IG Group chief exec Tim Howkins to quit group and retire in October July 21, 2015 IG Group shares slid their most in nearly four years yesterday after Tim Howkins said he will retire from his role as chief executive and director in October. The company also revealed full-year profits had been dented by the Swiss franc crisis earlier this year. The financial spread-betting firm said Peter Hetherington, current chief operating [...]
British home transactions jump in June July 21, 2015 THE HOUSING market picked up pace in June as both buyers and sellers returned to the market after shaking off uncertainty from the General Election. There were 104,590 residential property transactions in June, according to figures released yesterday by HMRC. It marks a 16-month high as well as a 4.7 per cent jump on May. [...]
Arbuthnot warns over higher bank tax: “This will act as a brake on challenger sector” July 21, 2015 Challenger bank Arbuthnot Banking Group yesterday warned higher taxes on bank profits will hurt lending to the real economy The firm, owner of private bank Arbuthnot Latham and half-owner of listed entity Secure Trust Bank, also called on chancellor George Osborne to calculate bank taxes on the size of their balance sheets. The [...]
Asos goes from annus horribilis to the height of fashion July 21, 2015 Online clothing retailer Asos has seen a major turnaround in its fortunes over the past year. Despite being hit be several profit warnings and a major fire at its Barnsley, Yorkshire, depot, retail sales for the four months to the end of June increased 27 per cent in the UK, while international sales were up [...]
Stricter visa rules to give firms headache amid skills shortage July 21, 2015 Proposed changes to rules governing who can work in the UK threaten to exacerbate the skills shortage facing employers, the head of a major recruiting body has warned. “Our data show that almost all businesses are operating at capacity and want to take on more staff to meet demand, but the reality is that chronic [...]
Rothesay Life racks up biggest buy-in of 2015 with new £1.6bn CAAPS deal July 21, 2015 Insurance firm Rothesay Life has completed a £1.6bn bulk annuity deal with the Civil Aviation Authority Pensions Scheme (CAAPS), the second largest buy-in ever secured by a UK pension scheme. The arrangement is also the largest de-risking transaction completed so far this year. Rothesay Life has now written £3.4bn of new business year-to-date in 2015. [...]
Hermes has it in the bag with revenue rise July 21, 2015 LUXURY goods maker Hermes yesterday forecast that its first-half operating margin would fall slightly year-on-year because of the weaker euro. Revenue was up 9.7 per cent to €1.177bn (£828m), boosted by sales of leather goods and growth in Japan.
Eurostar lifted back on track by Provence routes July 21, 2015 HIGH-SPEED train routes to Marseilles, Avignon and Lyon have lifted Eurostar passenger revenue in the three months to 30 June to a new record. The transport company announced yesterday close to 2.8m customers travelling between the UK and the continent in the second quarter of 2015, a year-on-year increase of three per cent in passengers [...]
BBC sees red in Bill Turnbull’s breakfast blast July 21, 2015 With the BBC preparing to go to war with David Cameron over the broadcaster’s future, Breakfast Show host Bill Turnbull’s balls-up couldn’t have come at a better time. Turnball made a little slip on national television yesterday morning, confusing the words “customer” and “client” with a most unsavoury outcome. It’s not the first time the [...]
Let Grayson Perry help you find the one July 21, 2015 ELITE matchmakers Social Concierge are putting on a do in Mayfair tomorrow, and eccentric artist Grayson Perry will be there to help lonely executives from UBS, Barclays and Societe Generale break the ice. Whether you’re bad at dating or not, this will be great late night entertainment. For tickets, e-mail bella@socialconcierge.co.uk and say we sent [...]
