HS2 firm spent £300m on rail link since 2011 January 12, 2014 THE COST of building HS2, the new high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham, could spiral out of control, a campaign group has warned. The Taxpayers’ Alliance has published figures showing that HS2 Ltd, the publically-funded company set up to develop the rail link, has spent £300m since January 2011. Of this figure, over £1m [...]
High performance sports cars to dominate 2014 Detroit auto show January 12, 2014 SO-CALLED green cars — electric vehicles, hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells — are set to be heavily overshadowed at this week’s Detroit show by sports cars, in a broad spectrum of sizes, shapes and prices, from Ford’s redesigned 2015 Mustang to Kia Motors’ zippy GT4 Stinger concept. The annual event, officially called the North American [...]
Npower unveils new bills to help customers cut their energy costs January 12, 2014 NPOWER today unveiled a new, simplified energy bill, amid claims that energy companies make it too complicated for customers looking to reduce costs. The big six supplier embarked on a bill design makeover at the end of last year in response to customer feedback. The new format uses clearer language and contains information on energy [...]
A recovery built on bricks and mortar January 12, 2014 Bovis chief executive David Ritchie tells Elizabeth Fournier why he’s not concerned about a new UK housing bubble THE LAST 12 months have been good ones for Britain’s housebuilders. After a financial crisis that saw billions wiped off the sector as credit dried up and house prices crashed, 2013 saw a return to form as [...]
Fancy a taste of James’ Britpop? January 12, 2014 CAN YOU remember what 1993 tasted like? Well, if you’re curious, Blur bassist-cum-cheese wizard Alex James has applied to trademark a new drink – called Britpop. The application doesn’t give away any clues as to what the drink will taste like but we can just imagine the Cool Britannia branding now. It’s not the first [...]
Three things you didn’t know about… January 12, 2014 Chief exec of ACPI Investment Managers Brett Lankester 1 His strengths don’t just lie in asset management. This former Goldman Sachs-er won a local arm wrestling competition in his native South Africa back in 1992. “It’s all in the technique,” he told The Capitalist. 2 Not content with the traditional dogs and cats Lankester’s itinerary [...]
Spirits at the Sign on the Don? January 12, 2014 CITY revellers searching for a historical tipple can now add another venue to their hit list. The owners of The Sign of the Don restaurant have restored a 30 metre, 200-year-old vault underneath its restaurant, creating a cellar and space for a handful of punters to enjoy a drink. “The project has been fantastic but [...]
China not a top M&A target for FTSE 100 firms January 12, 2014 CHINA is not ranked among the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) investment destinations for FTSE 100 companies over the past decade, according to research out today from international law firm Freshfields. Of the £391.5bn of total M&A investment by FTSE 100 companies between 2003 and 2013, the top 10 countries attracted over 81 per cent [...]
Hotels back on investors’ lists as transactions reach six-year high January 12, 2014 HOTELS are back in vogue with investors, according to research out yesterday by Deloitte, which shows that hotel deals in 2013 were at their highest in six years. UK hotel transactions totalled around £800m in the second half of 2013, up 66 per cent on the same period last year and taking deals for the [...]
Activist to pitch breakup plan to First’s investors January 12, 2014 AN INVESTOR pushing for change at FirstGroup will try to sell his break-up plan to other shareholders this week, paving the way for a heated capital markets day later in the month. Thomas Sandell, whose hedge fund revealed a three per cent stake in FirstGroup in November, will this week be in London to set [...]