Online shoppers abandon Tesco and Asda as website traffic drops at Britain’s biggest grocers November 23, 2015 Tesco and Asda have seen a sharp drop in traffic to their websites over the last year, new research shows, in a sign that supermarkets are facing fierce competition online as well as on the shop floor. Visits to Tesco’s website through desktop computers and mobile devices dropped to 35m in November from 49m the [...]
Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and Babcock share prices rise on David Cameron’s Defence Review and £12bn spending increase November 23, 2015 The shares of big name defence firms have surged in the wake of an announcement by David Cameron that government spending on new equipment will increase by £12bn to deal with "diverse" threats. Rolls-Royce has closed up 3.08 per cent, the FTSE's biggest riser while BAE Systems climbed 1.02 per cent and Babcock closed 1.62 per cent higher. The Prime Minster [...]
Bonmarche shares out of fashion with investors despite sales defying mild autumn weather November 23, 2015 Bonmarche's share price fell almost five per cent this morning despite the women's clothing retailer posting a jump in sales as efforts to revamp its stores and make its product ranges more fashionable paid off. The retailer, which has 300 stores but also sells online, through mail-order catalogues and a TV channel, said total revenue increased by [...]
Chinese brokerage firm Guotai Junan International shares fall after chief executive Yin Fung goes missing November 23, 2015 Shares in Guotai Junan International fell more than 17 per cent today at the Chinese brokerage firm after its boss mysteriously disappeared. Guotai Junan said it had been unable to get in contact with Yin Fung, chairman of the board, executive director and chief executive since Wednesday 18 November, in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock exchange today. [...]
HSBC investors back mooted move from UK November 23, 2015 Major HSBC shareholders have said they would back the bank if it were to relocate away from London. HSBC announced earlier this year it was currently reviewing whether it would remain in the UK, with Hong Kong and the US widely regarded as possible options. A spokesperson for Aberdeen Asset Management, one of HSBC’s top 10 [...]
Insurer Towergate reports fall in income to £87m, down 10 per cent, in third-quarter 2015 results November 23, 2015 Towergate Insurance announced today that it has seen its group income topple to £87m for its third quarter of 2015, down 10 per cent compared to £97m last year. Income for the year to date was also down 10 per cent, falling to £271m for the nine months ended 30 September 2015 from £300m for the same period last [...]
Argos owner Home retail group share price jumps amid takeover talk November 23, 2015 Shares in Home Retail Group shot to the top of the FTSE 250 today, amid speculation that the Argos owner is being circled by a number of private equity firms. Shares in Milton Keynes-based company, which also owns Homebase, jumped as much as seven per cent to 110.6p per share in early morning trading. However, Home Retail Group has still lost nearly half [...]
Small food suppliers hit the hardest by supermarket price wars November 23, 2015 Britain's small food manufacturers have emerged as the biggest casualties of the supermarket price wars, according to new research out today that reveals how the gap between the profit margins of the suppliers and their bigger competitors is widening. According to law firm EMW, profit margins at small to medium-sized manufacturers – those with less [...]
Christmas spending to hit £16.5bn as 60pc of Brits head to discounters for their festive food shop November 23, 2015 Britons are feeling a bit more generous this Christmas than they were last year thanks to improved economic conditions and higher wages, new figures show, with spending set to reach £16.5bn over the festive season. Travelodge’s annual Christmas report, which surveyed the spending habits of over 3,000 people, found that households expect to spend an average of [...]
City Moves for 23 November 2015 | Who’s switching jobs November 22, 2015 TISA The financial services membership organisation has appointed Kenn Taylor to its retirement policy and technical team. He has 30 years’ industry experience, most recently leading consulting teams with Troika, Navigant and Grant Thornton. THERIUM CAPITAL The third party litigation funder has appointed Timothy Mayer and Nicholas Moore as principals in its investment team. They [...]