Laura Ashley lends colour to the high street as trading flourishes June 11, 2012 LAURA Ashley, the British home interiors and fashion designer, has continued to buck the gloom on the high street, reporting a strong boost in sales yesterday. The chain said total sales climbed by 4.1 per cent in the first 18 weeks of the year to 2 June, while like-for-like revenues jumped by 5.4 per cent. [...]
Virgin Active invests in UK and eyes further expansion abroad June 11, 2012 VIRGIN ACTIVE said yesterday it plans to invest £25m on revamping the 53 Esporta clubs it bought last year to bolster its presence in the UK, as the group unveiled a surge in full-year profits. The fitness group, which runs 259 sites in the UK, Europe, Australia and South Africa said that underlying earnings rose [...]
Restaurant Group hires Savills June 11, 2012 The Restaurant Group, the owner of the Garfunkel’s and Frankie & Benny’s chains, has hired property agents Savills to help scour the Midlands, East Anglia and South Wales for new restaurant sites. The company plans to add a further 35 sites in 2013, primarily in leisure parks and shopping centres.
Goals bid deadline extended June 11, 2012 Goals Soccer Centres, which runs five-a-side football centres in the UK, said yesterday it has extended for a third time the deadline for Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to make a bid for the firm. The Canadian pension fund, which also owns Camelot, the National Lottery operator, made a bid for the firm in April. The [...]
First Property posts rise in profits June 11, 2012 First Property Group, the Aim-listed fund manager, said it will continue to focus on the UK and Poland, as it posted a 35 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to £3.97m. Net assets under management fell slightly by £1m to £365m for the year to 31 March.
Eurotunnel takes Sea France boats June 11, 2012 Eurotunnel is to buy the three ships of bankrupt cross-Channel ferry operator SeaFrance for €65m, the Channel tunnel operator said yesterday, dipping its toe into sea transport.
Cable seeks compromise in row over no fault dismissal June 11, 2012 BUSINESS secretary Vince Cable last night sought to find a halfway house in the row over proposals to allow some companies to dismiss underperforming staff, suggesting instead the option of mutually agreed settlements. The government-commissioned Beecroft report, which proposed compensated no-fault dismissal as a way of liberalising the UK’s employment laws, had come under stinging [...]
Tokyo tops cost of living table for expatriates June 11, 2012 TOKYO is the most expensive city in the world for expatriates to live in, according to research released this morning, regaining its top position from Luanda, the capital of Angola. London – which has previously been as high as second on the list – is now in 25th place, behind the likes of São Paulo, Beijing [...]
FTSE 100 chiefs get 10 per cent jump in pay June 11, 2012 CHIEF executives in the FTSE 100 enjoyed a median pay rise of 10 per cent last year, according to research published today. While bosses were granted an average rise in salary of just 2.5 per cent, cash bonuses alongside benefits in kind and expected share awards bumped up the total payouts to a median figure [...]
Renewable energy grows June 11, 2012 RENEWABLE energy sources supplied 16.7 per cent of global energy consumption in 2011, but the $257bn of investment in the sector was still 15 per cent lower than into fossil power generation, two bodies reported yesterday. The investments were a 17 per cent increase on the previous year and 94 per cent higher than in [...]
