Fat Face plots first US store despite profit fall August 21, 2015 FAT FACE is gearing up for expansion overseas after revealing plans yesterday to open its first two stores in the US before Christmas. The casual clothing chain, which has 216 shops in the UK and Ireland has invested a record £9m over the past year on improving its IT and distribution network as well as [...]
Isis fight sends Iraq to debt markets August 21, 2015 Baghdad plans to raise $6bn as ongoing battles with militants have decimated infrastructure. Iraq is heading to the bond markets with hopes of raising billions, as low oil prices and the fight against Isis eat into state finances. Deputy governor of Iraq’s central bank, Zuhair Ali Akbar, confirmed the country will issue $6bn [...]
Stock earnings spirited away by Pole tax August 21, 2015 STOCK Spirits yesterday revealed big drops in revenue and profit as price wars in Poland continued to bite. The FTSE 250 drinks firm reported a 77.6 per cent slide in operating profit to €5.2m (£3.7m) and a 21.6 per cent fall in revenue to €108m in its interim results. Issues in the company’s Polish supply [...]
Ashes 2015: Blitz Australia again, Ben Stokes tells England August 21, 2015 England all-rounder Ben Stokes has urged his side to summon the brutal form which has repeatedly decimated Australia in a single session this series after a sedate start to the fifth Investec Ashes Test at the Kia Oval yesterday. Opener David Warner and captain-elect Steve Smith drove a resilient Australia’s response to two harrowing Test [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: Paris audition doesn’t faze cool Luther Burrell August 21, 2015 England centre Luther Burrell has denied he is feeling the heat ahead of his latest audition for a place in head coach Stuart Lancaster’s Rugby World Cup squad. Lancaster has claimed the “spotlight” will be on Burrell after naming the Northampton centre in his starting XV for England’s World Cup warm-up clash against France in [...]
HP sales slip as consumers hold off buying PCs August 21, 2015 Computing giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) reported its fourth straight quarter of lower revenues yesterday, pointing to a strong dollar, weak personal computer sales and lower demand from corporates for its services. Falling demand for PCs has severely impacted the company, with HP reporting a drop in quarterly sales in 15 of the last 16 quarters. Revenue at HP’s [...]
Manufacturers and home sales buoy US outlook August 20, 2015 Manufacturers in the Philadelphia region are growing strongly this month, according to survey figures released yesterday, easing fears over the sector’s health. Meanwhile, US existing house purchases rose to an eight-year high last month, showing that consumer spending was in fine fettle. The Philadelphia Federal Index ticked up to a score of 8.3 this month from [...]
Premier cuts costs as it joins the oil leak August 20, 2015 Premier Oil yesterday announced losses of $214.7m (£137m) as the effects of over-supply in the market made their way on to another oil company’s balance sheets. The firm’s losses came despite revenues coming in ahead of expectations at $577. Premier said it had implemented a series of cost-cutting measures to see it through a period [...]
Strong first half for Rabobank as Dutch economy rebounds August 20, 2015 DUTCH lender Rabobank booked 41 per cent higher net profit in the first half of 2015, lifted by a rebounding Dutch economy and a steep fall in provisions for bad loans, it said yesterday. Net profit in the six-month period was €1.52bn, helped by strong retail banking profit in the Netherlands, where an economic recovery [...]
Gains beat pain for Costain with record orders August 20, 2015 ENGINEERING consultancy Costain yesterday reported growth in both revenue and profits for the first half of the year, citing growth in infrastructure as the main reason behind the increase. Half-year revenue was £601.5m, up from the previous total of £504m, while profit had risen by 42 per cent to £10m. The company, which is currently [...]
