Mortgage loans at 8-month high April 27, 2011 THE number of mortgages approved for house purchase rose to an eight-month high during March as activity in the property market showed signs of picking up, figures have revealed. A total of 31,660 loans were approved for people buying a new home, five per cent more than during the previous month and the highest level [...]
Retailers enjoy new year boost April 27, 2011 UK retailers hired more than 3,000 new staff and opened 837 new shops in the past quarter compared with the first-quarter of 2010, new research published today shows. In a sign of the sector’s resilience, retail employment rose 0.5 per cent in the quarter compared with the first-quarter of 2010, the British Retail Consortium’s BRC-Bond [...]
James Bond studio backs £96m Peel bid April 27, 2011 PINEWOOD Shepperton, the iconic British studios that has played host to screen legends including James Bond and Harry Potter, looks set to be sold to Peel Holdings for £96m. Peel fought off an eleventh hour rival approach from controversial Fulham FC owner Mohamed al Fayed. The former Harrods owner is thought to be mulling an [...]
ARM rides smartphone wave April 27, 2011 Chip designer ARM Holdings rode the crest of the smartphone boom to smash analyst forecasts with a 35 per cent rise in first quarter profits. The Cambridge-based company, whose designs are in Apple’s iPad and iPhone, also said it will meet its full-year targets in spite of the Japanese earthquake’s impact on the supply-chain. Its [...]
STV will pay ITV £18m after lengthy legal battle April 27, 2011 ITV has settled a long-running legal dispute with its Scottish network partner, lifting a huge cloud from STV’s outlook. STV will pay ITV £18m, less than analysts were expecting. The settlement also boosts the chances of STV resuming a dividend, sending its share price up 10.6 per cent yesterday. Relations between the two broadcasters soured [...]
Sony reeling after hackers steal details of up to 75m PlayStation customers April 27, 2011 EMBATTLED Sony was yesterday facing a consumer backlash after it emerged hackers have gained access to the personal details of more than 70m PlayStation users. The breach, which Sony says could include credit card details and addresses, is one of the largest of its kind. Sony pulled the plug on its PlayStation Network on 20 [...]
WHITE iPHONE FINALLY HITS SHELVES April 27, 2011 THE white iPhone will finally go on sale today after months of speculation. Some analysts say demand has waned after several delays to its release and the imminent arrival of the iPhone 5. Apple also said the iPad 2 will go on sale in Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and eight other countries.
Nokia says it will shed 7,000 jobs as it strips back research costs April 27, 2011 NOKIA, formerly the world’s undisputed mobile heavyweight, will slash 7,000 jobs as it prepares for a new dawn as a smaller, humbler company. The Finnish firm plans to cut €1bn (£890m) from its research and development budget by outsourcing its soon-to-be-axed Symbian operating system division, along with its 3,000 staff, and laying off a further [...]
Wolfson sees revenue soar April 27, 2011 Wolfson Microelectronics said yesterday its first quarter revenues grew 44 per cent to $41.1m (£24.8m). It also cut its pre-tax losses to $3.5m from $6.9m a year earlier. The firm also shrugged off suggestions it would be badly hit by the Japanese earthquake, saying its plants in the country were unaffected.
Ericsson beats profit forecasts April 27, 2011 Ericsson blasted past first-quarter profit expectations thanks to surging mobile broadband sales, but said it would take until the third quarter to resolve Japan quake supply problems. Ericsson’s shares jumped more than 10 per cent to their highest since last July, as sales soared on the back of a recovering tech gear market.
