Shopping around is the future of law June 1, 2010 COMMENTATORS talk excitedly about “Tesco Law” and the ongoing liberalisation of legal services as though it were a latter day gold rush led by big name supermarkets and banks. But what is it that consumers want? New research suggests that there is little enthusiasm on the part of the public to associate legal services with [...]
Malaysian IT firm joins queue to list on Aim this year February 9, 2010 Malaysian IT systems integrator Teliti International is planning an Aim flotation that could give it a market capitalisation of up to £40m. The company provides services to banks, government agencies and oil and gas companies. It plans to raise £12m through the IPO (initial public offering) to build a new data centre in Malaysia, where [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 29, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphRATE HIKE THREATENS EXISTENCE OF RURAL PETROL STATIONSHundreds of rural petrol stations face closure if an “outrageous” increase in business rates is pushed through next April, forecourt owners have warned. Owners of the UK’s 6,000 independent petrol stations will this week launch a major MP-backed campaign to urge a government body to [...]
SAVINGS GIANTS IN MEGA-MERGER December 1, 2009 YORKSHIRE Building Society is in advanced merger talks with beleaguered competitor Chelsea, in a deal experts said could fuel further consolidation in the sector. A tie-up, yet to be approved by the FSA, would create a major force in the building society arena. With £38bn assets and 2.7m members it would be second only to [...]
Co-operative enjoys mutual benefits October 12, 2009 THE CO-OPERATIVE Group, Britain’s biggest mutually owned retailer, yesterday reported a 17 per cent rise in profits, boosted by strong food sales and acquisitions. The Co-op, which bought rival food retailer Somerfield and the Britannia Building Society earlier in the year, said pre-tax profits had jumped to £229m in the six months to 25 July. [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 22, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphWOMEN DIRECTORS EARN 50PC LESS THAN MENFemale board directors in the FTSE 350 are being paid half as much as their male counterparts, new research has found. The average female board director took home £178,246 in salary, bonuses, benefits and pension contributions in the 2008-09 financial year, while the average male director [...]
BUSINESS LUMINARIES TOAST THEIR SUCCESS November 10, 2009 IT’S one thing to see the chancellor of the exchequer give up an entire evening to sit through a business awards ceremony, but quite another when he manages to have the audience in stitches during his speech as well. That’s right, folks: it seems that 18 months of surviving on a few hours sleep a [...]
A legal Big Bang is round the corner, but most City firms are unprepared November 17, 2009 Do lawyers have a good profile? “Compared with estate agents and gunrunners, then yes”, replies Ian Dodds, director of BarFutures, a barristers’ chambers. But, alas, compared with more worthy professions such as doctors and teachers “probably not”. Quentin Poole, senior partner at Wragge & Co, reckons if the question was put to him a couple [...]
RYANAIR’S CHIEF O’LEARY PROVES HIMSELF A SUCKER FOR PUBLICITY October 13, 2009 RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary isn’t exactly renowned for taking criticism lying down, so the BBC’s Panorama programme will probably have seen yesterday’s tirade coming. After Monday evening’s programme on the airline, Ryanair unleashed a campaign to maximise publicity from the episode – offering 1.1m free flights, labelling the show a “hatchet job” and slamming 11 [...]
Robert Wiseman bullish after milk contract wins July 9, 2009 SCOTTISH dairy group Robert Wiseman said yesterday performance for the first quarter rose 8.5 per cent on the same period last year, thanks to a number of new contract wins. The firm took on three large milk supply contracts with the Co-op and two Spar wholesalers, Cappers and Blakemore. Robert Wiseman plans to increase capacity [...]