Amazon contemplates Tube ticket offices as collection points November 22, 2013 Transport for London is said to be in talks with online retail giant Amazon to convert Tube ticket offices into "drop off" points for parcels. An Amazon Locker is already being trialled at Hammersmith station. The self-service collection points are popping up at pick-up locations across the UK, and are expected to be piloted in other Tube stations [...]
European Commission launches price-fixing investigation into shipping companies November 22, 2013 The European Commission has launched formal antitrust proceedings against several container liner shipping companies. From 2009, shipping companies generally announced their prices through press releases on their websites and in the specialised trade media. The announcements contain the intended price changes and the date of their implementation, which are broadly similar across the companies. The [...]
Blow for Serco as Yorkshire prisons remain in public hands November 22, 2013 Troubled outsourcing company Serco has been dealt a fresh blow as the government confirmed that Yorkshire prisons Hatfield, Moorland and Lindholm will continue to be run by the public sector. Serco had been in the leading position to win contracts for the institutions, should they be privatised. The firm remains under criminal investigation, and yesterday [...]
Bank of England appoints three new executive directors November 22, 2013 The Bank of England has appointed three new executive directors, it said this morning. Jo Place, who has worked for the Bank of most of her career, has been appointed as executive director of human resources, replacing Catherine Brown, who left the Bank in July. Two new executive director roles have been created and will [...]
GlaxoSmithKline announces £25m Scottish expansion November 22, 2013 Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced on Friday a £25m expansion of its Montrose site in Angus, Scotland. The move is set to create 25 jobs, taking the company's workforce in Scotland to above 750. A further 50 contractors will be employed for the construction phase of the expansion. The non-departmental public body Scottish Enterprise announced, [...]
German business confidence at 18-month high November 22, 2013 German business confidence is at its highest point for 18-months, according to the Munich-based thinktank, Ifo. The business climate index climbed from 107.4 in October to 109.3 in November – better than had been expected, according to a poll conducted by Reuters. (Capital Economics) The "expectations" part of the survey reached 106.3, beating expectations and [...]
Royal mail failing to meet targets says Ofcom November 22, 2013 The Office of Communications (Ofcom), has warned recently-privatised Royal Mail that it must meet its delivery requirements if it is to avoid fines. Royal Mail failed to achieve its requirement of 93 per cent delivery of first class letters the day after the they are posted, instead reaching 91.7 per cent. The figures were revealed [...]
Pub food drives Fuller’s revenue increase November 22, 2013 Independent brewer Fuller Smith&Turner has reported revenue growth of six per cent, reaching £146.3m for the six months ended 28 September. The London-based brewer saw an eight per cent rise in in adjusted profit before tax to £18.1m, with adjusted earnings per share rising nine per cent to 24.79p. The company enjoyed like-for-like sales growth [...]
Ofgem sends back electricity providers’ cost cutting plans November 22, 2013 Ofgem has rejected the price plans of five out of six electricity distributors. The UK's energy regulator said that the plans "did not sufficiently demonstrate value for consumers." A plan from Western Power Distribution (WPD) was the only one to be approved by Ofgem, out of the six companies that submitted new cost cutting plans [...]
What you need to know before the open – 22/11 November 22, 2013 After another record close for the Dow yesterday, Europe is set to open higher, as consensus is that tapering looks more likely for the New Year than December. #FTSE called 10 higher this morning. #EURUSD has rallied to resistance at 1.3490. #Gold has been steady overnight around 1245. Morning all! — FuturesTechs Updates (@FuturesTechs) [...]