Former Morgan Stanley chap is diamond trader November 27, 2012 EX–MORGAN Stanley investment banker Tobias Kormind imagined he would be leaving his City colleagues behind when he departed from the world of finance to co-found bespoke Mayfair jewellers 77 Diamonds. However Kormind tells The Capitalist nothing could be further from the truth, as he now finds himself running around town to fulfil our busy bankers’ [...]
CBRE and Winterflood Securities are the current Mo Bros to beat November 27, 2012 MASSES of Mos of all shapes and sizes have been terrorising The Capitalist’s inbox this week. And none more so than CBRE analyst Tim Monger-Godfrey’s Anchorman-inspired tache: “If I say so myself, the likeness is uncanny.” Frightfully so, The Capitalist reckons. Not to be outdone, traders at Winterflood Securities also deserve special mention for their [...]
Sir John Ritblat latest to launch a retail bond November 27, 2012 SCHOOLS provider Alpha Plus, chaired by property grandee Sir John Ritblat, yesterday became the latest company to tap the retail bond market to help raise £40m and pay down shareholder debt. The group, owned by Delancey’s DV4 fund, announced plans to launch a seven-year retail bond paying 5.75 per cent and secured against part of [...]
Pub meals help Mitchells and Butlers as it faces muted sales November 27, 2012 PUBS and restaurants group Mitchells & Butlers yesterday reported a rise in full-year profit but like-for-like sales in the first eight weeks of the new year were flat, sending its shares down as much as five per cent. The owner of All Bar One, Harvester and O’Neills chains said alcohol duty increases and food price [...]
Helical Bar and Crosstree buy Silicon Roundabout portfolio November 27, 2012 HELICAL Bar and Crosstree have snapped up a site on Old Street’s “Silicon Roundabout” for £60.75m, the two property firms announced yesterday. The pair have exchanged contracts to buy the 3.1 acre site using cash and £30m bank debt. Crosstree, which is backed by pharmaceuticals billionaire and Alinghi founder Ernesto Bertarelli, will own a 67 [...]
VistaJet breaks records with its $7.8bn Bombardier plane order November 27, 2012 HIGH-END aviation firm VistaJet has placed a $7.8bn (£4.87bn) order for up to 142 aircraft from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. The deal, which sent Bombardier’s shares up eight per cent, is the firm’s biggest ever business jet order. “By any standard, this is a historic order for Bombardier,” said Steve Ridolfi, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, [...]
City scheme wins consent November 27, 2012 JAPAN’S second largest property developer has won consent for the redevelopment of an office block at Finsbury Circus in the City. Mitsubishi Estate Company announced yesterday that the City of London Corporation had granted planning consent for the 240,000 square feet scheme at River Plate House. The Wilkinson Eyre designed project will be redeveloped into [...]
Lending grows at Zopa November 27, 2012 Peer to peer lending has surpassed £250m at Zopa, the financial services group that bypasses banks. The latest lending figures are 90 per cent up on the same month last year. Giles Andrew, the Zopa co-founder says: “Passing the quarter of a billion milestone way up on just a year ago proves that increasing numbers [...]
Google boss responds on taxes November 27, 2012 The head of Google UK has hit back at political criticism over the firm’s tax affairs. Matt Brittin defended the tax the company pays in the UK yesterday, saying: “Google plays by the rules set by politicians.” Talking to Channel 4, he rejected Boris Johnson’s comments that Google pays “zero” tax. “Boris should get his [...]
Sony looks to sell battery unit November 27, 2012 Japanese powerhouse Sony has been approached by at least three investment banks offering to sell its battery business as the struggling Japanese group looks to offload non-core assets and focus on reviving its consumer electronics business, banking sources said. Selling the unit, which employs 2,700 people and had sales last year of $1.74bn (£1bn), would [...]