HSBCto snap up RBS assets October 7, 2009 HSBC Holdings is understood to be in talks to buy the Asian banking assets of stricken rival Royal Bank of Scotland. RBS is trying to offload its Chinese, Indian and Malaysian retail and commercial banking assets to pay back some of the government’s giant £37bn bailout. Talks between RBS and Standard Chartered over the assets [...]
Cranswick brings home the bacon as sales rise October 7, 2009 PORK supplier Cranswick yesterday said that its first half sales rose in-line with expectations, helped by an acquisition. Cranswick – which supplies fresh pork and gourmet sausages to the UK’s food retail and manufacturing sectors – said the business had been impacted by a rise in pig prices, although these now appear to have peaked. [...]
Japanese beer lifts Shepherd Neame volumes October 7, 2009 SHEPHERD Neame, the brewer of Spitfire and Bishops Finger ales yesterday said sales remained strong after a further surge in demand for its bottled beers. The group reported a 6.3 per cent jump in total beer sales volumes for the year ended 27 June. It also reported a bigger jump of 10 per cent in [...]
All eyes on Christmas for Thorntons as sales jump October 7, 2009 CHOCOLATE retailer Thorntons yesterday said it was well-positioned for Christmas as it posted a 2.3 per cent rise in first-quarter sales, sending its shares up by five per cent in morning trading. Thorntons, which trades from 378 stores and 199 franchises, said its total sales increased to £46.8m in the 14 weeks to 3 October, [...]
Traffic drops at Air France as slump hits October 7, 2009 AIR FRANCE-KLM, Europe’s biggest airline, yesterday said its traffic for September fell 3.7 per cent year-on-year, and reported continued pressure on revenues. But the Franco-Dutch carrier said it had boosted its load factor, a measure of how full its planes are. The airline carried 6.2m passengers in September, down 5.3 per cent on 2008, while [...]
Aer Lingus cuts jobs and pay in a bid to save 97m a year October 7, 2009 AER LINGUS, the Irish airline, is axing around 800 jobs as it seeks to save €97m (£90m) a year by 2011. The shamrock-crested carrier, which has fended off two hostile bids from Irish rival Ryanair – one of the most cost-efficient players in the industry – said it could not survive “in a situation where [...]
BAs’ unions threaten strike action if staff are forced to leave the airline October 7, 2009 BRITISH AIRWAYS’ (BA) staff unions were last night locked in emergency talks, following the carrier’s decision to cut 1,700 cabin crew staff. The ubiquitous Unite union claims BA made the move without reaching an agreement, and us now threatening strikes over the Christmas period. Earlier this week, BA said 1,000 of its cabin staff had [...]
Q & A : WHERE HAVE THE STRIKE THREATS COME FROM? October 7, 2009 Q. WHAT ARE THE UNIONS OPPOSING?A. On Tuesday, British Airways announced it was cutting 1,700 jobs and was introducing a two-year pay freeze for cabin crew as it looks to cut costs in the downturn. It also said it would recruit new staff on different terms and conditions to current employees. Unite has denounced the [...]
Pulling MACHINE October 6, 2009 AS I write this, I am sitting watching the sunset across the Gulf of St Tropez, about to drive back to Blighty towing a photographer friend’s two-tonne boat. My friend Kos, you see, is a yacht photographer who uses a Range Rover Sport to tow her boats to sailing regattas around Europe. She is looking [...]
Sweeten your home the Candy way October 6, 2009 FROM time to time we all sit and wonder about the kind of home we’d have if money were no object. Imagine the bedroom. Vast flatscreen telly? De rigueur. Cavernous walk-in wardrobe? Yes please, ideally with outfits rotated electronically. En suite with jacuzzi? Why not. Supercar hoisted up and parked at the end of the [...]
