Online sales growth helps New Look beat off cold weather August 13, 2013 Fashion retailer New Look has reoirted a 4.9 per cent annual increase in first quarter sales thanks to a 78.7 per cent jump in online sales. Chief executive Anders Kristiansen said he was “very encouraged by New Look’s robust trading performance”, particularly as it came in spite of the coldest spring in 50 years. He [...]
Spanish inflation rate slowdown meets expectations August 13, 2013 The Spanish consumer price index rose by 1.8 per cent annually in July, in line with expectations and down from a 2.1 per cent rise the month before. Month-on-month, consumer price inflation fell half a percentage point as expected, following the previous month’s 0.1 per cent rise. Harmonised across EU member states, the index rose [...]
Fall in permanent hiring hits Michael Page profits August 13, 2013 Recruitment specialist Michael Page has reported a 13.4 per cent increase in pre-tax profits and a 14.8 per cent boost to basic earnings per share in the first half of the year (release). Profits before tax rose to £32.0m from £28.2m in the same period the year before. Basic earnings per share increased to 7.0p [...]
British insurer Resolution posts better-than-expected results on strong UK growth August 13, 2013 UK life insurance company Resolution Limited has announced it made a pre-tax operating profit of £191m (£182m expected by Credit Suisse analysts) and operating earnings per share of 13.26p in the first half of the year, up 17 per cent from the same period the year before (release). The company said the value of new [...]
Before the open – 13/08 August 13, 2013 The Nikkei rose nearly two per cent last night as exporters benefited from a weaker yen and business confidence was buoyed by a media report. The Nikkei newspaper cited government sources saying the government is considering a corporate tax cut to offset the planned increase in the sales tax, which drove confidence, although it’s still [...]
US regulators approve GlaxoSmithKline’s HIV drug August 13, 2013 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GlaxoSmithKline’s drug Tivicay, used to treat the most common strain of HIV (release). Specialist HIV company ViiV Healthcare owns the drug, and is formed of a joint venture between GSK, Pfizer and Shionogi Limited. GSK is the largest stakeholder, with 76.5 per cent of the company. [...]
German consumer price inflation rate accelerates as expected August 13, 2013 The rate of increase in German consumer prices accelerated to 1.9 per cent in July compared to the year before, according to the latest consumer price index (CPI) from the Statistiches Bundesamt Deutschland. This was up from 1.8 per cent annual inflation recorded the month before and in line with analysts' expectations. Compared to June [...]
Blackberry ripe for the picking as it considers sale August 12, 2013 STRUGGLING smartphone maker BlackBerry yesterday opened the door to a multi billion dollar sale of the company as it unveiled a dealmaking committee tasked with reviving the group’s flagging fortunes. The Canadian firm, famed for its email-friendly phones and formerly known as Research In Motion, said US M&A guru Tim Dattels would head an executive [...]
Cameron mulls legal action over Spain’s Gibraltar claim August 12, 2013 DOWNING Street yesterday said it was “seriously considering” legal action against Spain as the diplomatic dispute over access to Gibraltar escalates further. Spain insists it is within its rights to impose stringent checks on those crossing the border between the Iberian nation and the British-owned peninsula, insisting its actions are “legal and proportionate”. Extra security has [...]
Rising lending sparks surge in house prices August 12, 2013 THE PROPERTY market is steaming ahead of the rest of the economy, as mortgage lending and a surge of buyers in July drive the UK’s emerging recovery. Figures revealed today show that July saw the largest rise in house prices since before the crash, after statistics out yesterday confirmed that lending to first-time buyers [...]