Hipgnosis snaps up rights to music catalogue of Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart May 10, 2019 Music royalties investment firm Hipgnosis has bought the rights to more than 1,000 songs written by Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart. Read more: One Media IP shares jump as streaming boosts profits The songwriter and record producer is best known as one half of pop group Eurythmics, which he formed in 1980 with eight-time Brit Award [...]
India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani snaps up iconic toy store Hamleys May 10, 2019 Iconic toy retailer Hamleys has been sold to India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani for an undisclosed sum. Mumbai-headquartered conglomerate Reliance Industries, which is owned by Ambani, said late last night it had signed a deal to buy the chain from Chinese giant C Banner International. Read more: Billionaire Mike Ashley may bid for iconic toy [...]
Brewin Dolphin signs deal for Investec’s Irish business as assets dip May 10, 2019 Asset manager Brewin Dolphin today said it has signed a deal to buy Investec’s wealth management business in Ireland as it posted a dip in total funds for the half-year. Brewin Dolphin said it will pay roughly €44m (£38m) for the Irish business, adding the deal would make it one of the top three wealth [...]
Millennium & Copthorne profits plunge after major refurbs at luxury hotels May 10, 2019 Upmarket hotel chain Millennium & Copthorne has posted a steep drop in first-quarter profits and revenues due to major refurbishment projects. The company, which is chaired by Singaporean billionaire Kwek Leng Beng, reported pre-tax profit of £11m for the quarter, down almost 60 per cent from £26m the year before. Read more: Millennium & Copthorne [...]
O2 first-quarter revenues rise as it unveils investment plan for stadiums and hotels May 10, 2019 O2 has posted a rise in revenues for the first quarter as it unveiled fresh network investment in stadiums and hotels ahead of the launch of 5G. The mobile operator reported revenues of £1.5bn in the three months to the end of March, up 5.3 per cent on the same quarter last year, while operating [...]
US-China trade war: China threatens retaliation as Trump rolls out $200bn tariff hike May 10, 2019 China has warned it will strike back at the US after President Donald Trump’s tariff hike on Chinese goods came into force today. China’s commerce ministry said it “deeply regrets” the move, which sees tariffs raised to 25 per cent on goods worth $200bn (£154bn), and said it would take necessary countermeasures. Read more: US-China [...]
Softbank gears up for launch of second Vision Fund as full-year profits soar May 9, 2019 Japanese investment giant Softbank will launch its eagerly-awaited second Vision Fund soon, the firm’s founder and chief executive has revealed. Read more: Softbank mulls float for $100bn Vision Fund Masayoshi Son said the new fund will be a similar size to its original $100bn (£77bn) Vision Fund, which has invested in major tech firms including [...]
‘Poorly designed’ 5G spectrum auctions risk harming consumers, mobile operators warn May 9, 2019 Multi-billion-pound auctions designed to flog 5G spectrum to mobile networks are badly-run and pose a risk to the rollout of the new technology, a new report has warned. Research carried out by the GSMA, the trade body for mobile operators, revealed auctions across the world can artificially inflate prices, meaning operators may have to limit [...]
Five things we learned from BT’s full-year results May 9, 2019 BT today published its eagerly-awaited results for the full-year, as investors kept a keen eye on the telecoms giant’s plan to turn around its ailing fortunes. After growing speculation over the company’s targets for full-fibre broadband and a potential dividend cut for beleaguered shareholders, here are five major takeaways from the results. Read more: BT boosts profits [...]
Housebuilder Barratt eyes full-year results ‘modestly’ ahead of expectations May 9, 2019 Housebuilding giant Barratt has said it expects its full-year results to be “modestly” ahead of expectations after posting a rise in sales for the year so far. The London-listed firm posted sales of £3.4bn to 5 May, up 2.4 per cent on the same period last year. Read more: Barratt Developments builds profit in strong [...]