of GE Capital, moving the company's focus back to its manufacturing roots. The plans included a [...]
Debenhams bolsters board with appointment of Terry Duddy as a non-executive director April 10, 2015 Debenhams is looking to bolster its board by appointing veteran retailer Terry Duddy as a non-executive director, as it tries to improve its fortunes after years of underperformance. Duddy was chief executive of the Home Retail group until March last year and is chair of the retail trust. Until 2006 he was chief of Argos, [...]
Majestic Wine share price falls after buying Naked Wines for £70m and naming Rowan Gormley chief executive April 10, 2015 Wine companies Majestic and Naked are toasting a multi-million pound deal. Majestic, Britain's largest specialist wine retailer, has bought Naked Wines, a boutique online wine seller, for £70m, combining their online and offline businesses to create a wine retailer with greater international clout. Naked founder and chief executive Rowan Gormley will take the helm of [...]
Workers’ unrest at fraud probe firm CWM FX as Manchester office remains empty April 9, 2015 A police raid on its London offices has not stopped CWM from pushing ahead with plans to expand into the north of the country. However, the troubled forex trading firm’s plush new Manchester premises are now quieter than it had hoped. City A.M. understands that none of the 17 people brought in to make up the [...]
Resurrected share floats drive equity capital markets into 2015 April 9, 2015 FOUR of the 10 biggest stock market flotations in Europe so far this year were deals which failed to get off the ground last year, in a remarkable revival of their fortunes. A study out today from PwC shows that London floats made up only 28 per cent of all initial public offerings (IPOs) in Europe [...]
Mulberry’s rescue plan bears fruit: Godfrey Davis explains why its core shoppers are returning to the brand April 9, 2015 Godfrey Davis knows better than anyone who Mulberry’s loyal customers are. During his 10 years as chief executive, he successfully grew the luxury brand’s circle of followers. The allure of It-girl Alexa Chung and the handbag she inspired helped to propel the brand, and its sales, closer into the ranks of the elite luxury brands. [...]
Boots owner Walgreens reports a massive 33 per cent profit rise April 9, 2015 The owner of Boots the chemist yesterday reported a massive 33 per cent rise in profits rise in the first update since a £6bn mega-merger last year between US retailer Walgreens and the British high street icon was completed last year. Walgreens Boots Alliance reported profits of $1.2bn (£0.8bn) for the three months to the [...]
Holcim and Lafarge share prices rise as shareholders give warm welcome to new boss Eric Olsen April 9, 2015 Shares in Holcim and Lafarge climbed yesterday after they confirmed the appointment of Eric Olsen to lead the combined company after their proposed merger of equals completes. Olsen, who is currently executive vice-president, operations, at French cement maker Lafarge, was put forward for the top job after Holcim objected to the appointment of Lafarge chief [...]