Factory gate prices starting to make a recovery in the Eurozone May 5, 2015 EUROZONE factory gate prices edged up in March, according to figures released by Eurostat yesterday. It adds further evidence that inflation in the currency bloc has bottomed out. Industrial producer prices rose 0.2 per cent in March compared with February. Industrial producer prices – also known as factory gate prices – gauge the prices of [...]
Arctic scrum for record breaking rugby match May 5, 2015 CHARITY fundraisers gave new meaning to the term Arctic roll last week, when they set a Guinness World Record for playing the northernmost rugby match in history – at the North Pole. A team of 11 intrepid explorers, including the boss of LMAX Exchange, David Mercer, took to the field – or glacier, as it [...]
Ryanair lays on the charm and sells more seats May 5, 2015 Budget airline Ryanair’s passenger numbers soared in April, jumping 16 per cent on the same month last year. During April, there were 9m Ryanair passengers, up from 7.8m in April 2014. Rolling annual traffic was up to 91.8m passengers. The Irish airline’s load factor, an industry measure of how much of an airline’s capacity is [...]
Germanwings tragedy and strikes increase turbulence for Lufthansa May 5, 2015 GERMAN flag carrier Lufthansa said yesterday it made a net profit of €425m (£313m) in the first quarter of 2015, up from a €252m loss during the same period a year earlier. The airline’s revenues rose eight per cent to €6.97bn. Nonetheless, it still made an adjusted loss before interest and tax of €144m, but [...]
Gatwick claims Londoners back its growth plans May 5, 2015 GATWICK Airport yesterday ramped up the competition with Heathrow over where to build a new runway, with the release of another poll showing Londoners’ preference for expansion at the Sussex hub. The airport cited six of seven YouGov polls between October and April showing Londoners favoured Gatwick. In the latest of the votes, all of [...]
Greene King hit by drink-driving rules in Scotland May 5, 2015 Pub and restaurant group Greene King yesterday blamed recently tightened drink-driving laws in Scotland for flat sales. The company, whose brands include Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale, plus the Hungry Horse and Loch Fyne chains, reported just a 0.4 per cent increase in sales for the 51 weeks to 26 April, but said sales [...]
Homes versus roads under Ed Balls say Tories May 5, 2015 THE TORIES claim that Labour’s plan to build 200,000 homes each year could curb infrastructure projects. Due to shadow chancellor Ed Balls’ promise not to increase borrowing, the £2.61bn a year required to meet the housebuildng target would have to come from funds allocated to infrastructure and investment. The Tories said this could risk the [...]
London’s General Election: On the trail with Labour’s business star Chuka Umunna May 5, 2015 Our third seat profile sees Charlotte Henry talk to shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna in his Streatham seat. Find the first profile in our series here: Battle for Poplar and Limehouse at the edge of the City Find the second profile here: Lib Dem Bermondsey battler Simon Hughes still going strong Under Ed Miliband’s leadership, Labour’s [...]
Adidas off to a strong start in its marathon effort to catch Nike May 5, 2015 ADIDAS sales rose 17 per cent in the first three months of the year, as the world’s second-largest sportswear company began its five-year plan to close the gap on Nike. Chief executive Herbert Hainer, who faced calls to quit last year, aims to increase yearly sales by almost half, to €22bn (£16.2bn), by speeding up [...]
Indivior results give shares a shot in the arm May 5, 2015 SHARES in drug firm Indivior leapt 8.5 per cent yesterday on news of a smaller-than-expected profit slide and clinical trial success for its new schizophrenia treatment drug. The quarterly results were the company’s first as a standalone entity, after it was spun off from Reckitt Benckiser late last year. Chief executive Shaun Thaxter told City [...]
