Tasty: Greggs is on a roll with 41pc profit jump March 4, 2015 The figures Pre-tax profit at Greggs for the full year to the start of January jumped 41 per cent to £58.3m on sales of £804m, a rise of 5.5 per cent, as market conditions improved. The baker, which has 1,650 stores across the UK, said like-for-like store sales grew 4.5 per cent in comparison to [...]
ITV share price jumps on double-digit growth and £250m special dividend payout – but audiences continue falling March 4, 2015 The figures ITV's shares shot up five per cent in early trading as revenue climbed eight per cent to £2.6bn in 2014 and adjusted pre-tax profit jumped 23 per cent to £712m. The UK's largest broadcaster will pay out a special dividend of £250m to shareholders, or 6.25 pence per share. That's in addition to a 3.3 [...]
Regus targets universities and libraries as operating profits soar March 3, 2015 Regus said yesterday it planned to bridge the gap between higher education and working life by launching offices in universities and public libraries. The serviced office provider signed its first deal with Helsinki University last year and has also partnered with the Singapore Government to open facilities within their public libraries. It is now eyeing [...]
Tullett Prebon share price falls as broker chops staff to slash costs March 3, 2015 Revenues dived at Tullett Prebon last year as demand from banks and other traders slumped, the interdealer broker said yesterday. Pre-tax profits fell 13 per cent to £86.6m, as revenues tumbled 12.5 per cent to £703.5m. The broker responded by slashing costs – 217 staff have been cut, and the firm has cut back [...]
London cab firm Addison Lee embarks on global expansion with New York launch March 3, 2015 London cab firm Addison Lee is expanding its services to the hotly contested taxi battleground of New York. The expansion, its first outside London, will give the firm access to the second biggest cab market in the world after London's, which is worth an estimated £2.2bn. The private equity-owned firm said the expansion was spurred [...]
Grosvenor House Hotel up for sale as owner collapses into administration March 3, 2015 The iconic Grosvenor House Hotel in London has been put up for sale after its owner collapsed into administration. The luxury five-star hotel, located on Park Lane in Mayfair, is expected to go for more than the £470m than its owners Sahara Grosvenor House Hospitality initially paid five years ago – the largest London hotel deal [...]
Direct Line boosts dividend as it meets all IPO targets – but warns of “competitive” market March 3, 2015 Direct Line has increased its dividend despite operating profits falling for the last calendar year. The figures It was broadly positive for the insurance group. Operating profits fell from £509m to £506m in 2014, but everything else was on the up: Group statutory pre-tax profit rose 12.2 per cent to £456.8m and final [...]
Paddy Power share price jumps on €392m payout to shareholders after record profit March 3, 2015 The figures Paddy Power is paying out – this time to shareholders – to the tune of €392m (£285m) after record pre-tax profit of €167m in 2014, up from €126.6m and a rise of 21 per cent. The cash of 800 cents per share will come from surplus cash and planned debt raising. The windfall sent shares surging nine per [...]
Taylor Wimpey reports sunny outlook for spring as it shrugs off slowing housing market March 3, 2015 The figures Britain's second biggest homebuilder said full-year revenue rose 17 per cent to £2.7bn, up from £2.3bn a year earlier. This was helped along by operating profit which swelled 53.6 per cent to £480m. Total home completions jumped 6.5 per cent to 12,454 (including joint ventures) up from 11,696 in 2013. Total average selling price [...]
Barclays sets aside another £750m for forex probes as profits jump and costs fall March 3, 2015 The figures Barclays' full-year adjusted pre-tax profits soared 12 per cent to £5.5bn, well ahead of the £5.3bn analysts expected for 2014. An additional £750m has been set aside for forex settlements, bringing the total to £1.25bn. Chief executive Anthony Jenkins said the bank expected to "make significant progress in this area" in 2015. A further £200m provision has also been made for [...]