Bob Diamond takes interim chairman role at Africa-focused banking firm Atlas Mara October 11, 2016 Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond has been appointed interim chairman of African banking firm Atlas Mara. He will step in to the role when current chairman Arnold Ekpe stands down on 1 December. "It has been a privilege to serve as chairman of Atlas Mara," Ekpe said. "What the team has achieved in establishing and [...]
Ted Baker’s share price rises as retailer hikes dividend and posts 21 per cent profit October 11, 2016 Retailer Ted Baker has shrugged off "challenging trading conditions" to hike its dividend and post robust double-digit profit growth in the first half of the year. The figures Revenue at the clothes and accessories maker rose by 14.4 per cent to £259.5m in the 28 weeks to 13 August, while profit before tax grew by 20.5 per cent [...]
Megabrew is done: AB InBev’s £79bn takeover of SABMiller completes October 11, 2016 Anheuser-Busch InBev completed its tie-up with British drinks behemoth SABMiller last night, combining to form the world's biggest brewer in a £79bn merger. The new company, which will continue to trade under AB InBev's name, will have operations "in virtually every major beer market". AB InBev chief exec Carlos Brito said: As a truly global brewer, we [...]
London commuters set for delays and disruption on train services as Southern rail strike kicks off October 11, 2016 Commuters travelling in and out of London on Southern services are facing delays and disruption as RMT union members embarked on the latest round of strike action – and engineering works are creating mroe chaos on the train lines. Workers are taking industrial action against Southern's plans to get rid of conductors and operate driver-only [...]
Pure Gym avoids overstretch as it confirms it has pulled the plug on a £190m London IPO October 11, 2016 Pure Gym confirmed this morning it has abandoned plans to proceed with an initial public offering (IPO), citing concerns about a "challenging" and volatile market. The company, which is the UK's largest gym operator, announced it was planning a £190m share sale in mid-September. Pure Gym had planned to use the proceeds to repay its existing [...]
Q&A with Andrew Kerr: how you can help shape Edinburgh’s future October 11, 2016 | City Talk Edinburgh’s residents, businesses and partners are being invited to help shape the capital’s future under the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision project. We spoke to City of Edinburgh Council chief executive Andrew Kerr to discover more. What is the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision? Edinburgh has always been known as a city of innovation and change. The last 30 [...]
Samsung shares slide as electronics giant halts Galaxy Note 7 sales on exploding battery concerns October 11, 2016 Shares in Samsung were down 6.7 per cent this morning after the South Korean electronics giant halted sales of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and urged customers to switch off their devices. The company has asked all global carriers to stop selling the Note 7 devices and halt exchanges of the original device for replacements, while it works [...]
Asia minister announces “technopreneur” tie-up between Britain and Indonesia October 11, 2016 The Foreign Office has announced a new trade partnership with Indonesia to create a generation of “technopreneurs”, providing a signal of how post-Brexit Britain intends to look beyond the EU in developing economic ties. Britain's Asia Minister Alok Sharma MP, will unveil the plans during his trip this week to Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. The project will fund training for young scientists [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan to call on government to prioritise access to the EU’s Single Market October 11, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan will today urge the government to prioritise access to the EU’s Single Market as it enters crucial Brexit negotiations. Speaking at an event organised by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Khan will emphasise the need to “safeguard future economic prosperity and help maintain London’s position as a global financial centre”. [...]
Business rates that hit London need reform October 11, 2016 Business rates are a blunt instrument, one which is set to deliver a heavy blow to London’s retailers, offices and hotels. Rates are due to rise from next April after a revaluation of rateable values for England’s 1.85m commercial properties by the Valuation Office Agency. It is the first such revaluation since 2010. Analysis by [...]