Clarke set to take step on OceanBridge April 15, 2012 PRIVATE equity veteran and former Permira partner Martin Clarke could be about to join an advisory boutique set up by a former colleague. Clarke, the ex-head of Permira’s consumer team, is believed to have held talks with Philippe Robert about joining OceanBridge Partners. Clarke is currently a non-executive director at New Look, the retailer controlled [...]
Economists say firms’ savings hold back GDP April 15, 2012 BRITAIN’S companies are failing to take their responsibilities to the rest of society seriously and must start spending instead of saving if they want to see the economy growing, according to a damning report out today from Ernst and Young’s Item Club. The extraordinary attack on firms’ savings saw companies accused of “adding to the [...]
Business confidence points to slow recovery as oil prices rise April 15, 2012 RISING output forecasts from firms point to an increase in GDP in this quarter, according to an influential survey published today. The BDO output index, which points to business conditions one quarter ahead, rose above the 95 mark which indicates growth for the first time since the summer of 2011 – but longer-term prospects have [...]
Poor scrutiny risks hurting pension pots April 15, 2012 MILLIONS of workers risk putting their money in poorly governed pension pots, with little oversight and unsustainable returns, according to research out today. While trust-based pension schemes have trustees to hold fund managers to account, FairPensions claims insurance firms’ contract-based pensions “often fail to perform this role.” FairPensions studied the 10 largest contract-based pension providers [...]
London’s property prices keep rising on sustained low supply April 15, 2012 London’s house prices hit a record high in April while rents are set to keep soaring through 2012, two reports show today. The average asking price of a property in the capital rose to £464,944, up 2.1 per cent on the month and 7.9 per cent on the £431,013 seen last April, according to Rightmove’s [...]
KEY WORKER HOUSING AFFORDABILITY SOARS April 15, 2012 AFFORDABILITY has improved considerably for key public sector workers since house prices peaked in 2007, Halifax research shows today. The average house price in 41 per cent of towns is now below four times average earnings – up from three per cent, or 12 towns, in September 2007. However, “there are still considerable affordability issues [...]
Do not hang up, your call is very important to us April 15, 2012 GETTING to the airport only to find that your flight is cancelled is everyone’s worst nightmare. But when we become really hopping mad is trying to get through to the airline’s call centre for a refund. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that a new league table of the longest call centre queues names [...]
A right royal coronation for the next generation of Pearly kings April 15, 2012 DESCENDANTS of one of the original families to adopt the tradition will be among those crowned as Pearly kings and queens next month. The new royalty of the City of London, the City of Westminster and the London boroughs will be crowned at the Carpenters Arms, a classic East End pub, on 6 May. The [...]
Mystery pest bugs Tube staff April 15, 2012 NORTHERN LINE: be on the look out for mysterious bugs mounting “sustained attacks” on Tube drivers. The RMT has complained in its latest newsletter of “as yet unidentified insects” plaguing Northern Line drivers based mainly at Morden. Fumigation has done nothing to soothe the drivers’ itches, thunders the union, and a total of 12 incident [...]
Debate sparked by 140-letter Sentance April 15, 2012 HOLDING down the currency artificially is standard fare for politicians who want to give their country’s industries a competitive boost – China’s opponents in the US have long accused it of manipulating its currency to support economic growth, while the Fed has been accused of doing the same by printing money. Closer to home, the [...]
