Iceland profits reach record high June 10, 2011 Frozen food giant Iceland’s profit soared by almost 15 per cent in the past year as cash-strapped shoppers felt the pressure from rising food prices, it reported. Net profit before tax rose 14.8 per cent to £155.5m in the year ending March 2011, compared with £135.4m in 2010, in what Iceland described as a record [...]
Prada points to rising profits ahead of HK IPO June 3, 2011 Italian fashion house Prada saw its net profit double in 2010 and expects further gains in the current half year, it said in a regulatory filing as it prepares for an initial public offering in Hong Kong. The IPO of about 14 per cent of its shares will value the Milan-based fashion house at around [...]
London Bridge traffic chaos after horror crash June 2, 2011 A woman has suffered life-threatening injuries after a collision with a motorcyclist on London Bridge. The police and ambulance service were called to the south end of the central London crossing at about 8.40am. The air ambulance took the woman to an east London hospital and the motorcycle rider was taken to another hospital suffering [...]
UK economy in construction boost June 2, 2011 Activity in the construction sector picked up faster than expected in May, helped by a strong rise in new orders, a survey of purchasing managers by Markit/CIPS showed on Thursday. The Markit/CIPS headline construction PMI index rose to 54.0 in May from 53.3 in April. Economists had forecast a modest pick-up to 53.6. The survey [...]
Google points finger at China over Gmail hacking June 2, 2011 Suspected Chinese hackers tried to steal the passwords of hundreds of Google email account holders, including those of senior US government officials, Chinese activists and journalists, the Internet company has claimed. The perpetrators appeared to originate from Jinan, the capital of China’s eastern Shandong province, Google said. Jinan is home to one of six technical [...]
Asos profit up 41pc June 2, 2011 Online fashion firm ASOS posted a 41 per cent rise in year profit, boosted by international expansion, and said it was on track to deliver on a plan for £1bn of sales by 2015. ASOS, which targets internet-savvy 16 to 34-year-old women looking to emulate the designer looks of celebrities like Kate Moss, Sienna Miller [...]
Kingfisher in 19pc profit surge June 2, 2011 Warm weather and a drive to improve profit margins helped Kingfisher, Europe’s biggest home improvement retailer, to post a 19 per cent rise in first-quarter profit, broadly in line with expectations. The group, which runs market leader B&Q in Britain as well as Castorama and Brico Depot in France and elsewhere, said on Thursday it [...]
Kingfisher in 19pc profit surge June 2, 2011 Warm weather and a drive to improve profit margins helped Kingfisher, Europe’s biggest home improvement retailer, to post a 19 per cent rise in first-quarter profit, broadly in line with expectations. The group, which runs market leader B&Q in Britain as well as Castorama and Brico Depot in France and elsewhere, said on Thursday it [...]
USAA top for customer service in US June 1, 2011 The top American company with the best service is military financial services giant United Services Automobile Association, a survey has shown. According to research by marketing company Nunwood the group beat global giants including Amazon. Nunwood surveyed 4,853 customers across the US in April, about 250 major American brands to discover what a top performing [...]
UK manufacturing hits 20-month low June 1, 2011 The UK’s manufacturing sector grew at its weakest pace in almost two years in May, a survey suggests. The Markit/CIPS UK manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 52.1 last month from a downwardly-revised 54.4 in April. Any reading above 50 indicates growth in the sector. UK manufacturing has been one of the best performing [...]
