Retail sales grow in Hong Kong October 3, 2011 Retail sales in Hong Kong grew by 28.9 per cent annualised in August, official data revealed yesterday. Yet with inflation taken into account the rise is closer to 20 per cent, according to Société Générale. “On a rolling three-month basis, seasonally adjusted data shows retails sales volumes up just 1.6 per cent compared to an [...]
Swiss high street in slowdown October 3, 2011 Retail sales in Switzerland declined for the second straight month in August, down 3.9 per cent month on month and 1.9 per cent compared to the same time last year.
China’s service sector rebounds October 3, 2011 China’s service sector rebounded in September, according to the latest HSBC purchasing managers’ index (PMI). The PMI rose to 53 last month, recovering from an all-time low of 50.6 in August, lifted by new orders.
Avanti bullish despite jump in its losses October 3, 2011 Satellite broadband provider Avanti saw its full year losses widen as costs associated with its new satellite projects took their toll. The firm posted a pre-tax loss of £12.7m, from £2m last year, with revenues slipping from £5.8m to £5.5m. However, chief executive David Williams told City A.M. the results were in line with expectations [...]
HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER | WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE NEW IPHONE October 3, 2011 Tim Cook (pictured right) will today make his inaugural speech as full-time chief executive of the world’s biggest technology company, writes Steve Dinneen. He will unveil the iPhone 5, the latest version of the handset that has reinvented the smartphone. Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about its upcoming releases. So what can we expect? FASTER Chances [...]
Electrocomponents sees growth in its revenues slow amid weak conditions October 3, 2011 Electronic parts supplier Electrocomponents saw its revenue growth slow in the second quarter as weaker market conditions, particularly in electronics, dragged on sales. The firm, which sells products ranging from batteries and cables to safety equipment, said second-quarter revenue grew eight per cent, compared with 14 per cent in the first, as growth in continental [...]
Camelot tempts HR Owen boss October 3, 2011 Former Channel 4 supremo Andy Duncan has quit luxury car-seller HR Owen after less than a year to take up the role of UK managing director of lottery operator Camelot. HR Owen has been hit by the economic downturn, with the market for super cars made by the likes of Ferrari, Bentley and Bugatti diminishing. He [...]
Harry Potter’s website delayed October 3, 2011 THE LAUNCH of the highly anticipated Harry Potter website Pottermore has been delayed after a test version of the site experienced higher than expected traffic. The site will host the first e-book editions of the boy wizard’s tales and is expected to be a financial boon for its author JK Rowling and publisher Bloomsbury. Meanwhile, Warner [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT DO THE FIGURES MEAN FOR AVANTI? October 3, 2011 MORTEN SINGLETON | INVESTEC Avanti has posted weak contract order backlog growth. There are positive comments about demand being there and in the pipeline, but the contract order backlog has barely moved in six months. On preliminary reading, we see nothing to get too enthused about. Hold maintained. JULIAN MORSE | CENKOS Avanti has delivered [...]
Hearst UK magazine profits soar October 3, 2011 The Soho-based publisher behind glossy magazines including Esquire and Good Housekeeping bucked the industry trend yesterday, reporting a spike in profits and revenues. Hearst Magazines UK saw profits surge an astonishing 800 per cent to £12.4m, with revenues rising 4.3 per cent to £310m. The remarkable turnaround follows a £42.8m loss in 2009, when the [...]
