Woolworths redundancy case: European Court of Justice decision good for business, lawyers say April 30, 2015 British businesses breathed a sigh of relief this morning after the European Court of Justice ruled in favour of the UK government in the controversial Woolworths redundancy case. The case dates back to Woolworth's demise in 2008 (and subsequently 2010, when it also affected former Ethel Austin staff), when more than 4,000 employees did [...]
RBS is failing to win over its customers around the UK April 30, 2015 RBS's share price fell this morning after revealing it had earmarked a further £446m for anticipated forex costs. But that's not the only problem facing the bank. It's really struggling to shake off its image and is failing to win customers around pretty much across the board. The bank has set itself the [...]
TSB boss Paul Pester eyes up acquiring other challenger banks April 30, 2015 TSB, the self-styled challenger bank spun-off from Lloyds last year, could gobble up its competition if the bank's boss has his way. Paul Pester wants to "take on the big guys" and would consider buying up other challenger banks to make that happen. "We are Britain's biggest challenger bank, but we want to really take [...]
Gotham City admits “we may get some things wrong about Endurance” – but sticks to its $0 valuation April 30, 2015 Gotham City Research has admitted it could have got “some things wrong” about the stock it identified for a zero-dollar price target – but is standing by its estimate. The shadowy short-seller firm, which has previously targeted the likes of Quindell and Gowex, issued a note on Tuesday claiming that Endurance International Group was [...]
Zoopla share price soars as it buys uSwitch in £160m deal April 30, 2015 Property website Zoopla has snapped up price comparison website uSwitch in a £160m deal sending shares surging. The group, which also owns Prime Location, is aiming to become a one-stop shop for property buyers and those moving house. "The acquisition of uSwitch is a significant step in Zoopla's mission to be the most useful resource for [...]
RBS makes quarterly loss of £446m after more cash earmarked for forex scandal costs April 30, 2015 RBS has slumped to a quarterly loss after it joined Barclays in earmarking more cash to stave off potential payments over the forex scandal. The Figures For the three months to the end of March, RBS posted a loss of £446m, a big swing from the £1.2bn profit it made in the same quarter last [...]
Shell profit beats expectations as asset sales top $2bn April 30, 2015 The figures Royal Dutch Shell beat first quarter profit expectations, even as earnings on a current cost supplies (CCS) basis excluding identified items plummetted by well over 50 per cent. CCS earnings, the oil industry's preferred measure, fell by 56 per cent to $3.2bn from $7.3bn at the same stage last year as global crude prices [...]
Sainsbury’s believes chief exec Mike Coupe’s travel fears are over after Egypt drama April 29, 2015 Sainsbury’s said last night it was confident that chief executive Mike Coupe no longer faced travel restrictions to countries with extradition treaties with Egypt after flying to the country this weekend to appeal against allegations of embezzlement. In a bizarre case dating back to Sainsbury’s disastrous foray into the country 16 years ago, Coupe [...]
Nasdaq apologises for letting Twitter results fly out ahead of time, blames Shareholder.com April 29, 2015 Nasdaq was yesterday forced to apologise for the early release of Twitter’s earnings, blaming an “operational” error that lasted just 45 seconds. Twitter’s share price plunged nearly nine per cent yesterday, following a 20 per cent tumble on Tuesday when the social media site’s below-estimate quarterly earnings were announced early. Nasdaq blamed its [...]
Troubled Barclays braced for famously tough incoming new chairman John McFarlane April 29, 2015 It is hard to keep a straight face when calling PPI compensation and litigation costs “one-offs” at any of the big banks nowadays. Yet seven years on from the start of the financial crisis, Barclays and the other big banks are still treating the extraordinary costs as unusual items each quarter. Yesterday Barclays [...]