Ikea creating a happy home for workers too as firm embraces living wage July 28, 2015 One of the crucial aspects of the chancellor’s Budget was the commitment to raise the living wage for over 25s to £9 per hour by the year 2020, a rise from the current rate of £7.20. Our immediate post-Budget research showed the policy to be very popular – across supporters of all of the [...]
Digital publishing duo launch listed takeover vehicle Gloo Network for deals July 28, 2015 Two digital publishing executives have joined forces to raise up to £30m from investors for an acquisition vehicle targeting online consumer brands. Rebecca Miskin, the former digital strategy director at Hearst Magazines UK – owner of magazines like Cosmopolitan – and Pearson’s ex-chief digital officer, Juan Lopez-Valcarcel, want to buy companies worth between £250m and [...]
Turner and Townsend prepare for partnership as profits climb July 28, 2015 GLOBAL construction consultancy Turner and Townsend announced an 11 per cent rise in operating profit yesterday over the year to 30 April. Total revenues climbed to £380m. The company, which employs 4,100 staff across a global network of 90 offices, has now recorded five successive years of growth and boosted turnover by 75 per cent [...]
City Moves for 29 July 2015 | Who’s switching jobs July 28, 2015 KPMG Craig Steven-Jennings has been appointed partner in the professional services firm’s enterprise practice. He joins from KPMG’s South African firm and will be based in London. Steven-Jennings first joined its Cape Town office in 1999 and became an audit partner in 2005. Tokio Marine Kiln The insurance provider has promoted Paul Culham to the [...]
Best of the Brokers for 29 July 2015 July 28, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com DFS FURNITURE Berenberg said the retailer’s recent pre-close trading update showed a solid performance, prompting the broker to increase its price target to 350p from 345p while reiterating “buy”. Cash generation remains robust and the broker forecasts a full year dividend yield of [...]
Dealmaking hopes snap five-day losing streak for the FTSE – London Report July 28, 2015 HOPES for corporate deal-making and robust corporate results offset market turmoil in China and worries about emerging-market growth yesterday. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.8 percent at 6,555.28 points, while the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index rose one per cent. RSA Insurance soared 18 per cent on news Zurich Insurance was considering a takeover bid. [...]
Wall St up on strong reports – New York Report July 28, 2015 US STOCKS rose yesterday, breaking a five-day losing streak as attention shifted from trouble in Chinese equities to US corporate earnings and speculation the first Federal Reserve interest rate hike may not come until December. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 189.94 points, or 1.09 per cent, to 17,630.53, the S&P 500 gained 25.63 points, [...]
Rate hikes: How can you protect your investments? July 28, 2015 Bonds may be bashed but equities could be winners if the Federal Reserve moves this autumn As the Federal Reserve convenes once again this week to discuss whether interest rates should be raised from their rock-bottom lows, many investors are sounding out the potential implications of a rate hike on their portfolios. Pressure [...]
How to know it’s time to delegate July 28, 2015 You may think you’re being efficient but micromanagement risks colleagues’ resentment For many first-time leaders, delegation can be a tricky business. “Perhaps it’s because we want to be liked but asking people to carry out tasks could make us unpopular? Or is it because we don’t want to appear lazy?” speculates business neuroscientist Lynda Shaw, [...]
London’s Olympic Park is wrapping the world’s longest tunnel slide around its Orbit Tower July 28, 2015 The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in North-East London has confirmed it is going ahead with plans to build the world's tallest and longest tunnel slide. Almost 180m in length and extending 76m above ground, the giant helter-skelter will be wrapped around the ArcelorMittal Orbit Tower, which was designed by Turner-Prize winning artist Anish Kapoor in [...]