Bidders circle as Pontin’s is placed into adminstration November 14, 2010 THE administrators for Pontin’s plan to take a measured approach to the sale of any assets, believing the business is in a strong position to continue operating. Jane Moriarty, joint administrator and restructuring partner at KPMG, which was appointed administrator to Pontin’s on Friday evening, said she was not looking for a fire sale. The [...]
Slump in leisure spending leads to a surge in 24-hour licence applications November 14, 2010 HARD-pressed pubs and bars hit by the slump in leisure spending are turning to 24 hour licences in an effort to maintain sales. According to legal information provider Sweet & Maxwell, the number of 24-hour alcohol licences for pubs, bars and nightclubs jumped 12 per cent to 946 this year from 845 the year before. [...]
SMEs should go green for growth November 14, 2010 The CBI and Lloyds Banking Group are urging small and medium-sized companies to take advantage of low-carbon opportunities ahead of a major climate change summit on Wednesday. With the global market for low-carbon goods and services expected to be worth around £4 trillion by 2015, SMEs need to act now to develop products and services, [...]
Spread betters can win £100,000 November 14, 2010 WorldSpreads is offering a £100,000 prize to any spread betting client who can open and close 10 consecutive profitable trades in a row between today and Friday 10 December. To qualify, the trade must earn a profit of at least five points. If more than one trader wins, the cash will be divided equally. If [...]
Newly-listed firms beat the FTSE index November 14, 2010 COMPANIES that entered the London stock market this year have outperformed the FTSE 100 by more than 16 percentage points, research out yesterday showed. Newly-listed firms have gained an average of 19.5 per cent on their share price in the year to date, compared to a 3.4 per cent rise in the FTSE 100 and [...]
RBC’s Hong Kong expansion signals bank’s growth plan November 14, 2010 ROYAL Bank of Canada’s aggressive expansion plans have taken another leap forward with the launch of a new trading floor in Hong Kong. RBC Capital Markets will double the size of its previous operations in the region, where it now employs 100 people. In Asia-Pacific it employs more than 330 people, with offices in Singapore, [...]
Travelodge looks to tap into concert venues with raft of hotel openings November 14, 2010 BUDGET hotelier Travelodge has exchanged contracts on two new hotels next to the MEN Arena in Manchester and Birmingham’s NEC. The £24m hotels deal will see 200 rooms built at each site, specifically chosen due to the increased popularity of live music, comedy and the enduring popularity of conference and exhibitions. The deals follow recent Travelodge [...]
Businesses withdraw savings November 14, 2010 One in three businesses with an annual turnover of £1m or more have withdrawn £2.43bn from their savings to help pay the higher interest rates on their debt, according to research from Investec bank. The average withdrawal made by companies who have done this was £35,270, but some 4 per cent of businesses of this [...]
ITV could reinstate dividend November 14, 2010 Commercial broadcaster ITV is mulling over reinstating its dividend payment for shareholders next year after popular programmes such as “Downton Abbey” boosted advertising revenues over the past few months. According to a Sunday newspaper report the company is set to report this week that the wider TV advertising market has increased approximately 14 per cent [...]
Banks face a grilling over foreclosures November 14, 2010 BANKS under fire over their foreclosure practices face twin hearings in Congress this week, at which they will come under renewed pressure to find ways to keep borrowers in their homes. The hearings tomorrow and Thursday will include the first appearances by executives from major US lenders like Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase since [...]
