Q&A December 7, 2010 Designer of the Aston Martin Rapide and the One-77 supercar, Marek Reichman oversees design for the Aston Martin brand, including Works Tailored cars, a unique, bespoke car tailoring service that includes cars such as the Stratstone DB9, a series of just 10 cars. Q: What makes a beautiful car? A: It starts with great proportion. [...]
True Class December 7, 2010 PROBABLY like most men, my first encounter with Aston Martin was through James Bond. That image of Sean Connery looking ineffably sharp in his Sixties suit, leaning casually on 007’s DB5 – hands in suit pockets, half-smiling expression of supreme assurance – remains the quintessential embodiment of the “women want him, men want to be [...]
Firms up in arms at £2bn tax raid December 6, 2010 THE government yesterday announced a clampdown on tax avoidance which it said would raise £2bn, drawing fierce criticism from business groups. David Gauke, the Treasury minister in charge of taxation, announced a raft of measures, including two that will come into force with immediate effect. He said the changes would raise £2bn by the end [...]
Carr lined up for top CBI post December 6, 2010 FORMER Cadbury chairman Roger Carr will be the next CBI president if its regional council members approve him this week, sources said yesterday. Respected industrialist Carr is set to replace current president Helen Alexander, who steps down at the end of her two-year term next June. The CBI’s regional council members, who number more than [...]
Seymour in US deal talks December 6, 2010 LONDON broker Seymour Pierce may be finalising a £40m takeover deal that will see it merge with at least one other US company, reports suggested yesterday. Seymour Pierce’s executive chairman, Keith Harris, is reportedly in discussions with Gerova Financial Group, a US reinsurance firm, to engineer a reverse takeover-type transaction with a third company, Ticonderoga [...]
US is about to shoot itself in the foot December 6, 2010 IT is not just Britain and Europe that are shooting themselves in the foot with stupid, job and wealth-destroying policies. The same is true of America, where investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders face the threat of a wave of new taxes. This ought to matter to everybody who works in London, because the health of [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 6, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES EMPLOYER OPTIMISM INCREASES IN BIG ECONOMIES Hiring in the US and half a dozen other leading economies will increase for the first time in more than two years during the first quarter of 2011, according to a report released on Monday by Manpower, a global recruiting firm. Manpower’s Employment Outlook Survey shows plans [...]
Carlyle mulls IPO in 2011 December 6, 2010 US private equity firm Carlyle Group is considering an initial public offering (IPO) next year to grow its funds’ capital base, sources said yesterday. Sources said Carlyle is making progress towards an IPO but waiting to decide the details. The proceeds of a share sale could be invested into its funds in addition to the [...]
China’s Bright Foods eyeing GNC December 6, 2010 China’s Bright Food Group is close to a deal to buy US vitamin retail chain GNC Holdings for $2.5bn to $3bn, a source familiar with the situation said yesterday. The potential acquisition of Pittsburgh-based GNC, which is owned by Ares Management and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, could be announced in the next few [...]
Pension investments limited December 6, 2010 The ability of pension funds to invest in riskier assets, including certain shares, is set to be curtailed under plans by the Pensions regulator. In a speech today, David Norgrove, chairman of the regulator, will detail his proposals which are aimed at preventing companies with large pension shortfalls taking on too much risk. The scheme, [...]
