Dubai puts in bold £469m bid for Refco October 25, 2005 The fortunes of stricken American hedge fund Refco took a fresh twist yesterday after a bid led by the Dubai government and billionaire Ronald Burkle trumped offers for its future trading units. The Dubai group’s $828m (£468.8m) offer exceeds a $768m bid by private equity fund JC Flowers and $790m from Interactive Brokers Group LLC. [...]
Ericsson on brink of £1.2bn Marconi deal October 25, 2005 Swedish mobile phones giant Ericsson is expected to announce a £1.2bn cash deal this morning to purchase the major assets of British engineering group Marconi. Marconi shareholders are expected to receive a cash pay out of £2.50 to £3 per share at the start of next year. That is close to the price shares in [...]
KPMG staff scoop £59m in bonuses October 25, 2005 Secretaries and directors at KPMG will share in a £59m bonus bonanza. The 8,950 people who make up the accountancy firm’s British workforce will share in the £59m pot, which equates to just under £6,600 per person. The bonus pot has risen 68 per cent from £35m last year, when the company gave on average [...]
How the Queen’s Dressmaker got its cutting edge back October 25, 2005 When Timothy Maltin was just 27 he became the managing director of a national institution. Five years ago, Timothy Maltin went to work in tracksuit bottoms and a green Pilgrim Services sweatshirt top. Just the job when you’re running a grave tending business. But these days Maltin is chairman and chief executive of Hardy Amies, [...]
Beauty fixes to turn back the clock October 25, 2005 Horrific tales of botched cosmetic surgery might put some people off going under the knife. But there are now procedures available which claim to offer similar youthful benefits without resorting to such extreme measures. In Britain the popularity of cosmetic surgery continues to grow. Aside from the medical risk that these invasive procedures pose — [...]
The Phone War October 25, 2005 Richard Branson and Charles Dunstone lead our troops into battle over mobile networks in France. Precisely 200 years after Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar, a new Anglo-French battlefront has opened up, this one over mobile telephone networks. Sir Richard Branson is leading the troops in this latest skirmish. Yesterday, he announced a joint venture with Carphone [...]
England set for challenge October 25, 2005 England leave for their tour of Pakistan this morning confident of a safe stay on the subcontinent but also well aware that it will be a difficult couple of months. The squad gathered at Heathrow yesterday with the right noises being made about security in a country recently devastated by the Asian earthquake. Captain Michael [...]
Expect Monty to make his move at Masters October 25, 2005 The European season comes to a close this week with the traditional finale at Valderrama — the Volvo Masters. And I fully expect Colin Montgomerie to crown a remarkable return to form with an unprecedented eighth Order of Merit title. Monty goes into the tournament knowing exactly what he’s doing. The man is on very [...]
Murray will face Henman October 25, 2005 Tim Henman and Andy Murray will meet in anger on a tennis court for the first time tomorrow in round one of the Swiss Indoor Tournament in Basel. Murray was given a wild card for the event while Henman is the sixth seed as well as a two times former champion. The match is Murray’s [...]
End of the road for Cendant October 25, 2005 Cendant is to split into four separate companies, it revealed yesterday, as it also reported a slowdown in some of its leisure travel businesses. The American owner of Avis, the car rental company, Ramada hotels, and ebookers, wants to split into four listed companies after seeing its shares decline 9 per cent this year. Cendant [...]
