Produce Investments lines up £12m potatover of Jersey Royal January 8, 2014 NEW potatoes could have a new owner in time for the spring harvest, as Aim-listed Produce Investments sizes up the biggest producer of Jersey Royals. The Jersey Royal Company produces around 25,000 tonnes of spuds a year and is the biggest user of land on the Channel Island. Produce Investments is reportedly offering £12m, making [...]
Former Costa Concordia boss steps down with €1.3m payout January 8, 2014 THE FORMER Costa Cruises chief executive, who was the public face of the company after the 2012 Costa Concordia disaster, has stepped down from the board of parent group Carnival with a €1.25m (£1m) payout. Pier Luigi Foschi retired as Costa chief executive in July 2012 but continued as chairman of the Italian cruise line, [...]
Facebook picks up India-based startup to boost its mobile apps January 8, 2014 FACEBOOK is buying India-based Little Eye Labs, a startup that builds performance analysis and monitoring tools for mobile Android apps, to help boost its technology as it focuses on growing revenue from its mobile business. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but media reports suggest the price was less than $15m. “The entire [...]
Blur sees dramatic project growth January 8, 2014 Online services exchange Blur Group yesterday announced a record-breaking fourth quarter update, with project volumes increasing by 188 per cent annually to 719 projects during the period, whilst the value of projects submitted is up over 1,500 per cent to $64.5m (£39.1m). Its success shows a growing confidence in the use of s-commerce, with stronger [...]
Tarsus beats 2013 expectations January 8, 2014 Exhibitions firm Tarsus announced record revenue growth in a trading update for 2013 yesterday. “Tarsus reported a big beat on like-for-like revenue growth at 11 per cent for full year, versus our 9.4 per cent estimate”, said Liberum Capital media analyst Ian Whittaker. However analysts reported that the company’s house broker had downgraded its forecasts [...]
Playtech prepares for new market January 8, 2014 Gaming software company Playtech signed a landmark agreement with Holland Casino yesterday in preparation of upcoming 2015 online gaming regulations in the Netherlands. Playtech will launch its entire gaming product suite including casino, poker, bingo, mobile and portal, partnering market leader Holland Casino, as it moves into the new market. Playtech already has successful partnerships [...]
Carney hunting risky investors and brokerages January 8, 2014 INVESTMENT funds and broker-dealers are next in line for tougher regulations, a global group of watchdogs said yesterday. The Financial Stability Board (FSB), headed by Bank of England governor Mark Carney, has already sought out global systemically important financial institutions (G-SIFIs) in the banking and insurance sectors. Now it wants to find the riskiest firms [...]
Interserve confirms 2013 guidance January 8, 2014 FTSE 250-listed support services and construction group Interserve yesterday reiterated its full-year guidance and said it continues to invest for growth, both in existing and new business streams. “The group has continued to perform well and in-line with expectations, maintaining good revenue visibility in 2014,” said Interserve in a statement. The UK-based company posted gross [...]
Mears replaces corporate brokers January 8, 2014 Mears, the social housing support services group, yesterday said it has hired Liberum and Peel Hunt as its joint corporate brokers, replacing Investec and Canaccord. Steve Pearce and Steve Tredget will be leading the Liberum team, while Justin Jones and Mike Bell are key players on the Peel Hunt team. Mears sold its specialist mechanical [...]
Dialight loses lustre after warning January 8, 2014 Shares in the LED lighting business Dialight plunged by 17 per cent to 700p yesterday after the firm warned its full-year profits would be lower than expected. Despite industrial lighting sales rising by 50 per cent in the last year, Dialight has more than halved its cashflow at £7m and now expects profit before tax [...]
