Costain snags Bond St deal with Skanska February 18, 2013 A JOINT venture between engineers Costain and Skanska has bagged a construction contract worth £110m to help Bond Street station cope with the 70,000 extra passengers a day it is expected to see once the Crossrail line is completed. The project will include building two new ticket halls at the popular West End shopping hub, [...]
Shop vacancy figures expose UK retail woes February 18, 2013 BRITAIN’S battered retail sector gained no respite this week as the latest research showed vacancy rates remained stubbornly above 14 per cent last year as retailers continue to shut up shop across the country. The Local Data Company’s (LDC) latest report published today shows vacancy levels fell slightly from 14.3 per cent to 14.2 per [...]
Reader’s Digest publisher files for bankruptcy over debt pile February 18, 2013 THE PUBLISHER of Reader’s Digest US magazine has filed for bankruptcy in America in an effort to cut its $465m (£300m) debt pile. RDA Holdings, the parent company of the 91 year-old general interest magazine, applied for the measure on Sunday night in New York, the second time the company has done so in four [...]
I fancy McIlroy’s chances, but reputation counts for nothing February 18, 2013 FORM and reputation go out of the window in a matchplay tournament but I’d still back Rory McIlroy to enjoy a good week at the WGC Matchplay Championship in Arizona. It will be tough for the Northern Irishman – matchplay is tough for everyone – but Rory is world number one and I’d expect him [...]
Anti-trust body to rule on audit work this week February 18, 2013 THE Big Four accounting firms will learn this week whether the UK Competition Commission plans to shake up the industry to give smaller challengers a better shot at winning audit work. KPMG, PwC, Ernst & Young and Deloitte, which together audit all but a handful of Britain’s biggest firms, have told the commission that the [...]
ITV shares hit six-year highs as takeover speculation returns February 18, 2013 SHARES in ITV hit their highest levels in almost six years yesterday on suggestions the broadcaster would be the latest target in a wave of blockbuster acquisitions. The company has long been seen as an attractive property for overseas media giants, and with a market re-energised by recent deals for Virgin Media and NBCUniversal, ITV [...]
MEPs hit out at reduction to EU budget ceiling February 18, 2013 TOP EUROCRATS yesterday came out against the historic budget deal that would cut the limit on their spending for the first time. All 27 premiers of the EU’s constituent states came to an agreement on a package pencilling in €908.4bn (£784.3bn) of spending between 2014 and 2020, with a limit of €960bn. This is down [...]
Ferrari races to all-time record of 7,318 car sales despite crisis February 18, 2013 AUTOMOTIVE icon Ferrari shifted up a gear in 2012 despite a troubling world economic climate, boasting its best ever sales. The legendary carmaker enjoyed record sales in the US, Germany, China and the UK, selling 7,318 road cars – 4.5 per cent up on 2011 – and turning over €2.43bn (£2.1bn). And despite poor economic [...]
Sugar drinks levy: More interference won’t end obesity February 18, 2013 AMONG the ten point plan published yesterday by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in its “prescription for the nation’s medical crisis”, the headline-grabber was a tax on sugary drinks. An additional 20 per cent charge “would be an experimental measure, looking at price elasticity, substitution effects, and to what extent it impacts upon consumption [...]
Sony cuts prices ahead of crucial console launch February 18, 2013 SONY has slashed the cost of its PS Vita handheld games console, suggesting poor sales of the device ahead of tomorrow’s crucial launch of the next PlayStation. The company, which has previously cut sales forecasts for the Vita, said the device would now retail for up to a third less than before in Japan, Sony’s [...]
