Swiss firm Syngenta agrees to takeover by China’s state-owned ChemChina worth over $43bn February 3, 2016 A bid worth more $43bn (£30bn) by China's state-owned ChemChina's for Swiss seeds and pesticides group Syngenta has been accepted. The deal is the largest ever overseas acquisition by a Chinese firm, and the second largest in the chemicals industry in the past year. Read more: Syngenta rises after Monsanto takeover talk In a statement, Syngenta said ChemChina will pay $465 per [...]
Canary Wharf to outstrip other London office districts in 2016 with strongest rental growth February 3, 2016 Canary Wharf’s gleaming office towers have lagged slightly behind rival districts last year, posting an eight per cent rise in rental growth against 12 per cent in the City and an astonishing 24 per cent leap in Shoreditch – thanks to the cool kids moving in. However, with rents becoming increasingly unaffordable for small to [...]
Why do entrepreneurs move to the countryside? Falling land values sparks rise of rural startups, says RICS February 3, 2016 There is an entrepreneurial revolution taking place it is happening among Britain’s green pastures, a new report claims. Rising property prices in city centres and falling land values have made buying a plot in the countryside increasingly attractive to those outside traditional farming communities, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), fuelling a surge in new business [...]
Universal credit rollout is still concerning but the new welfare system should help encourage people to work once it has been fully introduced February 3, 2016 While MPs are concerned about how universal credit is being rolled out, economists think the new system helps to encourage people into work. A report released today by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found that universal credit should encourage those who were disincentivised by the previous system to find employment. However, the report also noted that preemptive cuts [...]
Poundland launches gardening range with celebrity TV presenter Charlie Dimmock February 3, 2016 Green-fingered shoppers and fans of a bargain rejoice. Poundland has joined forces with celebrity gardener and TV presenter Charlie Dimmock to create a new range of gardening tools, the retailer announced today. The Charlie Dimmock range, which launches on 29 February, will feature 130 lines of gardening essentials ranging from hand tools and heavy duty gloves to hanging bird feeders and [...]
Niesr: UK economy to gain momentum as inflation stays low and interest rate rises are delayed by EU referendum February 3, 2016 The UK economy should pick up steam this year, with low inflation and a delay in interest rate hikes to create conditions for faster growth, a think tank has said today. The economy should grow 2.3 per cent this year, up from 2.2 per cent in 2015, according to forecasts published today by the National Institute [...]
Business leaders value innovation but have questions over whether HR is visionary enough for the task, even though HR leaders also agree on importance of innovating February 3, 2016 Both human resources heads and business leaders are placing increasing value on innovation in business, but the business chiefs are questioning whether HR is visionary enough to make it happen. According to a study released today from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a third of both HR leaders (35 per cent) and business leaders in general [...]
Arthur J Gallagher reports jump in revenue driven by brokerage and risk management performances February 2, 2016 US insurance broker Arthur J Gallagher has posted 10 per cent growth in revenue for the final quarter of 2015, up to $1.03bn (£715bn) from $938.4m in the same period of 2014. For the full year, revenue was up 17 per cent, from $3.5bn to $4.1bn. The Illinois-based company, which has its UK headquarters in [...]
Yahoo announces job cuts and “aggressive strategic plan” February 2, 2016 Yahoo today announced plans to axe 15 per cent of its workforce, roughly 1,600 jobs, as part of an "aggressive strategic plan" to help transform the company. The job cuts will reduce its employees to about 9,000 by the end of 2016. The announcement of the cuts came as Yahoo reported a $4.3bn (£3bn) loss [...]
Match Group shares fall as profits plunge and revenue per user drops February 2, 2016 Shares in Tinder parent company Match Group have fallen 7.3 per cent in after hours trading, as the firm reported a 26 per cent drop in profit during the final quarter of 2015, from $48.3m (£33.5m) to $35.6m. Total revenue rose by 12 per cent, from $239m in the fourth quarter of 2014 to $267.6m. [...]