William Hill in World Cup boost October 21, 2010 Bookmaker William Hill said yesterday it expected to report operating profit at the top-end of analysts’ expectations after a strong third-quarter helped by favourable football results and the later stages of the World Cup. The company, which has a high-street and an online presence, said net revenue grew 22 per cent, with internet sales up [...]
Provident falls after CSR plans October 21, 2010 Provident Financial, the country’s biggest subprime lender, fell to its lowest level in three months after the coalition government spelled out plans for the biggest spending cuts on record in this week’s Comprehensive Spending Review. It closed down 3.3 per cent to 773p, its biggest decline since 27 July. That values the lender at about [...]
Debenhams brand fuels profit surge October 21, 2010 DEBENHAMS said yesterday that sales of its own brand ranges had helped it to increase its profit by 20 per cent. The rise in the year to 28 August came as the company also reduced its debt. Sales of Debenhams own brand ranges, which include H! by Henry Holland and Principles by Ben De Lisi, [...]
Don’t let your pension shrink due to big fees October 21, 2010 WITH Britain’s traditional pensions model in crisis, more savers are opting to take full control of their pension. The latest data available from the Office for National Statistics shows that assets in self-administered pension funds grew from £620.4bn to £927.7bn between 2002 and 2008 and their total income was £61.6bn last year. This growth has [...]
TUI finance chief quits after £117m black hole leaves company red faced October 21, 2010 Tui Travel yesterday admitted it had found a £117m hole on its balance sheet, a blunder that will see the finance director depart the company. The holiday operator – which owns the Thomson brand – was forced to restate its financial results for errors that go back several years. Paul Bowtell has offered his resignation [...]
Inchcape lifts guidance but still plans to shed 500 jobs October 21, 2010 CAR dealer Inchcape plans to cut 500 jobs due to a tough ongoing conditions in four of its markets, although 2010 profits will come in slightly ahead of its expectations. “Given the challenging outlook in 2011 for new car demand in four of our markets, namely the UK, Greece, Belgium and Singapore, we plan to [...]
Apple vies for Lion’s share of app market October 21, 2010 JUST two days after reporting yet another quarter of record revenues and profits, Apple wheeled out the latest version of its ultra-thin MacBook air. With the roaring success of the iPhone 4 and the iPad – which Apple still can’t produce quickly enough to meet demand – the release of a new ºlaptop, albeit the [...]
Watch sterling for the market’s view on cuts October 21, 2010 AFTER all the millions and billions of pounds that were tossed around by chancellor George Osborne on Wednesday, many Brits will be left wondering what impact the coalition government’s spending review has on them. Some measures, such as the removal of child tax benefit for families with at least one higher earner, were widely expected. [...]
McDonald’s posts strong profit rise October 21, 2010 McDonald’s yesterday beat Wall Street expectations for quarterly profit and same-store sales growth in September as the popularity of its fruit smoothies and Dollar Menu helped it win further market share. The world’s biggest hamburger chain is outperforming the overall fast-food sector, which is struggling with high US unemployment and economic weakness domestically and in [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS October 21, 2010 HOME INSURANCE COMPETITION HOTS UP Independent research firm Defaqto has released a report suggesting that the home insurance sector could be in for a rough ride over the next few years, with hot competitionplaying a role. The number of providers has reportedly grown 73 per cent since 2004, driven in part by websites that let [...]
