End of university student cap helps Unite fill more rooms February 23, 2015 Britain’s largest student digs provider Unite saw profits jump by 44 per cent last year after government measures to remove the cap on the number of students universities can admit helped boost room reservations. The FTSE 250-listed company, which has 43,000 beds across the UK, said net asset value per share rose 13.6 per cent [...]
New political runways of power February 23, 2015 NEVER mind who wins this year’s general election, The Capitalist knows one thing for certain – the corridors of power are going to have some well-dressed women. First Green Party leader Natalie Bennett was in the front row at London Fashion week, supporting eco-warrior Vivienne Westwood. Then yesterday both David Cameron’s wife Samantha and Labour’s [...]
Oscars 2015: Are we in a golden age of British film? February 23, 2015 As awards and statuettes pile in, why does the UK box office paint such a different picture for British film. Britain was well and truly represented at the Oscars on Sunday night. With 39 British nominations for our films and talent across 19 categories, resulting in four wins. While London-born Eddie Redmayne garnered the [...]
Payment protection complaints drop but cases more complex February 23, 2015 THE FINANCIAL ombudsman – set up in 2001 to settle disputes between consumers and businesses – took on 161,649 new cases in the second half of 2014, figures published today show. Cases refering to payment protection insurance (PPI) comprised the majority of the cases with a total of 104,877 new complaints. Cases against the UK’s [...]
Winton Capital Management poaches former Barclays chair Sir David Walker February 23, 2015 Winton Capital Management, the $28bn (£18.1bn) hedge fund led by Cambridge physicist David Harding, yesterday split its chief executive and chairman roles by appointing outgoing Barclays chair Sir David Walker. Walker, who will step down from Barclays in April after three years, will take up the chairman’s role in July and chair his first Winton [...]
MPs fear the government does not care about exports target February 23, 2015 THE TARGET to double exports to £1 trillion per year may not be being taken seriously by the government, an influential committee of MPs warned today. As part of its bid to rebalance the British economy away from domestic consumption, the government has increased support for business exports. But the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee of MPs fear [...]
Packaging giant DS Smith keen to buy Duropack in €300m deal February 23, 2015 PACKAGING giant DS Smith has announced its intention to acquire Duropack in a deal worth €300m (£219m), expanding its operations into the higher growth Balkans market. DS Smith is currently a leading provider of recycled corrugated packaging in Europe, delivering a turnover of €273m in 2014. The company expects the acquisition to generate cost savings [...]
Surprise drop in growth of UK retail sales February 23, 2015 HIGH street sales suffered a shock decline this month, but it is unlikely to dampen projections for strong spending this year. Sales volumes were reported to have increased on the year by 30 per cent of firms, according to figures released yesterday by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). It compares to the 29 per [...]
Heathrow’s busy 2014 adds to its expansion case February 23, 2015 HEATHROW recorded its busiest year in 2014, further fuelling debate over its need for a third runway as the airport nears full capacity. Over 73m passengers passed through the airport last year, representing a 1.4 per cent increase on the previous year with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation up over 10 per cent [...]
Delayed Israeli deal back up off the ground for Lockheed Martin February 23, 2015 DEFENCE firm Lockheed Martin has landed a deal with the Israeli Defense Ministry to supply 14 F-35 stealth fighter jets for $110m (£71.61m) each. The $1.4bn deal was initially approved in November last year when Israel had initially pledged to purchase a far greater number of the jets before budgetary restraints forced the country to [...]
