New UK restaurant openings soar as pubs dwindle September 21, 2015 The number of restaurants across the UK surpassed the number of pubs that are predominantly drinking holes for the first time this year, fuelled by the booming casual dining trend and improving consumer confidence. Research released yesterday by AlixPartners and CGA Peach reveals that a net 1,770 new restaurants opened in the year to 30 [...]
Government action on broadband puts UK ahead of European peers September 21, 2015 THE UK government’s approach to extending superfast broadband access costs less than state sponsored initiatives in other countries. This is part of the reason that the UK will outperform its European peers on telecoms performance for the next five years, and will become one of the best performing countries in the world by 2020, according [...]
Saxo Bank boss to leave the board September 21, 2015 SAXO Bank’s co-founder and co-chief executive Lars Seier Christensen has decided to step down at the end of 2015, after 20 years on the company’s board. His co-founder Kim Fournais will continue as sole chief exec. From 1 January 2016, Saxo’s board will consist of Fournais, Steen Blaafalk, group finance chief and risk officer, and [...]
Channel 4 bids to retain Lord Burns as chair September 21, 2015 Channel 4 is reported to be in talks with government officials and the media regulator, Ofcom, in a bid to retain Lord Burns as its chairman beyond the end of his second term in January. Discussions are taking place between Ofcom and the department for culture, media and sport (DCMS), according to Sky News, which [...]
Rail adds £10.1 bn to UK economy September 21, 2015 Britian’s rail industry is adding up to £10.1bn a year to the national economy, according to a new report. Economists at Oxera Consulting carried out the research on behalf of the Rail Delivery Group, an industry lobby group representing train operators. The economists found that rail boosts economic productivity by up to £11.3bn each year [...]
US home resales cool off in August September 21, 2015 FOLLOWING three consecutive months of gains, the rate of US home resales fell by more than analysts’ forecasts in August, according to data released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) yesterday. The annualised figure was down 4.8 per cent in August from an eight-year high of 5.58m in July. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun [...]
Stevia maker PureCircle aims for main market as profits rise September 21, 2015 STEVIA ingredients producer PureCircle is set to move to the London Stock Exchange’s main market, after reporting a 78 per cent rise in profits for the year to 30 June 2015. The firm’s revenue jumped 26 per cent to $127m (£82m). PureCircle’s increased profitability has been driven by a rise in demand for natural sugar [...]
Rollercoaster day for bonds in Portugal, just two weeks before national elections September 21, 2015 Portuguese government bonds went on a rollercoaster ride yesterday as the country gears up for national elections in two weeks. The interest rate on Portugal’s 10-year government bond dropped to a one-month low of 2.46 per cent early in the morning. But later in the day the rate rose as high as 2.56 per cent. [...]
Small business owners feel benefits of growing economy September 21, 2015 Two thirds of small business owners are confident about the opportunities for business growth over the next five years. A survey by insurers Axa shows that 62 per cent of SME owners say they are thriving as a result of owning their own business. Glen Parkinson, SME business director at Axa PPP healthcare, said: “It’s [...]
Medium-sized deal makers join the M&A party September 21, 2015 COMPANIES involved in takeovers have been financially outperforming their peers in recent months, new research showed yesterday. Acquirers in medium-sized deals, between $100m (£64m) and $1bn, outperformed a global index of companies by 14 percentage points in the three months to September, research from Towers Watson and Cass Business School shows. Larger deals – over [...]
