UKTV to show record-breaking results after big investment programmes May 18, 2015 UKTV will today announce results that show record-breaking revenue, profits and ratings on the back of its major investment in exclusive and original programmes. The company’s 2014 revenue will be £283m, up from £278m in 2013. It will also announce £74.1m of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda), which is up 10 per [...]
TV streaming services set for huge boost May 18, 2015 OVER-the-top television – additional content streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Netflix – can look forward to a huge surge in subscribers, with research showing that numbers are set to increase four-fold in the next few years. A report from Juniper Research concluded that global subscribers to such services will soar from 2.1m in [...]
BT wins major aviation contract with Emirates to manage contact centres May 18, 2015 BT Group has won a six-year, multimillion-pound contract with Emirates to manage the airline’s contact centres around the world Building on a deal agreed in 2009, BT will now upgrade and manage the latest versions of contact centre technology. This will improve how agents combine dealing with calls, emails and webchat enquiries. Emirates will use [...]
Thorntons share price rises as CEO Jonathan Hart announces departure May 18, 2015 British chocolate maker Thorntons said yesterday its chief executive, Jonathan Hart, would step down by the end of June and that chief operating officer Barry Bloomer will take on the role of interim CEO. Thorntons said it would begin a search for Hart’s successor, but did not cite any reason for the departure of the [...]
LOFT brand’s wide appeal attracts Ascena May 18, 2015 ASCENA Retail Group, which runs Lane Bryant and Dressbarn women’s clothing stores, is to buy Ann Inc for $2.15bn (£1.3bn), primarily for the popular LOFT brand, which offers everyday fashion to a wide age group between 18 and 60. LOFT will become Ascena’s largest brand, accounting for 22 per cent of the combined company’s revenue, [...]
IMF ups Italy’s GDP forecast for the year May 18, 2015 THE INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund yesterday slightly raised its forecasts for Italy’s economy this year and next, and said that Rome should take advantage of favourable external conditions to push through much-needed reforms. “A wide-ranging reform to raise the efficiency of public services is long overdue,” the IMF said in its report. The Fund lifted its [...]
Grocery sales volumes across Europe reach a six-year high May 18, 2015 THE AMOUNT of everyday products bought by consumers across Europe has risen by its highest year-on-year level in six years, according to the latest data by research giant Nielsen. The company said that sales volumes of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), such as soft drinks, toiletries and food, rose by 2.4 per cent in the first [...]
UK government’s Green Investment Bank joins E.On to fund Rampion offshore wind farm May 18, 2015 The government-backed UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) yesterday announced it has bought a £236m stake in a joint venture with E.On to build and own the Rampion offshore wind farm off the coast of Brighton. The project is receiving £1.3bn of funding in total, and will continue to be partly owned by Germany’s E.On following [...]
Non-executive directors bid adieu to troubled oil firm Afren May 18, 2015 SHARES in troubled oil firm Afren opened 2.82 per cent higher, after it announced yesterday that two of its non-executive directors will step down following its AGM, as the company’s debt talks roll on. Investor relief faded throughout the day and shares closed down 1.25 per cent. Peter Bingham and John St John will resign [...]
Diamond has a Yale of a time May 18, 2015 “NO ONE in the world I admire more than my dad,” tweeted Bob Diamond’s loyal daughter when, in the summer of 2012, the Barclays boss was being hounded out of the bank over the Libor-rigging scandal. Diamond was subsequently replaced by Antony Jenkins, of course, but now it seems that daughter Nellie may admire her [...]
