LLOYDS TRADER, A BORIS BIKE, AND THE APPEAL December 12, 2011 THERE seems to be no limit to the feats of endurance some City workers will perform for a good cause. For Opportunity International, the charity behind City A.M.’s Christmas appeal, one brave Lloyds Banking Group trader decided to tackle a 200-mile bike ride in less than 24 hours. What made the challenge particularly gruelling was [...]
£250,000 RAISED IN THREE WEEKS December 12, 2011 OUR Christmas charity appeal has raised a staggering £250,000 in just three weeks – all thanks to our generous readers. Please find the time to make your contribution, and through our match funding agreement, all donations from UK individuals will be matched by the Government pound for pound. You can also try your hand at [...]
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL UK December 12, 2011 There has been more news over the past week focusing on the increasing numbers of people in the UK running up large debts. At this time of year, of course, there is always heightened concern as consumers stretch credit limits to push the boat out for the festive season. Listening to the talk of payday [...]
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED AS MARK HIX MOVES INTO BELGRAVES HOTEL December 12, 2011 THE RUMOURS have been swirling around the leisure industry for months, and Thompson Hotels yesterday confirmed that chef Mark Hix will run the restaurant and bar at its new hotel launch Belgraves, due to open in January. The 80-seat Hix Belgravia, the chef’s fourth restaurant, will offer a menu inspired by his travels around the [...]
CSR cuts off loss-making digital arm December 12, 2011 COMPUTER chip manufacturer CSR was the highest riser in the FTSE 250 yesterday after the company announced its intent to pull out of its loss-making digital television and silicon tuner businesses. Shares rose by as much as 15 per cent before closing up 10 per cent at 183p. The move, which will save the chip [...]
CITY VIEWS: WHAT ARE THE MOST DESIRABLE TECH ITEMS THIS CHRISTMAS? December 12, 2011 KENNY BHATTI EGLIN HOLDINGS “I will be looking to buy Apple products like the Mac book pro or the LED cinema display, which is better to work with and watch films. I am also waiting for Apple around February to release its television.” JESSICA REEVES LEAP CR “I don’t have any requests per say for [...]
Martin Marietta bids for Vulcan December 12, 2011 Construction aggregates maker Martin Marietta Materials has made an unsolicited $5bn offer to buy larger rival Vulcan Materials in stock, in a bid to create the global leader in the industry. The companies began considering a deal more than a year and a half ago, but Vulcan broke off talks in recent months. CJS Securities [...]
Thyssen sells superyacht business December 12, 2011 ThyssenKrupp has sold its Blohm + Voss superyacht and two other marine units to British buyout firm Star Capital, in a deal worth up to €150m, as the German steelmaker focuses instead on building military vessels. The sale is part of the company’s €10bn divestment plan begun this year to lower its debt, including a [...]
OFT tobacco fines overturned December 12, 2011 Imperial Tobacco and several leading retailers have won a court battle to overturn record fines imposed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over allegations of unlawful pricing. A fine of £112.3m handed down to Imperial Tobacco last year was reversed, while Morrisons, Asda, Co-Op and Shell also had cases against them overturned by the [...]
Areva halts trading over nuclear loss December 12, 2011 SHARES in Areva France’s state-owned nuclear energy company were suspended in Paris yesterday after losses associated with the Fukushima crisis in Japan took their toll. The nuclear reactor maker had been expected to take heavy writedowns related to cancellation of orders. The declining value of UraMin, a Canadian uranium miner bought by Areva in 2007 [...]