Punch Taverns slows disposal of pubs as performance improves January 6, 2014 PUNCH Taverns yesterday said its disposal of non-core pubs would take longer than anticipated after they performed better than expected. The chain previously announced it would close these 1,106 non-core pubs as they are smaller and predominantly led by alcohol sales. “Given the limited scope for investment, these pubs are more likely to be impacted [...]
UK Box office revenue slipped last year January 6, 2014 UK BOX offices saw takings fall by nearly one per cent in 2013, the largest fall in 20 years, according to data from tracker Rentrak. Last year’s biggest movies brought in £1.7bn. In comparison, 2012 saw three films grossing over £50m each at the UK box office hitting £1.8bn for the year. The UK box [...]
Net-a-Porter losses narrow as plans pay off January 6, 2014 NET-A-Porter, the luxury online retailer, said it narrowed its losses by around £4m last year as its investment in growing its presence overseas began to pay off. The group, which is owned by Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont, made a loss before tax of £23.2m in the year to 31 March 2013. That compares with a [...]
London overtakes New York as top city for property investment January 6, 2014 LONDON has overtaken New York as the best city in the world to invest in real estate, according to a survey released by a global investor group yesterday. Nearly a quarter of the points awarded to a range of worldwide cities went to London in 2013, with New York in second place with just over [...]
Lush Cosmetics bucks high street Christmas gloom with sales rise January 6, 2014 LUSH Cosmetics, the retailer famed for its bath bombs and other strong smelling soaps, bucked the gloom on the high street this Christmas to post a 13.4 per cent rise in sales. The Dorset-based firm said its 106 UK stores raked in £20m of sales during the five weeks up to 29 December, with sales [...]
London’s most chic postcode? Look no further January 6, 2014 BORIS Johnson has been looking for something. No, not a hairbrush, but London’s most stylish postcode – to celebrate London Collections: Men, the menswear answer to London Fashion Week, which launched yesterday. Well, the mayor can call the sartorial search off now and look no further than the City – the style here is as [...]
Former banking star Cruz signs for Old Mutual January 6, 2014 ONE OF Wall Street’s most powerful businesswomen Zoe Cruz was yesterday appointed to a £77,000 a year boardroom role at FTSE 100 fund manager Old Mutual. Cruz, who was co-president of Morgan Stanley until 2007 and was once tipped as the future boss of the bank, will join as non-executive director and sit on its [...]
Swiss National Bank warns it will swing to a loss for the year January 6, 2014 THE SWISS National Bank said it would swing to a SFr9bn (£6.1bn) loss for 2013 due to a dramatic drop in the value of its gold holdings. The SNB said a SFr15bn loss on its gold holdings, which lost 28 per cent of its value last year, could not entirely be offset by a gain [...]
West Ham move questioned after Balfour contract January 6, 2014 CONSTRUCTION group Balfour Beatty has won a £154m contract to convert London’s Olympic stadium into a facility that will be the permanent home for West Ham football club, prompting renewed questioning of the financial wisdom of the deal. The firm said it would transform the Stratford centerpiece of the 2012 Games into a venue that [...]
