UKTV to show record-breaking results after big investment programmes May 18, 2015 UKTV will today announce results that show record-breaking revenue, profits and ratings on the back of its major investment in exclusive and original programmes. The company’s 2014 revenue will be £283m, up from £278m in 2013. It will also announce £74.1m of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda), which is up 10 per [...]
TV streaming services set for huge boost May 18, 2015 OVER-the-top television – additional content streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Netflix – can look forward to a huge surge in subscribers, with research showing that numbers are set to increase four-fold in the next few years. A report from Juniper Research concluded that global subscribers to such services will soar from 2.1m in [...]
LOFT brand’s wide appeal attracts Ascena May 18, 2015 ASCENA Retail Group, which runs Lane Bryant and Dressbarn women’s clothing stores, is to buy Ann Inc for $2.15bn (£1.3bn), primarily for the popular LOFT brand, which offers everyday fashion to a wide age group between 18 and 60. LOFT will become Ascena’s largest brand, accounting for 22 per cent of the combined company’s revenue, [...]
IMF ups Italy’s GDP forecast for the year May 18, 2015 THE INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund yesterday slightly raised its forecasts for Italy’s economy this year and next, and said that Rome should take advantage of favourable external conditions to push through much-needed reforms. “A wide-ranging reform to raise the efficiency of public services is long overdue,” the IMF said in its report. The Fund lifted its [...]
Grocery sales volumes across Europe reach a six-year high May 18, 2015 THE AMOUNT of everyday products bought by consumers across Europe has risen by its highest year-on-year level in six years, according to the latest data by research giant Nielsen. The company said that sales volumes of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), such as soft drinks, toiletries and food, rose by 2.4 per cent in the first [...]
Non-executive directors bid adieu to troubled oil firm Afren May 18, 2015 SHARES in troubled oil firm Afren opened 2.82 per cent higher, after it announced yesterday that two of its non-executive directors will step down following its AGM, as the company’s debt talks roll on. Investor relief faded throughout the day and shares closed down 1.25 per cent. Peter Bingham and John St John will resign [...]
Diamond has a Yale of a time May 18, 2015 “NO ONE in the world I admire more than my dad,” tweeted Bob Diamond’s loyal daughter when, in the summer of 2012, the Barclays boss was being hounded out of the bank over the Libor-rigging scandal. Diamond was subsequently replaced by Antony Jenkins, of course, but now it seems that daughter Nellie may admire her [...]
Wake up and smell the coffee May 18, 2015 Yawn! Another day, another Shoreditch-based concept pop-up café. It’s enough to make you yearn for your bed. And, as luck would have it, this café is the brainchild of Swedish furniture leviathan Ikea, and the eating takes place in bed. The retailer argues it is leading a “breakfast in bed revolution”, which is replacing tables [...]
Construction booming in the City as companies vie for office space May 18, 2015 Building activity in central London has soared by 24 per cent over the last six months, as developers scramble to meet demand for space, which remains in short supply, according data released today. Deloitte Real Estate’s latest London Office Crane Survey said there were 31 new starts in the period contributing 4.4m square feet (sq [...]
Alibaba to fight counterfeit case against Kering May 18, 2015 ALIBABA has dismissed the lawsuit brought by luxury giant Kering over counterfeit merchandise as “wasteful litigation”, but said it will fight the case “vigorously”. Kering, which owns high-end brands such as Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, is suing the Chinese e-tailer over claims it is complicit in the sale of fake handbags, watches [...]