Heathrow back in black as fees for airlines rise February 24, 2014 HEATHROW swung to a profit of £426m last year, helped by the sale of Stansted and rising charges. Europe’s busiest airport by passenger traffic posted an 11.3 per cent rise in revenues to almost £2.5bn, and reversing last year’s pre-tax loss of £33m. Aeronautical income, generated by charging airlines to use the airport, rose 19 [...]
London Assembly warns of the forgotten green impact of HS2 February 24, 2014 THE PLANS to build the first leg of the High Speed 2 railway ignore many effects on Londoners’ health and well-being, the London Assembly said yesterday. Extra noise, lost green space and air pollution kicked off with a decade of construction work should be included in the government’s cost-benefit sums, it added. The Assembly was [...]
Aer Lingus hopes new flights to America will boost its earnings February 24, 2014 AER LINGUS hopes growing demand for its long-haul links between Ireland and North America will push earnings higher this year, after the firm posted a 2.2 per cent slide in pre-tax profits to €39.5m (£32.6m) for 2013. The airline said a sweltering summer had kept some passengers at home, hitting traffic particularly on its short-haul [...]
M&G adds muscle to Bannatyne’s Health Clubs with new £92m deal February 24, 2014 THE BANNATYNE Group has agreed a £92m deal with M&G Investments for the sale and leaseback of the ground leases of 39 Bannatyne’s Health Clubs. The cash injection will free the Bannatyne Group from millions of pounds of bank debt and allow it to clear its loans with the failed Anglo Irish Bank. Entrepreneur and [...]
TfL staff who kept services open during strike handed £25 bonus February 24, 2014 TRANSPORT for London staff who volunteered to help at stations during last month’s Tube strike have been given a £25 bonus, in a move derided as “gesture politics” by one of the trade unions. Hundreds of workers will be handed high street vouchers to recognise their efforts “over and above their day jobs”, said London [...]
Contractors hit by bankruptcy February 24, 2014 Self-employed contractors have risen to become a much larger share of UK bankruptcies, according to research by Professional Representation Network. Contractors made up 24 per cent of bankruptcies in the second quarter of 2013, in comparison to eleven per cent in the same period of 2007. The researchers say that a more strict regulatory environment [...]
Ed Davey signs clean energy deal February 24, 2014 Energy secretary Ed Davey yesterday signed an agreement with power giant Shell to develop the Peterhead carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to the next phase of design. The government says that the low-carbon venture, which has strategic support from energy firm SSE, could generate enough clean energy to power half a million homes. The [...]
New Vatican financial overseers February 24, 2014 Pope Francis has announced sweeping changes to the Vatican’s bureaucracy, including a new secretariat for the economy to supervise financial affairs. Australian Cardinal George Pell has been named prefect of the new economics secretariat. He will report to a new 15-member economy council made up of eight cardinals reflecting various parts of the world and [...]
Bunzl soars as spending spree boosts earnings February 24, 2014 SHARES in Bunzl soared nearly seven per cent yesterday, after the distribution and outsourcing group unveiled full-year results that beat expectations and new acquisitions. The FTSE 100-quoted firm posted adjusted earnings per share of 82.4p in 2013, which was five per cent above market forecasts and a 15 per cent increase on 2012. The dividend [...]
Venture capitalists pour £25m into big data firm eCommera February 24, 2014 FAST growing retail technology company eCommera, which works with huge retailers like Asda and House of Fraser, has secured a further $41m (£25m) in funding from investors, it said yesterday. The company, based in London, said investors like Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP had put more cash into the company alongside backers such as West Coast [...]
