John Laing due to float for the second time January 18, 2015 INFRASTRUCTURE investment group John Laing was silent yesterday on reports that it is to float on the London Stock Exchange again, seven years after it went private. The company, which has been owned by asset management group Henderson since 2006, is expected to raise tens of millions of pounds if it successfully completes its listing, [...]
Defined benefit pensions axed from big firms January 18, 2015 Fewer of the UK’s largest firms are offering substantial defined benefit (DB) pension schemes. The number of FTSE 100 companies offering sizeable DB schemes dropped from 65 to 56 in the 12 months to September, according to figures released yesterday by consultants JLT Employee Benefits. A DB scheme is defined as sizeable if the costs [...]
Centrica exec Colette Cohen takes top spot at The National College for onshore oil and gas January 18, 2015 The National College for onshore oil and gas has appointed Centrica’s Colette Cohen as its first chair. Cohen, who heads up Centrica’s UK oil and gas production business, will lead the college’s development board and help with business planning. She commented: “To build a successful shale gas industry it’s vital we attract young people to [...]
Marketers’ wages reach £66,106 after bonuses soar 17 per cent January 18, 2015 The salaries of marketers rose again last year with the average pay including bonuses hitting £66,106 in 2014, a nine per cent increase and the largest since the recession. Bonuses rose 17 per cent to an average of £8,118, according to research from marketing recruiter EMR – and 28,540 more marketers were in full time [...]
Fall in oil prices provides boost for UK economy January 18, 2015 The UK economy is set to benefit from the collapse in oil prices, according to the most recent quarterly forecast from the EY-sponsored Item Club. The economic forecasting group has stated that the decline in oil and other commodity prices will provide a “shot in the spending arm” for UK consumers, who will have more [...]
Saudi increased oil exports as Opec discussed output cuts January 18, 2015 Saudi Arabia’s oil exports rose to a seven-month high in November, the same month that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) decided to keep production levels unchanged in the face of falling oil prices. According to the statistics provider Joint Organisations Data Initiative, Saudi exports rose to 7.3m barrels a day, up from [...]
North Sea firms may be forced to cut spending January 18, 2015 NORTH Sea oil firm Enquest declined to comment yesterday on reports that it is looking at job cuts as a way to reduce spending. The company released an interim management statement in November last year, in an attempt to reassure investors. The firm revealed that it had hedged around 65 per cent of its projected [...]
Gear4music strikes right chord as sales jump January 18, 2015 GEAR4MUSIC, the online retailer of musical instruments and equipment, said sales surged 42 per cent in December, as customers snapped up everything from 99p Kazoos to “neighbour friendly” electronic drum kits and £8,000 Yamaha digital pianos. UK sales jumped 29 per cent while international sales doubled as it expanded its presence to 19 country-specific websites.
Will Arsene Wenger roll in for Swiss style celebrations? January 18, 2015 Switzerland will this week play host to an array of famous politicians, figures from the business world, and economists, as the World Economic Forum kicks off in Davos. Despite being one of the few people in football’s higher echelons to hold a degree in economics, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not expected to be present [...]
Ginger Spice brings va va voom to Formula One charity auction January 18, 2015 If you think the start of the Formula One season is marked by the glamorous unveiling of the coming year’s cars, then think again – for those in the know, the annual Park Lane auction in aid of Great Ormond Street has become the place to be seen for all big name petrol-heads. This year [...]
