Heineken closes in on Punch Taverns as its investment vehicle buys 28 per cent stake February 6, 2017 Heineken has moved a step closer to completing its acquisition of Punch Taverns after its investment vehicle bought a significant stake in the British pub chain group. The Dutch brewer announced today that Vine Acquisitions, the vehicle it shares with partner Patron Capital, built up its share in the company to 28.5 per cent on Friday [...]
A quarter of MPs say Donald Trump shouldn’t be allowed to make a prestigious speech on his state visit February 6, 2017 Just over a quarter of the UK's MPs have now signed a motion calling for US president Donald Trump to be barred from making an address in the palace of Westminster during his state visit this year. Trump has already been invited to the UK by Prime Minister Theresa May, with a date for his arrival yet to [...]
Government kicks off next stage of £12bn student loanbook sell-off February 6, 2017 The government formally kicked off the next stage of its bid to sell £12bn-worth of student loans today. City A.M. revealed bankers from Barclays had been appointed to advise on the deal last month. Read more: Bankers appointed by government for latest student loans sell-off push The sale, which is being structured as a securitisation, is being [...]
This is how far house prices have plunged in Chelsea February 6, 2017 Chelsea house prices fell by as much as 13 per cent year-on-year in January as vendors were forced to drop prices due to higher transaction taxes. Data from estate agents Knight Frank shows prices on high-end homes have dropped sharply in London's most sought-after neighbourhoods. In Kensington and Notting Hill, prices have fallen by 12 per [...]
Delays on Hammersmith & City, Circle and Metropolitan lines due to a fire alert near Baker Street February 6, 2017 There are delays on the Hammersmith & City, Circle and Metropolitan lines due to a fire alert near Baker Street. There is no service between Wembley Park and Aldgate on the Metropolitan line, and there are minor delays on the other two lines. https://twitter.com/metline/status/828547386825900032 https://twitter.com/circleline/status/828549098651402242 https://twitter.com/hamandcityline/status/828549101843263488
UK car sales reach highest point since 2005 in January as alternative fuel vehicles push to record market share February 6, 2017 UK car purchases reached a 12-year high in January as the alternative fuel segment jumped to a record market share. Year-on-year growth hit 2.9 per cent in the month, with 174,564 new purchases, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Car-buyers eschewed diesel vehicles as increased concerns over air pollution continue to [...]
Meet the 96 companies taking a stand against Trump February 6, 2017 In an unprecedented uniting of mainly technology companies, 96 have joined forces to fight Donald Trump's controversial ban on people from certain countries entering the US. From giants such as Apple and Google, to smaller firms such as TaskRabbit and Stripe, they have filed what's called an amicus brief in the court of appeals, meaning they are interested [...]
Randgold shares soar after miner digs out boosted dividend and bumper profits February 6, 2017 Shares in Randgold have soared this morning, after the gold miner announced it was rewarding investors with a hefty boost to its dividend. The figures The company revealed that profits for the full year had risen to $294.2m (£236m), up 38.2 per cent compared with $212.8m the year before. Meanwhile, profits for the firm's fourth [...]
Boohoo moves forward with $20m acquisition of Nasty Gal February 6, 2017 Online fashion retailer Boohoo is moving forward with its $20m (£16m) acquisition of bankrupt rival Nasty Gal, announcing this morning that the deal will be completed by the end of the month. Boohoo, which targets millennial shoppers, announced its intentions to buy up Nasty Gal's intellectual property assets and customer database on 28 December. This [...]
Poor hiring decisions are costing businesses thousands of pounds February 6, 2017 Bad hiring decisions are routinely leaving five digit holes in businesses' budgets, research out today has found. In a survey by CV-Library, two-thirds (66.1 per cent) of recruiters confessed they had lost significant chunks of cash on a bad hiring calls. Meanwhile, just less than one in five (19.5 per cent) admitted a hire that [...]