Halfords’ first half profits pedal ahead November 19, 2009 BIKE and car parts retailer Halfords laid out ambitious expansion plans yesterday as it announced strong first half results that saw pre-tax profits surge 24 per cent to £60.9m. The company is planning to open 150 stores in central Europe following a successful trial with four outlets in the Czech Republic. It will also add [...]
Sales grow at Morrisons November 19, 2009 WM Morrison yesterday unveiled strong third quarter sales, a day after the City and investors were left reeling from the shock departure of its chief executive Marc Bolland. The group said like-for-like sales rose 4.3 per cent in the 13 weeks to 1 November, just below expectations, as slowing food inflation pegged back growth from [...]
BLUE-BLOODED CAZENOVE AND THE MYSTERY OF A TRUE ANCIENT RELIC November 19, 2009 BLUE-blooded City stockbroker Cazenove might have officially agreed to surrender the rest of itself to US investment bank JP Morgan, but something tells The Capitalist the die-hards won’t be ready to forget the firm’s noble heritage in a hurry. Lunch yesterday was with a City chum who remembers Caz’s days at its old headquarters in [...]
Irish clamour for replay set to be rejected out of hand November 19, 2009 DEJECTED Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni has conceded there is no chance of their hugely controversial World Cup play-off with France being replayed. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have demanded world governing body Fifa stage a re-run, after Thierry Henry admitted handling the ball in the build-up to William Gallas’s decisive extra-time goal. [...]
Henry’s handball was no Maradona. I should know November 19, 2009 ON THE BALL WITH TREVOR STEVEN HAVING been in the England team on the day we were dumped out of the 1986 World Cup by the original Hand of God goal, I know exactly what the Ireland lads will be going through. All that any player wants is to represent their country at the World [...]
Unjust goal makes me ashamed, says Ginola November 19, 2009 FORMER Tottenham star David Ginola has called Thierry Henry’s handball “a pure injustice”, admitting the unsavoury episode has left him ashamed to be French. Politicians and press across the Channel roundly condemned the hotly-disputed extra-time goal that broke Irish hearts on Wednesday night. And Ginola, who played for Les Bleus, Spurs, Newcastle and Aston Villa, [...]
Monye: Put faith in me to bounce back November 19, 2009 UGO MONYE has told how a church blessing has helped him put last week’s “absolute stinker” of a performance against Argentina behind him. The Harlequins back filled in as a makeshift full-back at Twickenham last Saturday but was horrendously exposed by the Pumas’ incessant kicking game. Committed Christian Monye was ultra-critical of his display and [...]
Button: I took a pay cut to join McLaren November 19, 2009 JENSON BUTTON has denied his move to McLaren was motivated by money – insisting he even took a pay cut to make the switch. The 29-year-old clinched his first world championship with Brawn GP this season, but has signed a three-year deal to join fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton at the Woking-based McLaren outfit. Brawn were [...]
Westwood seizes upper hand in Dubai November 19, 2009 STARLET Rory McIlroy admitted struggling to cope with the pressure after England’s Lee Westwood snatched the initiative on the first day of the Dubai World Championship. McIlroy, 20, came into the season-ending tournament – which will decide who scoops the European Tour Order of Merit and a €1.8m cheque – leading the money list. But [...]
‘In your face’ tactics won’t concern us, warns Strauss November 19, 2009 ANDREW STRAUSS has told his players to let their cricket do the talking while ignoring South Africa’s “in your face” tactics. The England captain has history against the Proteas and is fully expecting another series of confrontation and controversy this winter. Strauss leads his side out for the first of a five-match one-day series in [...]
