COLT PENS BT TOWER DEAL September 8, 2011 Colt has penned a deal with BT that will allow businesses across Europe access to high definition content via the BT Tower, City A.M. can reveal. The information supplier to businesses says the agreement will allow its European customers to broadcast content such as the Olympic games and will open up syndication revenue opportunities for [...]
US exports at a record high September 8, 2011 US EXPORTS soared while imports declined slightly in July, resulting in the largest fall in the trade gap for over two years. At $44.8bn (£27.9bn), the gap is 13.1 per cent lower than in the previous month. Exports increased by 3.6 per cent to $178bn and imports fell by 0.2 per cent to $222.8bn – [...]
UK infrastructure bottleneck stifles investment and jobs September 8, 2011 TACKLING Britain’s crumbling infrastructure would create jobs and boost competitiveness at a critical moment, businesses said in a survey out today. But 98 per cent of 447 companies surveyed see the complexities of the current planning system as a barrier to infrastructure investment. Fifty-eight per cent of businesses think the UK’s infrastructure compares unfavourably against [...]
New American jobless claims rise but overall figures decline September 8, 2011 US INITIAL jobless claims came in higher than expected yesterday. A fall to 405,000 had been forecast. However, the number rose by 2,000 to 414,000 last week, stirring fears of labour market stagnation. The figures from the Labor Department said the number of new benefit claimants had suffered no discernible impact from the severe storms [...]
Demand falls for EU output September 8, 2011 EXPORTS and imports declined in July in Germany, according to figures released yesterday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSC). German exports fell by 1.5 per cent, following June’s 1.3 per cent decline. Imports fell by 0.3 per cent, reducing the country’s trade surplus to €10.1bn (£8.8bn), its lowest since January 2010. Analysts point to sluggish [...]
Sales surge at Morrisons September 8, 2011 MORRISONS marked its forecast-beating first half results with a renewed effort to finally enter the online delivery market – more than a decade after its rivals launched their services. The supermarket saw an 8.9 per cent rise in first-half profits to £449m, as a focus on fresh foods, low prices and promotions helped it chip [...]
Apple man to freshen up supermarket September 8, 2011 A quick glance at his CV shows that Morrisons’ appointment of Simon Thompson to managing director of its website is something of a coup. He left Apple in May after rising to become one of the most senior marketing-men in its European office. While working under Steve Jobs headed up the team responsible for its [...]
Carpetright reckons it will remain strong despite challenging market September 8, 2011 CARPETRIGHT said yesterday that it remained a profitable business despite a “substantial” reduction in profits over the past year. The carpet and flooring company last month reported a 5.8 per cent decrease in trade for the year ending 30 April and, in spite of improvement, sales fell at a rate of 1.5 per cent for [...]
Home Retail boss expects sales to drop September 8, 2011 THE chief executive of Home Retail Group warned that hopes of an “Olympics bounce” on the high street next year could prove misguided. Terry Duddy told City A.M. that consumer confidence was as low as in early 2009. The Argos and Homebase owner reported a second quarter slump which stopped short of analysts’ worst fears. [...]
Profits climb at Laura Ashley despite consumer slowdown September 8, 2011 LAURA Ashley said it was on track to meet its expectations for the year after doubling the interim dividend and reporting a 28 per cent rise in first-half adjusted pre-tax profit. The furniture and clothing company said yesterday that all its product categories except home accessories showed positive like-for-like sales growth in the period. “While [...]
