Morale slips on US high street March 29, 2011 US consumer confidence fell from an index score of 70 in February to 63.4 in March, the Conference Board said yesterday. Meanwhile, single family home prices fell for the seventh straight month in January, bringing prices to just above April 2009 lows. Prices in 20 US cities dropped 3.1 per cent year-on-year compared to the [...]
Japan had jobs boost pre-quake March 29, 2011 Japanese unemployment fell from 4.9 per cent to 4.6 per cent in February and retail sales rose 0.1 per cent from a year earlier, according to a report released yesterday. These figures pre-date the full impact of the earthquake that struck on 11 March.
Inflation worries hits Germany March 29, 2011 German consumer confidence will decline for the first time in ten months in April, researchers GfK said yesterday. Spiralling energy and food price pressures were cited for the uncertain outlook. However, German inflation remained stagnant at 2.1 per cent in March, official data showed.
Fresh boost for French factories March 29, 2011 French consumer spending grew 0.9 per cent on manufactured goods in February, official data showed yesterday.
Public deficits embedded amid G7 March 29, 2011 Current IMF forecasts show that no G7 countries will cut their structural budget deficits by 2015, Lombard Street Research claimed yesterday.
SuperGroup exec resigns March 29, 2011 DIANE Savory, chief operating officer of SuperGroup, quit the fashion retailer suddenly yesterday in a move that surprised analysts and investors. Savory (pictured) has worked at the clothing group, which owns retail brands Superdry and Cult, for more than 20 years and played a crucial role in preparing the company for its £120m flotation last [...]
News Corp in talks over MySpace sale March 29, 2011 NEWS Corp has held early-stage talks with US music video site Vevo over exchanging its ownership of beleaguered Myspace for a stake in a new venture. Rupert Murdoch’s firm has hired Allen & Co to advise it on a sale or spin-off of the former social network, now branded as an entertainment site. It is [...]
Porridge boost for Pret sales March 29, 2011 Coffee and sandwich chain Pret a Manger said sales of hot food such as porridge were helping it to thrive in a tough consumer environment as it posted a 37 per cent rise in 2010 core earnings. The chain, majority owned by private equity firm Bridgepoint, said yesterday it planned to open more than 30 [...]
News International says paid-for digital subscriptions are up 60pc March 29, 2011 NEWS International says the number of readers paying for its digital Times and Sunday Times products has risen 60 per cent in the last four months. The total now stands at 79,000 digital readers for both titles – up from 50,000 in October. However, they come as print sales have decreased sharply, with the Times [...]
Wolseley says it will restart its dividend March 29, 2011 Wolseley, the world’s largest plumbing and building merchant, yesterday showed it was confident of growing in patchy construction markets by reinstating its payout to shareholders. The company said although markets have broadly stabilised it faced fragile economies in several regions and pressure from competitors to cut prices. “The group expects to continue to grow in [...]
