UK labour productivity slides January 3, 2013 Productivity in the British workforce continued to slide in the third quarter of 2012, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Output per hour edged down 0.2 per cent over the quarter, making it the fifth successive quarter of decline. While productivity per worker and productivity per job both increased in the [...]
German unemployment rises January 3, 2013 The number of unemployed Germans rose in December, remaining close to post-unification lows. Unemployment climbed 3,000 to 2.942m in December, according to data from the Federal Labour Agency. The rise was lower than the 10,000 forecast by analysts, who expected the ongoing Eurozone crisis to have more of an impact. Separate data from Destatis showed [...]
Ageing Brits aim for longer career January 3, 2013 Passing the retirement age does not necessarily mean retiring, according to data released by Aviva this morning. Almost one in four 65-74 year olds continue to earn a wage, the insurance firm said, up from 18 per cent in 2010, a hopeful statistic for a country with a rapidly-ageing population. And younger cohorts seem to [...]
Peppa Pig firm gets go-ahead for movie deal January 3, 2013 THE INDEPENDENT film company behind Peppa Pig and the Twilight films will close its purchase of movie distributor Alliance Films imminently, after the London-listed company won approval from Canadian competition authorities. Entertainment One is likely to complete the C$225m (£141.2m) deal next week, sources close to the deal said. The company said yesterday that it [...]
Barnes & Noble’s Nook has weaker Christmas period January 3, 2013 US book retailer Barnes & Noble saw its fledgling Nook ereader unit falter over the Christmas season, as it sold fewer devices than in the same period last year, and saw growth in sales of digital books and magazines fall. The company, which launched its range of ereaders and tablets in the UK in time [...]
Thomas Cook in notice row January 3, 2013 THOMAS Cook has been accused of ignoring corporate governance rules by offering its new chief executive, Harriet Green, a two-year notice period if it terminates her contract. In its annual report, the holiday giant said that period is cut by one month every month for the first 18 months, until it becomes a more standard [...]
Branson urges Britain to stay in the EU January 3, 2013 SIR Richard Branson yesterday waded into the debate over the UK’s EU membership, urging Britain to stay in the union. “An exit would be very bad for British business and the economy as a whole,” he said. Addressing calls by MPs for a referendum on the issue, Branson added the EU would be in “better [...]
Sporting stars eye up future jobs in the City January 3, 2013 CAPTAIN of Leicestershire County Cricket Club and former England player Matthew Hoggard recently did his best to bowl over Global Payments’ London office, as part of a work placement initiative to help cricketers gain business skills. The project is a joint effort between the Professional Cricketers’ Association and English Cricket Board, which helps to prepare [...]
Which Russian oligarch would live in a giant house like this? January 3, 2013 IT has been hard to avoid the stories about the making of Rivendell, the fictional Hobbit colony out in New Zealand. But here is a current construction that leaves the film village looking elf-like in comparison. Russian oligarch and chairman of Evraz, Alexander Abramov, is the owner of New Zealand’s biggest, most expensive new residential [...]
CRH’s spending spree for 2012 reaches £511m January 3, 2013 IRISH building materials group CRH revealed yesterday it had made €630m (£511m) of acquisitions in 2012, its highest investment spend for four years. Over the second half of last year, the FTSE 100 firm, which moved its primary listing to London last year, undertook 18 deals, with a value of €375m. CRH’s Americas division made [...]
