Full separation of BT’s infrastructure arm Openreach is not “off the table” – Bradley September 13, 2016 BT has been dealt a blow just months after the telecoms group escaped its infrastructure arm Openreach being hived off by the regulator. Karen Bradley – the culture, media, and sport secretary – warned BT that Openreach could still be split out to a separate company despite Ofcom’s proposals to leave it under the BT [...]
Plastic money review: Our verdict on the Bank of England’s new polymer £5 note September 13, 2016 Unless you've been sleeping under a rock, you'll be aware that a minor revolution in Britain's banking sector occurred today with the launch of the new polymer £5 note. But how does it really fare in practice, and will the new £5 notes last the lifestyle of a City gentleman (or gentlewoman)? The Capitalist has [...]
Delays at King’s Cross and Moorgates stations due to derailed train at Welwyn Garden City September 13, 2016 Commuters are facing delays at King's Cross station after a train derailed at Welwyn Garden City. According to Great Northern rail, the low speed derailment of an empty train at Welwyn Garden City late last night is causing disruption to journeys between Stevenage and London Kings Cross and Moorgate. As a result of the incident, the company [...]
Developer Irvine Sellar submits plans for the Paddington Cube to Westminster City Council after “The Shard of west London” was rejected September 13, 2016 Revised plans for a £775m development near Paddington Station have been submitted to Westminster Council. The plans from Great Western Developments and Sellar Paddington Limited (SPL) will transform the former Royal Mail site to create a 360,000 sq ft cube-shaped office block, which will be 14 storeys tall. A decision on the proposal is expected in [...]
The kids heading back to school drove sales at John Lewis as the warmer weather continued to help Waitrose September 13, 2016 The John Lewis Partnership's sales have been boosted by the summer sun and families stocking up for the start of the school year. In the week to 10 September, sales at John Lewis were up 9.1 per cent on the same period last year, reaching £82.7m. Fashion sales did particularly well, up by 6.8 per cent. Children's [...]
Britain’s Got Talent online games maker Gaming Realm’s share price rises as company posts 109 per cent revenue uptick September 13, 2016 Gambling games publisher Gaming Realms has won out with triple-figure turnover in the first half of the year, though an increased marketing budget ate into its earnings. The figures Revenue at the Slingo.com and Britain's Got Talent online games maker grew by 109 per cent to £16.6m in the six months to 30 June, up from £8m in the same [...]
Bob Diamond’s Atlas Merchant Capital searching for a new partner in Barclays Africa bid September 13, 2016 Atlas Merchant Capital, an investment vehicle led by former Barclays boss Bob Diamond to create a pan-African bank giant, is searching for a new partner to table a bid for Barclays Africa, City A.M. understands. It was yesterday revealed that private equity giant Carlyle had walked away from its consortium with Atlas in April this year. [...]
Activist investor benefits from James Bond studio takeover September 13, 2016 Crystal Amber Fund’s share price bumped up today after the activist investor said its net asset value (NAV) per share had “recovered strongly” after the EU referendum. The investor was boosted after its full year, ending 30 June, by the takeover of James Bond filmmaker Pinewood Studios, which Crystal held a 5.7 per cent stake [...]
BIS committee chair urges Mike Ashley to leave employment agency Transline Group behind September 13, 2016 Iain Wright, the chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) select committee is pushing Sports Direct's founder Mike Ashley to ditch Transline Group, the agency that supplies workers for his Shirebrook warehouse. The BIS committee said in a report on the working practices at Shirebrook that Transline Group had been misleading in evidence given during [...]
Public support for Hinkley falls to an all-time low as UK decision looms September 13, 2016 Public support for plans to build the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant has fallen to an all-time low, a new poll has shown, ahead of Whitehall's widely anticipated decision on the project. The survey of 2,000 people, by Populus on behalf of Greenpeace, showed a quarter are in favour of Hinkley, while 44 per cent oppose it. [...]