Bargain Booze owner toasts to better than expected hike in profit July 13, 2015 Conviviality Retail, the company behind the off-licence chain Bargain Booze, saw pre-tax profits rise by 4.4 per cent last year after broadening its range of wines and ales to woo more affluent shoppers. The Aim-listed group, which suspended trading last week after confirming it is in takeover talks with wholesaler Matthew Clark, reported profits of [...]
No time for Tinder? Dating tutorials for City bankers in Canary Wharf from Social Concierge July 13, 2015 Calling all City singletons: are you really bad at dating? Have no fear, elite private dating club Social Concierge is offering free consultations all over the capital to financial workers left emotionally numb by high-flying careers. With their big bonuses and fast-paced lifestyles it’s hard to believe that bankers struggle to find love. But [...]
Spiking in the sand as bankers battle it out July 13, 2015 YOU MIGHT have noticed the beach volleyball court that’s suddenly landed in Canary Wharf this week. Teams of financiers have been signing up to compete in a volleyball tournament on Friday, raising money for charity Action for Kids. It’s £300 per team of 5-12 people, and Barclays is giving it a go tomorrow. Now, if we [...]
Bluefield Partners plans solar fund IPO to raise £142m July 13, 2015 Bluefield Partners yesterday said it is planning to float a second solar energy fund on the London Stock Exchange, which it hopes will raise at least €200m (£142m). Unlike its first listed fund, which invests in UK solar energy assets, the Bluefield European Solar Fund will look for opportunities in Eurozone countries – excluding [...]
Nostrum enters race for Tethys July 13, 2015 SHARES in London-listed Tethys Petroleum soared by 24.19 per cent yesterday to 9.62p after the group confirmed that Nostrum Oil & Gas had approached the board with an offer for its entire issued share capital. Nostrum is offering CA$0.2185 per Tethys share, which is a premium of 15 per cent to the price that rival [...]
Poland sends shares off a cliff July 13, 2015 INTRERNATIONAL Personal Finance shares lost over a quarter of their value yesterday after proposed revisions to a credit amendment law in Poland, one of its biggest markets. The 25.2 per cent plummet to 352.6p was set off by a surprise vote in the Polish parliament to cap non-interest costs on consumer loans, which analysts said [...]
Shanks launches green bonds listing July 13, 2015 UK WASTE management company Shanks yesterday opened trading at the London Stock Exchange, to mark its “green bonds” being the first retail offering to be listed on the bourse’s green market. To be classed as green bonds, they have to demonstrate that the proceeds will be invested in environmentally beneficial projects.
New Genel chair scraps exploring for oil amid debt July 13, 2015 GENEL’S newly-promoted chairman Tony Hayward yesterday announced the oil company would put on hold all exploration work to rein in costs, after being stung by overdue payments from Kurdistan operations. The London-listed oil firm is currently owed nearly $400m (£597m) in oil sales payments from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Hayward was promoted to chairman [...]
Legal & General exits Egypt in deal with Axa July 13, 2015 UK INSURANCE and investments group Legal & General (L&G) has exited its Egypt business, Commercial International Life Insurance (CIL), selling it to Axa in a deal worth 763m Egyptian pounds (£62.9m). L&G are joint owners of CIL, holding 55 per cent of the company, while Commercial International Bank owned 45 per cent. The sale to Axa is [...]
Nintendo gaming chief Satoru Iwata dies July 13, 2015 NINTENDO chief executive Satoru Iwata died on Saturday, from cancer, the gaming giant announced yesterday. He was 55. Iwata had surgery last year to remove a growth on his bile duct, and had resumed working after a brief period of recovery. He had held his current role since June 2013, and helped move the firm [...]
