TalkTalk takings up despite user exodus February 7, 2012 TALKTALK upped its full-year profit guidance and raised its expected earnings per share yesterday despite continuing to haemorrhage customers throughout its third quarter. The former Carphone Warehouse subsidiary shed 43,000 net broadband accounts in the period, leaving TalkTalk with around 4m customers. This year has seen the telecoms group fined £3m and ordered to pay [...]
Winning run for 888 as gamblers play at home February 7, 2012 GAMBLERS’ love of internet poker has helped gaming firm 888 Holdings to post record revenue. The company said full year revenue increased 26 per cent with the number of customers gambling on its websites growing. At 31 December, 888 had 10.6m casino, poker and sport real money registered customer accounts, up 22 per cent from [...]
PC sales take a hit as e-reader demand rises February 7, 2012 PC shipments to the UK dropped at an annual rate of 19.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011, totalling 2.9m units and marking the UK’s fifth consecutive quarterly shipment decline according to Gartner data. Hit by the economy and growth in smartphones, tablets and e-readers, the Christmas period saw PC shipments slide further [...]
REVENUE GROWTH DISAPPOINTS AT DISNEY February 7, 2012 Walt Disney, which is set to re-release its classic Lady and the Tramp, last night reported a quarterly revenue increase that fell short of Wall Street expectations as media networks and theme parks gained but revenue at its movie studio declined. The operator of television networks ESPN and ABC, led by Robert Iger (inset), posted [...]
ONE HYDE PARK LOOKS FOR RETAIL BUYERS February 7, 2012 The developer of One Hyde Park, the luxury residential and retail complex in London’s Knightsbridge is looking to sell one of its stores on the ground floor for at least £21m. Project Grande, a joint venture between CPC Group and the Qatar Prime Minster, has appointed Savills to sell the space rented by the Abu [...]
ArcelorMittal thinks output will pick up February 7, 2012 ARCELORMITTAL, the world’s largest steelmaker, yesterday forecast an improvement in the first half of 2012 from a weak end to last year, with a clear pick up in North America but still concerns about Europe. The company, which makes around seven per cent of global steel, said yesterday steel shipments would return to the level [...]
Toyota raises full year outlook February 7, 2012 TOYOTA Motor raised its full-year profit forecast by more than a third yesterday as it cuts costs, trims spending and expects Japanese government schemes to boost sales, though the guidance was still some way below analysts’ expectations. Japan’s number one carmaker now expects operating profit – earnings from its core operations – for the year [...]
Coca-Cola’s cost savings add an extra fizz to strong results February 7, 2012 COCA-COLA reported better-than-expected quarterly results yesterday and announced a new cost-savings program yesterday that it will use to boost its brands and mitigate higher commodity costs. Coke’s results were “solid” given the weak global economy, said Consumer Edge Research analyst Bill Pecoriello. Coke’s new productivity programme is targeting annual savings of $350m (£220.3m) to $400m [...]
Anglo chief confident in Chile fight February 7, 2012 ANGLO American’s shareholders are “very supportive” of the company in its legal battle against copper producing giant Codelco in Chile, chief executive Cynthia Carroll said yesterday. “We are very confident about our legal position. We have acted within our rights and we are in no doubt about that,” Carroll said at a mining industry gathering. [...]
SWATCH CATCHES LUXURY MARKET BOOM February 7, 2012 STRONG demand for expensive watches in China helped Swatch Group clock up an 18 per cent rise in 2011 profits and build some sales momentum for the current year. Net profit at the Swiss-based group, known better for its colourful plastic watches than for ownership of high-end brands such as Omega and Breguet, rose 18.1 [...]