Big data proves to be popular with investors as WANdisco raises £19m September 26, 2013 WANDISCO, the software company that specialises in distributed computing solutions, reported yesterday that its revenues had jumped 20 per cent to $3.51m (£2.2m) in the six months to 30 June. The company also announced a bookbuild of 2m shares yesterday morning at 950p a share, which sold out to raise £19m for WANdisco. “We’ve raised [...]
Faster mobile internet rolls across country September 26, 2013 MOBILE networks EE, Vodafone and O2 all rolled out 4G coverage to new towns today. EE added 12 new towns to its coverage while Vodafone and O2 both added 5 towns. Three, the UK’s smallest mobile network, is not scheduled to begin its 4G rollout until December.
Supermarkets in fuel pricing wars September 26, 2013 THE SUPERMARKET price war on petrol escalated yesterday, when some of Britain’s largest chains slashed costs for the second time in a matter of days and Sainsbury’s became the latest grocer to enter the fray. Asda said that it would cut unleaded petrol by 3p to 128.7p per litre and diesel by 2p to 135.7p [...]
Countrywide buys Lambert Smith as Alchemy sells £70m of its shares September 26, 2013 COUNTRYWIDE, the newly-listed estate agency, yesterday announced plans to buy property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) for just over £34m. The sale, in a pre-pack administration, will wipe out LSH’s debts left over from a 2007 management buyout. Countrywide has struck a deal with Sankaty, which owns LSH’s debt pile, and Grant Thonton acted as [...]
Revamped King’s Cross Square opens September 26, 2013 THE £550m revamp of King’s Cross was officially marked yesterday as a new public space in front of the station was unveiled. Opening King’s Cross Square yesterday morning, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said the regeneration of the area had created “a whole new vibrant district”.
Severfield hires ex-Kier director Lawson as chief September 26, 2013 BELEAGUERED British steelmaker Severfield-Rowen yesterday said it has hired Ian Lawson as its new chief executive, effective from 1 November. Lawson was previously a director at FTSE 250-listed construction firm Kier. Severfield-Rowen, which provided steel for London buildings including the Shard and the Cheesegrater on Leadenhall Street, plunged into the red this year, prompting an [...]
BHP latest miner to tap debt market with new $5bn bond September 26, 2013 FTSE 100-listed miner BHP Billiton yesterday priced a $5bn (£3.1bn) bond and said it would use the proceeds for “general corporate purposes”. The debt issuance is BHP’s largest in over a year and the firm’s first US debt sale since February 2012. The new debt facility comprises $500m floating rate notes due 2016, $500m 2.050 [...]
Balfour wins £87m contract September 26, 2013 FTSE 250 infrastructure group Balfour Beatty yesterday unveiled an £87m contract to develop new commercial and retail space between Regent Street and Haymarket. Work is expected to start in the autumn and is due for completion in summer 2015. The scheme will provide 260,000 square feet of space across two eight-storey blocks. The contract is [...]
Internet sales suit Moss Bros as revenues rise September 26, 2013 SUIT-seller Moss Bros yesterday posted a 1.7 per cent rise in like-for-like sales as it pushes on with an expansion online. The firm said revenues rose 1.2 per cent to £53.3m for the half-year to 26 July, while profits were broadly flat at £2.23m. Internet sales jumped 164 per cent, though finance director Robin Piggott [...]
Chinese to splash cash in London September 26, 2013 LONDON’S high-end retailers are expecting a boom in spending by Chinese customers next week, as tourists flock to the capital during Golden Week – the country’s annual October holiday. Last year, luxury stores saw an increase of 31 per cent in Chinese spending during the holiday, while during Chinese New Year in February sales rose [...]