WorkMail: Amazon’s new service delivers email January 29, 2015 Retailer, movie-maker and now email provider – is there any business Amazon doesn’t want to get in on? The web giant is putting its hat in the ring with the likes of Microsoft and Google to become the go-to email service for companies. Amazon has revealed WorkMail, an email and calendar service aimed squarely at [...]
Diageo sales flat but second quarter improves January 29, 2015 The figures Half-year organic net sales were flat at Diageo, down 0.1 per cent, as volumes fell 1.9 per cent, in line with forecasts. Net profit was down 18 per cent to £1.7bn from £2bn for the same period last year. Sales in the US continued to be subdued with operating profit down one per [...]
Greeks eye new deal as markets tumble January 28, 2015 Greece's new political leaders struck a note of defiance yesterday as they began scrapping measures that had been planned as conditions of the struggling country’s bailout packages. Investors in the country panicked as the new Syriza-led government said it would reverse privatisation plans and re-hire some public sector workers. Strong rhetoric from the new [...]
Virgin Media calls on Ofcom to delay £4bn Premier League TV auction January 28, 2015 Virgin Media last night made an 11th-hour bid to block the Premier League’s multi-billion pound auction by calling on media regulator Ofcom to use its emergency power to halt the bidding which is currently expected to conclude next Friday. Virgin, which met with Ofcom two weeks ago to discuss a separate ongoing competition investigation into [...]
Qataris win £2.6bn battle for Canary Wharf owner January 28, 2015 THE QATARI sovereign wealth fund is close to winning a two month-long takeover battle for Songbird Estates after convincing the Canary Wharf owner’s three major shareholders to accept its £2.6bn offer. The board of Songbird said yesterday that New York’s Glick Enterprises, which owns 29.5 per cent, China Investment Corporation with 15.8 per cent, and [...]
Educating Yanis Varoufakis: Greek finance minister and his English mentor MP Stuart Holland January 28, 2015 Former British MP Stuart Holland, who calls newly elected Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis a close friend of over a decade having worked with him on a number of academic economics papers, last night said he felt more confident than ever in Greece’s economy. “He is brilliant, and he’s very well informed because we’ve been [...]
FXCM set to bail small traders hit by the franc January 28, 2015 SMALL-TIME spreadbetters who were crushed by the Swiss francs wild swings two weeks ago will be bailed out, forex website FXCM said yesterday. The platform itself nearly went bust as the unexpected 30 per cent jump in the franc against the euro meant some customers ran up huge deficits, far in excess of the funds [...]
The Qatari boss who launched its takeover bid January 28, 2015 WHILE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud al-Thani will likely be remembered as the chief executive of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) who successfully led the group to its takeover of Songbird, his predecessor Ahmed al-Sayed is credited with launching the QIA into battle with Songbird’s board and owners. Al-Sayed handed over the role of [...]
Mark Carney calls on Germany to foot Eurozone’s risk January 28, 2015 Eurozone countries should share more risks and allow taxpayers’ money to circulate more freely as it does between countries in the UK, Mark Carney said in an unusually outspoken address last night. The Bank of England governor hinted that Greece’s troubles would be less severe if it could access more German money, comparing the situation [...]
Brit upsizes to chief exec job at Mcdonald’s January 28, 2015 FAST FOOD giant McDonald’s yesterday announced chief executive Don Thompson would retire at the end of February after two and a half years and be succeeded by Watford-born Steve Easterbrook, the company’s branding chief and former boss of McDonald’s UK.