Kofax sells hardware arm January 17, 2011 UK software provider Kofax will sell its hardware business to Germany’s privately held Hannover Finanz for $23.2m (£14.6m), and said it would record a $2.6m charge to restructure its software business. The company expects the restructuring to lead to about 20 job cuts and annual cost savings of at least $2.5m in fiscal year 2012 [...]
Alterian issues upbeat statement January 17, 2011 Software group Alterian has said that its fourth-quarter results for 2010 were in line with management expectations, with analysts expecting pre-tax profits of £5.8m. The company will also be taking on a new finance director in the form of Guy Millward, who moves from IT services group Morse.
Richemont in sales boost led by China January 17, 2011 SWISS luxury goods group Richemont saw healthy sales growth in all business areas in its third quarter as wealthy Chinese customers continued to splash out on Cartier jewellery and timepieces. Overall sales for the three months to 31 December were up 33 per cent, beating analysts’ forecasts. Sales in the Asia-Pacific region rose 42 per [...]
Shoplifters bag £400k a day January 17, 2011 SHOPLIFTERS are costing British retailers almost £400,000 a day, according to new figures. A survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that the total year-on-year cost of high street shoplifting was £137m, having risen from £99m. The value of individual items taken by shoplifters has also risen to an average of £70 from £45. [...]
Novus toasts Xmas party lift as revellers splash out January 17, 2011 CHRISTMAS revellers helped the owner of the Tiger Tiger bar chain to a boom in sales. Novus Leisure, the privately owned bar and restaurant operator – it also has Babble, Jewel and the Zoo Bar in Leicester Square – enjoyed an almost eight per cent surge in revenues in December and late November. Chief executive [...]
Boots in festive sales lift January 17, 2011 Sales at Boots rose by 3.8 per cent in December on a like-for-like basis, with strong performances in healthcare, fragrances and electrical beauty products. The group said it had made market share gains in its core categories of health and beauty. Total revenue rose by 14.3 per cent in the quarter to 31 December, including [...]
Royal boost for Stanley Gibbons January 17, 2011 Collectibles group Stanley Gibbons is anticipating a jump in sales, fuelled by items to mark the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, it said yesterday. The Royal Wedding will take place at Westminster Abbey on 29 April, and the company expects to sell lots of first day covers, stamps and other collectibles. It recently [...]
Vimpelcom bid threatens Telenor ties January 17, 2011 NORWAY’S Telenor raised the prospect of yet another legal fight and the possibility of severing ties with Vimpelcom over a proposed bid by the Russian firm for Egyptian tycoon Naguib Sawiris’ telecoms assets. Telenor said yesterday it was disappointed by Vimpelcom’s board approval of a revised bid for Italy’s Wind and Cairo-based Orascom Telecom from [...]
YouView launch set to hit Sky January 17, 2011 BSKYB will come under pressure from new BBC-backed on-demand TV venture YouView, according to a new report by Evolution Securities. Media analyst Steve Malcolm also says Sky’s encroachment into its rivals’ broadband market – particularly BT and TalkTalk’s – is “overstated”. Malcolm estimates the digital switchover will soon bring Freeview and BBC and ITV-backed YouView [...]
Roche hires finance head Hippe from ThyssenKrupp January 17, 2011 OUTGOING ThyssenKrupp finance chief and turnaround expert Alan Hippe will take control of Roche’s coffers as the Swiss drugmaker seeks to get rid of debt and embarks on cost cuts after product setbacks. Hippe, familiar with the tough business environments of the steel and auto sectors, is joining Roche as the pharma industry faces some [...]
