Deep price cuts at Debenhams November 15, 2011 DEBENHAMS, Britain’s second-biggest department store chain, has ratcheted up the pressure on rivals, launching its annual five day pre-Christmas promotion with what it claims are its deepest ever discounts. The firm said yesterday it will cut the prices of tens of thousands of items in its 164 UK stores and online by up to 40 [...]
We shouldn’t write off traditional media yet November 15, 2011 LAST week I had the pleasure of two days of pure blue skies at the Monaco Media Forum. As you hope and expect at these gatherings, there was also a confusing barrage of blue-sky thinking. One speaker was working on a project to develop the 3D printer concept by investigating the practicality of printing a [...]
How are MPs coping with the economy? November 15, 2011 This week we are asking members of our Voice of the City poll, run with PoliticsHome, how they think UK politicians are dealing with the rocky economy. When do you think the British economy will return to strong growth, and what state will it be in by the time of the 2015 parliamentary elections? To [...]
Panel named for £250,000 Wolfson prize November 15, 2011 THE PANEL of top European economists who will judge the £250,000 Wolfson Prize entries was unveiled today. The prize, sponsored by Next chief executive Lord Simon Wolfson (pictured, right), will award a quarter of a million pounds to the economist who offers the best feasible plan that a country could follow if it wanted to [...]
Sales are strong at Asda but high fuel costs keeping shoppers away November 15, 2011 SUPERMARKET group Asda yesterday reported a pick up in third-quarter sales growth, helped by revamped own-brand food ranges and a pledge to be cheaper than rivals. Sales at stores open more than a year rose 1.3 per cent, excluding fuel and VAT sales tax, in the three months to September, Britain’s second-biggest supermarket group said [...]
Wal-mart’s plan to absorb food prices hits gains November 15, 2011 WAL-MART’S decision to absorb rising food costs for its stressed US shoppers has weighed on profitability, the firm admitted yesterday, even as key US sales rose for the first time in more than two years. Wal-mart, the US grocery giant that owns Asda, said sales at stores open more than a year rose a higher-than-expected [...]
First dividend for EasyJet as profits rise November 15, 2011 BUDGET airline EasyJet confirmed its first ever dividend payout yesterday, as it revealed a 31.5 per cent surge in annual pre-tax profits to £248m on the back of a rising number of lucrative business passengers on its flights. EasyJet, whose biggest shareholder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has long pushed for a dividend, will dole out £195m [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: CAN EASYJET MAINTAIN ITS UPWARD MOMENTUM? November 15, 2011 GERT ZONNEVELD | PANMURE GORDON Forward bookings indicate a mid-single digit increase in seat revenue, but we are doubtful whether revenue increases can fully offset anticipated cost increases in the current year. But based on earnings forecasts we retain our “buy” recommendation and 450p target price. PETER HYDE | LIBERUM CAPITAL The Stelios situation should [...]
Losses double at Kingfisher November 15, 2011 KINGFISHER Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya yesterday sought to ease concerns about the future of his airline, but offered few measures for reviving the Indian carrier’s finances after its quarterly loss doubled. Mallya, who owns a liquor business and the Force India Formula One team, said Kingfisher had not asked banks to “take a haircut” but [...]
Qatar inks £4bn Airbus contract November 15, 2011 QATAR Airways placed a $6.5bn (£4.1bn) order for Airbus jets yesterday, just hours after saying at the Dubai Air Show it had walked away from the deal. The carrier has penned a deal for 50 of the new Airbus A320neo planes, with a further 30 on option, and up to eight more A380s. But Qatar [...]
