Domino’s eyes further gains July 20, 2009 DOMINO’S , the pizza delivery chain, yesterday showed it was slicing its way through the downturn, reporting a 25.2 per cent jump in pre-tax profit to £13.6m from £10.9m a year earlier, as the trend for dining at home shows no signs of abating. Sales at the pizza chain are booming, with like-for-like sales up [...]
Downturn hits downtown as shops lie empty July 20, 2009 ONE in eight shops are lying empty in the UK according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which today sets out its rescue strategy for the retail landscape. It says 12 per cent of town centre shops are now vacant, three times as many than last autumn, as retailers have been hit by the slump [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS July 20, 2009 MEGGITTDeutsche Bank upgraded Meggitt to a “buy” rating, saying that it believes that the aerospace aftermarket should start to show some progress in the second half. The broker said that concerns over the engineer’s balance sheet are over done and believes that the firm’s strong management record will help sustain earnings. DSMAs part of its [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 20, 2009 KewillKewill, the provider of software and solutions that simplify global trade and logistics, has announced the appointment of Karen Bach to the board as chief financial officer (CFO) with effect from 17 August. Bach joins Kewill from Advanced Computer Software, where she was CFO, where she was closely involved in its over the last year [...]
Anglo chairman slams merger July 20, 2009 Anglo American chairman Sir John Parker yesterday slammed rival Xstrata’s plan to force a £40bn merger. Parker, who will succeed Mark Moody-Stuart as chairman of London-based Anglo on 1 August, said the merger proposed by rival mining company Xstrata Plc has a “clear value gap” and is a “great distraction” to management. “What looks good [...]
Profits dive at jobs firm SThree July 20, 2009 Recruiter SThree yesterday posted a 53 per cent fall in first-half pre-tax profits after the staffing firm’s revenue was hit by a collapse in job markets, especially in the UK. But the IT jobs company – which maintained its interim dividend at 4p per share – said it continued to invest for the future, expanding [...]
City’s most successful accountant still has plenty of fire in his belly July 20, 2009 IT IS EASY to tell when you are nearing , Deloitte boss John Connolly’s office because an awful lot of people you bump into in the firm’s corridors begin to ask about his welfare. “Is John in?” asks one, a tad nervously. “What mood is he in today?” asks another. There is a feeling of [...]
CITY EYE July 20, 2009 Who said the City has lost its sense of humour?This eye-catching advert was spotted outside Green Door steakhouse on Cornhill, opposite the Royal Exchange.
TORIES PLEDGE TO ABOLISH THE FSA July 19, 2009 A CONSERVATIVE government would abolish the “failed” tripartite system of financial regulation and hand chief responsibility for supervision back to the Bank of England, shadow chancellor George Osborne will confirm today. Osborne will outline plans to dismantle the regulatory architecture designed by Gordon Brown in today’s response to chancellor Alistair Darling’s white paper on financial [...]
Watchdog staff set for exodus July 19, 2009 SENIOR staff at the City’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) have complained that shadow chancellor George Osborne’s determination to downgrade the organisation if a Conservative government is elected next year has seriously affected its ability to hire key people and has damaged morale. “External people have withdrawn suddenly from job applications,” said one FSA staffer, citing [...]