Shops braced for rent D-Day September 28, 2011 THE HIGH street is braced for a fresh blow as quarterly rent demands are due today and hard pressed retailers must pay their landlords. Thousands of firms will have to fork out three months’ rent in one go, with many already struggling to make ends meet in the tough consumer climate. The payments total £3.4bn [...]
Domino’s in sales lift on new ranges September 28, 2011 DOMINO’S Pizza has hailed the success of a new gourmet range and online ordering growth for a rise in sales. However, the firm’s shares fell almost 10 per cent as its growth missed targets. The delivery firm has promoted its new gourmet pizzas via sponsorship of ITV game show Red or Black. Domino’s increased advertising [...]
SABMiller in Foster’s boost September 28, 2011 AUSTRALIA’S competition watchdog yesterday gave the green light to SABMiller’s A$10bn (£6.3bn) friendly acquisition of brewer Foster’s Group as expected, saying the bid would not lessen competition. SABMiller and Fosters last week agreed on a sweetened A$9.9bn takeover deal. “The proposed acquisition is not likely to result in a substantial lessening of competition for the [...]
Aer Lingus passenger traffic rose over summer September 28, 2011 PASSENGER numbers at Aer Lingus rose in the summer months, with yields also ahead of last year, the airline said yesterday. The airline said passenger volumes rose by 1.4 per cent in July and August, and yields increased by 4.6 per cent. In September, yields and volumes are also ahead of 2010 figures, the airline [...]
Home Retail chief snubs calls for shop closures September 28, 2011 HOME Retail Group bosss Terry Duddy is rejecting City pressure to cut back on stores as sales at its Argos outlets struggle. He said he will not be closing stores following a market research report into the company’s performance, claiming the wider economy was to blame rather than his strategy for the company. “There were [...]
PwC: London hotels set for record 2012 September 28, 2011 LONDON hotels are set to have a record 2012, according to the UK Hotels Forecast from accountancy firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). The report suggests that the Olympics, the Farnborough International Air show and the Queen’s diamond jubilee will bring people flooding into the capital city, with occupancy set to hit record levels in the third [...]
Norilsk Nickel reinstates its buyback plan September 28, 2011 RUSSIA’S biggest mining company Norilsk Nickel yesterday revived its $4.5bn share buyback plan, which was shelved in February during a dispute with 25 per cent shareholder Rusal. Norilsk, which mines and produces metals including nickel and palladium, said it plans to acquire up to 14.7m shares at $306 each for common shares and $30.66 for [...]
FIRST BOEING DREAMLINER LANDS IN JAPAN September 28, 2011 ALL Nippon Airways’ first Boeing 787 Dreamliner touched down in Tokyo early yesterday with hundreds of aviation fans welcoming the carbon-composite plane that its US maker is fielding, albeit three years late, to keep rival Airbus out of its best market. Japan remains a fortress for Boeing, which it dominates with a 90 per cent [...]
St Modwen says trading is on course September 28, 2011 UK REGENERATION specialist St Modwen Properties said yesterday it was making good progress in a tough climate, as rental income, trading profits and cashflow all stayed in line with management expectations. “We continue to make good progress in the year to date. Even in this challenging market,” said Bill Oliver, chief executive of St Modwen. “We [...]
Central Rand Gold to appeal against the cancellation of its mining rights September 28, 2011 LONDON-listed gold miner Central Rand Gold said yesterday it would take an appeal against the cancellation of its mining rights to the high court in Pretoria. Shares in the company recovered slightly from sharp losses in Tuesday’s trading yesterday, after it said it would apply for interdictory relief, which would allow it to continue operations [...]
