Strong UK sales at McDonald’s fail to hide disappointment May 8, 2012 McDonald’s yesterday reported a smaller-than-expected rise in April sales, after a strong performance in the UK and Europe failed to offset tough trading elsewhere. Despite national debt woes, widespread austerity measures and high unemployment in the Eurozone, McDonald’s grew same-restaurant sales in the region by 3.5 per cent, above analysts’ forecasts of a three per [...]
Actelion warns of no growth for two years May 8, 2012 EUROPE’S biggest biotech company, Actelion, yesterday said its earnings would not grow again until 2014, as new medicines and cost cuts would take time to offset falling sales of the drug that brings in most of its revenue. The Swiss group, which received a boost last week from positive trial results of a new-generation heart [...]
Jobs market sees slow but steady expansion May 8, 2012 THE JOBS market expanded further last month, recruitment industry figures showed today, with permanent placements increasing for the fourth consecutive month. However, salaries fell and temporary placements dropped, according to the KPMG and Recruitment and Employment Confederation report on jobs, indicating a slow recovery rather than a boom. In April 35.5 per cent of recruiters [...]
Shoppers cut back in heavy April showers May 8, 2012 BRITISH retail sales dropped sharply in April thanks to weak consumer confidence combined with the wet weather, industry figures showed yesterday. Total sales were down one per cent on April 2011, the first year-on-year fall since May of last year. Looking only at store space that existed in both April 2011 and April 2012, like-for-like [...]
Builders face tough year with low private and public demand May 8, 2012 THE CONSTRUCTION sector is set to keep shrinking as private sector projects fail to fill the gap left by declining government spending, an industry body said yesterday. Manufacturers in the sector reported rising exports to other parts of Europe, but domestic building is in decline, the Construction Products Association’s survey showed. A net balance of [...]
Is a Greek euro exit a foregone conclusion? May 8, 2012 THIS week we’re asking members of our readers’ panel what the Greek and French election results mean for the Eurozone. Is the election of France’s François Hollande, a self-declared “enemy of finance”, a threat to stability in the Eurozone? Will an influx of French bankers fleeing his 75 per cent tax for those earning over [...]
Bosses confident on UK growth May 8, 2012 Most UK managers believe their organisations will increase output in the next 12 months, a survey from the Institute of Leadership and Management revealed today. Despite the slip into a technical double dip recession, 60 per cent expect to see growth this year, while 19 per cent expect “significant” increases in output. The study found [...]
Double dip hits household funds May 8, 2012 Over one million more households in Britain say they are struggling to pay the bills than at the start of the double dip recession eight months ago, according to Legal and General’s MoneyMood survey published yesterday. There has also been a fall in the number of financially “stable” homes – those who say they have [...]
Toshiba eyes a rebound due to its iPhone chip May 8, 2012 Japan’s leading chip maker Toshiba said yesterday it expects a 45 per cent jump in profits this year, boosted by robust demand for its flash memory chips used in blockbuster Apple iPhones. The industrial electronics conglomerate, which makes everything from light bulbs to nuclear reactors, expects the electronic devices division that makes its NAND flash [...]
Adecco mulls cuts as Europe demand weak May 8, 2012 Adecco, the world’s largest staffing company, yesterday pledged to keep a firm grip on costs as it grapples with weak demand in parts of Europe. The Swiss company beat first-quarter profit forecasts as robust results in North America and Germany helped offset weakness in France, its biggest market. Adecco, which is providing staff for the [...]
