Dot London domain launches for city’s businesses to stake claim April 28, 2014 LONDON’S own dedicated web address .London launches today at 4pm when registration for the new domain name opens for Londoners. From today the first .London websites will start to go live, marking the start of a three month period during which London’s businesses and individuals with registered trademarks can buy .London domains before anyone else. [...]
Shoe Zone putting its best foot forward with a £50m stock float April 28, 2014 DISCOUNT footwear chain Shoe Zone has become the latest retailer queuing up to float on the London Stock Exchange this year. The family-run chain, which runs 554 stores in the UK and Ireland, is looking to raise up to £50m in an initial public offering (IPO) on London’s Alternative Investment Market next month that is [...]
Housing market boosts Pimlico Plumbers’ sales April 28, 2014 PIMLICO Plumbers, one of the UK’s biggest independent plumbing companies, is on track to hit record sales of £20m this year after benefiting from a rebound in the housing market. Charlie Mullins, the founder and chief executive of the London-based group, said homeowners in the capital were taking on bigger “pre-recession property projects” such as [...]
Bidders circle Lend Lease’s stake in Bluewater shopping centre April 28, 2014 SOME OF the UK property industry’s biggest players are circling Lend Lease’s £550m stake in Bluewater shopping centre in what could become a heated battle for the prized site. British Land, Land Securities, Hammerson, Westfield, Intu and M&G Real Estate are reported to have all lodged initial expressions of interests for the Kent shopping centre, [...]
Fitness First to invest £83m in expanding its footprint in Asia April 28, 2014 FITNESS FIRST is to inject more than $140m (£83m) into growing its presence in south east Asia, where rising incomes and government efforts to combat rising levels of obesity are driving more people to the gym. The chain, which was taken over by its lender Oaktree Capital and Marathon Capital in a debt for equity [...]
Deloitte opens digital office in the capital’s technology district April 28, 2014 DELOITTE has followed KPMG, Tesco and William Hill by moving its digital operations team into the heart of London’s Tech City with a new office in Clerkenwell. The business services firm said it will move 170 staff from its 400-strong UK digital division into the new office on Clerkenwell Green. “If you look at how [...]
Devro issues profit warning April 28, 2014 Shares in sausage skin maker Devro slid 11 per cent yesterday after the company warned that it expected profits to be around £8m lower than expected due to lower volumes and costs related to investments in low-cost manufacturing technology. The group behind edible collagen casings for bratwurst, salami and chorizo, said sales are also expected [...]
Kingfisher begins capital return April 28, 2014 Kingfisher, Europe’s largest home improvements retailer, said yesterday it had begun its programme to return £200m to shareholders this year after buying and cancelling 500,000 ordinary shares. It paid between 409.9p and 414.95p for the shares. The B&Q and Screwfix owner announced last month that it would launch a multi-year programme starting with £200m in [...]
KFC to create 6,500 new jobs April 28, 2014 Fast food chain KFC announced plans yesterday to open 150 restaurants in the UK and Ireland over the next five years, creating up to 6,500 new jobs. The fried chicken chain, which is owned by the US firm Yum Brands, said it will begin by investing £21m to open 32 new stores before the end [...]
Heathrow sees more support for new runway April 28, 2014 HEATHROW Airport said support is building for its ambition to build a third runway, as its earnings soared following a one-off bump in airline fees. Britain’s busiest airport will submit its latest proposal for a new runway on 14 May, in a bid to convince the government’s Davies Commission that Heathrow should be allowed to [...]
