The popularity of ebooks helps to boost profits at Bloomsbury January 16, 2013 THE RISE of ebooks has led to increasing profits at Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury, despite shoppers spending less on books. The company said that a 58 per cent rise in sales of ebooks meant lower printing and distribution costs, and fewer customers returning books. Ebook sales exploded over Christmas as record numbers of ereaders were unwrapped. [...]
Kobo ereader sales double January 16, 2013 SALES of Kobo ereaders have grown much faster than expected in the last six months, the company revealed yesterday, with the WHSmith partner saying that sales of its devices have doubled in the past year. The firm said sales in December were up nearly 150 per cent on the previous year, and that it had [...]
Analyst Views | What effect does Bloomsbury’s update have on your rating? January 16, 2013 GARETH DAVIES NUMIS Sales of key title sales were down two per cent (we had hoped for flat), but better margin dynamics in a digital world meant profits have still risen, implying a better than expected margin. Earnings uncertainty leaves us comfortable with our ‘Hold’ rating and 138p target at this stage. MALCOLM MORGAN PEEL [...]
Nightmare for Boeing as firms ground planes January 16, 2013 THE FEDERAL Aviation Authority last night ordered all US-based Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes to be grounded until a string of safety issues are addressed. Earlier in the day two Japanese airlines grounded their fleets after an emergency landing added to a growing list of safety worries. In the latest mishap on a Dreamliner plane, All Nippon Airways said [...]
Cost of National Lottery tickets doubles as Camelot ups jackpot January 16, 2013 THE COST of a National Lottery ticket will double to £2 in the Autumn, the first price change since the game launched in 1994. Lottery operator Camelot said the decision to refresh the game was in response to feedback from customers and promised to increase the size of the prize pot. However the Watford-based company, which [...]
Deal due next week for three Stansted suitors January 16, 2013 THREE suitors have made final bids for Stansted, valuing the north east London airport at around £1bn, two sources said yesterday. Macquarie, Malaysia Airport Holdings and Manchester Airports Group with its partner IFM are the three bidders left in the contest for the airport. A deal to buy the leisure travel-focused airport from Heathrow Airport [...]
City Views | Can Facebook’s graph search take on Google? January 16, 2013 BILAL AHMED BANK OF ENGLAND I think it looks interesting but it’s not going to take on Google any time soon, Google is a powerhouse. There’ll be a few teething problems and security issues are bound to crop up. JONATHAN HORWELL INSURANCE TRAINEE I don’t think people are going to switch yet, people find Google [...]
Brief staff strike in South Africa hits Anglo stock January 16, 2013 ANGLO American, the parent company of Anglo American Platinum, ended up at the bottom of the FTSE 100 yesterday as workers at three of Amplats’ mines temporarily downed tools. Amplats said yesterday that a group of its employees at the Khomanani, Thembelani and Tumela mines – in the heart of South Africa’s platinum belt – [...]
Record-breaking Skyfall lifts cinema attendance in 2012 January 16, 2013 UK CINEMAS enjoyed a bumper year in 2012, as customers bought 173m film tickets and splashed out £1.17bn on admissions, figures from trade group the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association (CEA) have shown. The record ticket revenues represented an annual four per cent rise, during a year that was expected to be subdued by the impact of the [...]
Rolls-Royce nets two contracts January 16, 2013 Rolls-Royce has netted a $75m (£47m) contract to supply PetroChina with equipment to power gas in a large Chinese pipeline project. It has also snapped up a four-year contract to provide engines to the Royal Saudi Air Force.
