Menthols axed as EU votes for smoking rules October 8, 2013 MENTHOL cigarettes will be banned by 2022 and cigarette packet health warnings increased to cover 65 per cent of packaging according to new EU health rules voted on yesterday. The European Parliament voted to water down the European Commission’s proposed tobacco directive which included an immediate ban on menthol cigarettes and health warnings covering 75 [...]
Competition Commission orders Cineworld to sell three cinemas October 8, 2013 CINEWORLD has been told it must sell three of its cinemas in Aberdeen, Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge by the Competition Commission (CC) following an investigation triggered by Cineworld’s purchase of the Picturehouse chain. “The CC has concluded that the acquisition could lead to a substantial lessening of competition in the three areas where Cineworld [...]
Four arrested in Britain over Silk Road trade October 8, 2013 BRITAIN’S new crime body has overseen the arrest of four men suspected of being significant users of Silk Road, the anonymous online marketplace used to buy illegal drugs and criminal services that was shut down by US authorities last week. The new National Crime Agency (NCA) said yesterday the four suspected drug offenders were detained hours [...]
Customers choosing extra home services boosting Telecom Plus October 8, 2013 TELECOM Plus, the FTSE 250 utility supplier that trades under the Utility Warehouse brand, saw its stock price soar yesterday as it reported strong growth in its half year ending 30 September, accelerated by customer numbers increasing 17 per cent in its second quarter. Telecom Plus’ second quarter was boosted by 55 per cent of [...]
Analyst Views | What did you make of Telecom Plus’ half year financial results? October 8, 2013 JAMES TETLEY | N+1 SINGERThe shares have been soft in recent weeks, hindered no doubt by commentary around proposed retail energy price controls after the next general election, which we believe Telecom would be largely insulated from by its supply arrangements. We expect the shares to recover on today's update. ANDREW DARLEY | FINNCAPWe push [...]
Bakers in a duff up over muffins October 8, 2013 CAKE wars have broken out in the Square Mile after everyone’s favourite mermaid-logoed coffee chain Starbucks launched an ingenious new tasty treat – mashing up a muffin and a doughnut to create something called a “duffin”. The Seattle-based coffee giant likes the slightly disturbing portmanteau so much that its supplier has trademarked the name. The [...]
Cable delivers the right message at TheCityUK dinner October 8, 2013 WITH Vince Cable delivering the keynote speech, guests at TheCityUK’s annual dinner last night may have been hoping the business secretary would provide the inside track on how the much-anticipated sell-off of Royal Mail was going. But Cable was firmly on message –“I may have something of a reputation for pushing ministerial boundaries, but that [...]
Chesnara buys closed life fund from Direct Line October 8, 2013 INSURANCE-focused takeover specialist Chesnara said it would buy Direct Line’s domestic closed life insurance business for about £39.3m in cash. Chesnara, which has been looking to acquire life insurance funds in Western Europe for the past year, said the deal would be partly financed by a new loan facility of £73.8m from the Royal Bank [...]
Robert Walters is enjoying the recovery in the UK jobs market October 8, 2013 THE JOBS market in Britain is continuing to recover, according to recruiter Robert Walters, which yesterday posted a 21 per cent jump in fees generated in the country. Good growth in the resources sector, as well as signs of an upswing in the regions, were behind the surge in net fee income to £15.8m in [...]
Paragon pays £13.5m for bad HSBC loan book October 8, 2013 SPECIALIST lender Paragon yesterday announced it has bought a portfolio of bad loans from HSBC. The portfolio is made up of personal loans, both secured and unsecured, and were made by HFC Bank, a fully owned subsidiary of HSBC. Paragon paid £13.5m for the portfolio, financed with its own cash. The giant London-listed lender has [...]