Decline of physical entertainment market slows – but DVD, CD and video game sales still slide August 10, 2015 Things seemed to be looking up for physical entertainment market. Although fewer people are buying video games, CDs and DVDs, the rate of decline has slowed in the last quarter, while several major retailers even recorded an increase in sales. Figures released this morning by Kantar Worldpanel show that the physical entertainment market shrank by three [...]
Greek debt crisis: Greek bank stocks rise as bailout talks progress August 10, 2015 Greek bank stocks have risen as the country comes closer to agreeing a third bailout worth €86bn (£60.8bn) with international creditors. Banks have risen to the top of the Athex Composite Index, with Piraeus Bank trading up 6.94 per cent, Alpha Bank rising 4.1 per cent, Eurobank climbing 1.79 per cent and the National Bank [...]
Think tank Institute for Public Policy Research says government needs to support low-skill sectors to solve the productivity puzzle August 10, 2015 As concerns over UK productivity linger on, think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has suggested one way to solve the so-called "productivity puzzle" is for the government to focus on low-skill sectors such as retail and service. The IPPR’s chief economist Tony Dolphin said despite the government targeting support at highly skilled [...]
Prudential promotes finance boss Penny James to chief risk role August 10, 2015 Prudential is promoting finance director Penny James to the role of group chief risk officer James, who will also receive a seat on the board, takes the new role on from 1 September. She replaces interim John Foley who had stepped up to the role following the departure of Pierre-Olivier Bouée earlier this summer [...]
Dixons Carphone share price dips after massive data breach leaves 2.4m customers at risk August 10, 2015 Shares in Dixons Carphone, the company behind Carphone Warehouse, which over the weekend admitted it had been targeted in a "sophisticated" cyber attack which left 2.4m customers' payment details vulnerable, fell 1.7 per cent to 448.26p as the market opened. However, they later regained some of those losses, rising to 450p, 1.3 per cent lower than Friday's [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown poaches IG Group finance chief Chris Hill August 10, 2015 Hargreaves Lansdown has nabbed IG Group finance boss Chris Hill, it said in a statement this morning. The financial adviser said Hill, who has been in his position for four years, will take over from Simon Cleveland, a partner at Deloitte who has been acting as interim chief financial officer at Hargreaves Lansdown, in March [...]
Carphone Warehouse draws data watchdog probe after millions of customer details hacked August 10, 2015 The UK's data watchdog is investigating a huge data breach at high street retailer Carphone Warehouse which has put millions of customers at risk. The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is "making enquiries" into the attack in which the private information of more than two million customers, such as card details, addresses and dates of birth, [...]
Carphone Warehouse cyber attack leaves 2.4m customers at risk of data breach August 10, 2015 Up to 2.4m Carphone Warehouse customers may have had personal details accessed by hackers in a massive cyber attack. Read more: Carphone hikes dividends as it smashes forecasts The retailer said that encrypted credit card details of up to 90,000 customers may have been part of data taken on 5 August. The IT systems division of [...]
Carillion bags £4.1bn government contract August 10, 2015 Carillion has won a new government outsourcing contract that could be worth up to £4.1bn. The FTSE100-listed business has been selected as part of a new “facilities management services agreement”, which will run until 2019. The new agreement replaces the current framework for facilities management contracts and relates to central government departments, executive agencies and [...]
Supermarket sales slide into reverse as price war hits petrol pumps August 10, 2015 A fierce supermarket price war at both the tills and the petrol pumps has caused sales in the sector to shrink for the first time since records began over 20 years ago. With retailers kicking off another round of petrol price cuts today, fresh data shows how supermarket giants’ troubles are dragging on the UK’s [...]