Retail therapy: British supermarket giant Sainsbury’s considers second bid for Argos owner Home Retail Group January 5, 2016 Sainsbury's is mulling over a second bid for Home Retail Group after it came clean yesterday about a £1bn unsolicited offer for the Argos and Homebase owner. The supermarket chain said it is “considering its position” after its initial cash and share bid in November was rejected by Home Retail’s board. Home Retail was also reportedly [...]
Orange and Bouygues Telecom share price soars on confirmed merger talks but French telco deal faces competition probes January 5, 2016 France’s largest mobile operator Orange has confirmed merger talks with rival Bouygues, marking the latest step in European telco firms’ race towards consolidation. A deal between the two, merging France’s largest and third-largest operators, has been estimated to be worth €10bn (£7.3bn). Rumours of the talks were first reported by French newspaper Journal de Dimanche [...]
AA drives into connected car tech with joint venture Intelematics Europe January 5, 2016 The AA has sealed a joint venture to develop connected car services which could improve roadside assistance services and even lower motorists' car insurance. The London-listed company today announced the launch of Intelematics Europe, a joint venture co-owned by the AA, two other European roadside assistant clubs and Intelematics. The move marks another step into the [...]
Hipsters and Mindfulness: Ladybird books prove a hit for bookseller Foyles January 5, 2016 Publisher Ladybird's series of spoof guides helping adults to make sense of modern day themes from hipsters to hangovers have proved a hit for bookseller Foyles this Christmas. The family-owned retailer said like-for-like sales jumped by 4.7 per cent for the month of December with seven of Ladybird's for grown up series making it into the [...]
Commodities swing into 2016: China sends shockwaves through commodity markets as copper falls and oil prices wobble on Middle East tension January 5, 2016 The new year started with a bang, as China worries wiped value off stock markets around the world, copper prices were squeezed and oil oscillated following an escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The glum start to the year means more uncertainty for commodity markets, already badly battered from last year, when a basket of [...]
Volkswagen latest: VW share price continues to fall after US launches lawsuit January 5, 2016 Investors continued to punish Volkswagen today, with the carmaker's shares slumping 5.4 per cent to €119.55 per share, in response to a US lawsuit over the emissions scandal. Volkswagen shares closed down 6.8 per cent at €125.20 yesterday, after it was sued by the US over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act by fitting illegal devices to evade [...]
FTSE 100 index opens higher regaining some losses made yesterday on the back of miners and Tesco January 5, 2016 The FTSE 100 made a strong start as markets opened, regaining some of the 2.6 per cent it shed yesterday. The index rose 1.09 per cent to 6,158 points as trading began, led higher by miners and Tesco, while Aberdeen Asset Management and Next fell. Tesco led the pack, rising 4.26 per cent to 148.48p per share, [...]
Bwin.party returns to sales growth ahead of GVC deal as it bets on “strong” performance in 2016 January 5, 2016 Bwin.Party Digital said today that it had returned to sales growth, ahead of its widely anticipated deal with Irish rival GVC. The Gibraltar-based company said revenue grew five per cent on an annual basis in the fourth quarter of 2015, driven by its sports betting and casino businesses which enjoyed strong performances, particularly mobile. Bwin also [...]
UK house prices: Sales to first time buyers rise by almost a quarter in 2015 as deposit costs drop January 5, 2016 First-time buyer sales rose at their fastest rate in November since August 2007 as the cost of owning a first home continued to fall. An estimated 31,300 first-time purchases were completed in November, up 23.7 per cent on the same month last year, according to figures released today by estate agents Your Move and Reeds [...]
HSBC online and mobile banking services down: What to do if you’re a HSBC customer January 4, 2016 Update: HSBC's online services are down for a second day running It’s not a happy start to 2016 for HSBC customers, who’ve been unable to use their banking services all day. HSBC’s online and mobile banking services have been down today, leaving customers unable to make payments or check their balance online – and for [...]