Carpetright cuts profits again as sales wear thin March 26, 2014 CARPETRIGHT issued its third profit warning in less than six months yesterday, saying that the recovery in the housing market has yet to reach its tills and lead to more people refurbishing their homes. The flooring specialist, whose boss Darren Shapland quit after its first October profit warning, said it now expected underlying pre-tax profit [...]
Moss Bros warns couples could put World Cup before weddings March 26, 2014 MOSS Bros’ chief executive Brian Brick yesterday said its wedding business was picking up again after a tough 2013 caused hire sales to fall 6.9 per cent but he warned that this summer’s World Cup could see couples delay tying the knot. “We had two very good years for weddings but last year was tougher [...]
French jobless at record high March 26, 2014 THE OFFICIAL number of French jobseekers soared by 31,500 in February, according to figures released yesterday that deal a blow to President Francois Hollande. There are now nearly 3.35m unemployed people in France seeking work – up by around 150,000 compared to a year earlier. Hollande is thought to be preparing a reshuffle of his Socialist [...]
AstraZeneca in Japan bet March 26, 2014 UK-BASED pharma giant AstraZeneca said yesterday that it has bought the part of its Japanese arm that it did not own from Sumitomo Chemical, for around 10bn yen (£60m). The decision to take over all of the shares in AstraZeneca KK “reinforces our focus on Japan as a key growth platform,” the company said. Meanwhile, [...]
Growth dips in March yet firms remain bullish March 26, 2014 BRITISH firms are looking forward to a prosperous second quarter according to a survey published this morning, despite growth slumping to its lowest rate for eight months in March. The latest growth indicator from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) slipped to a balance of plus 19 this month, down from February’s record level of [...]
Consumer confidence in Italy approaches a three-year high March 26, 2014 ITALIAN consumer confidence jumped to a near three-year high this month, official data revealed yesterday, providing a boost to new Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Morale on the high street has been sharply improving in many western countries in recent weeks, with strong US surveys sending stocks higher across the pond. And yesterday Italy’s stats office, [...]
King to return to New York University March 26, 2014 FORMER Bank of England governor Lord Mervyn King is set to return to the US later on this year, taking up a post at New York University at the start of the academic autumn term as a professor in both the economics and law departments. King previously taught at the school as a visiting professor [...]
TV sales lift Entertainment One March 26, 2014 Film and television distributor Entertainment One yesterday said it expects revenues and earnings for the year to 31 March to be higher than last year due to growth in its television division. Part of the boost is also due to synergies found following the acquisition of Alliance Films last year. The firm also said it [...]
Alliance hits double-digit growth March 26, 2014 Alliance Pharma, the Aim-listed firm that licenses and markets pharmaceuticals, revealed double-digit profit growth yesterday and issued an upbeat outlook on future earnings. Pre-tax profits climbed 11 per cent to £12m last year, on revenues of £45.5m (up from £44.9m). “We plan to gain momentum from further acquisitions during 2014,” said chairman Michael Gatenby. Shares [...]
Eclectic buys Covent Garden bar March 26, 2014 Eclectic, the bar group behind brands including Fez and Po Na Na, said yesterday it has bought Belgian brasserie Lowlander in London’s Covent Garden as it reported its first set of results since its November market debut. Eclectic, which raised £15m on the Aim market, said sales rose 9.6 per cent to £11.4m in the [...]
