Randstad sees green shoots February 14, 2013 Recruitment firm Randstad yesterday said the European jobs market is stabilising, after it reported a three per cent drop in revenue to €4.2bn (£3.6bn) for the final quarter of 2012. The firm said that the UK was faring better, posting double-digit revenue growth in finance.
Gatwick asks for price freedom February 14, 2013 Gatwick Airport yesterday repeated its request to set its own fees charged to airlines based on bilateral contracts, rather than abide by price caps imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority. Gatwick said it plans to invest £1bn over the next five years as it looks to grow to 37m passengers by 2020.
Pennon cautious about Viridor February 14, 2013 Shares in South West Water owner Pennon fell 3.1 per cent yesterday after the firm said its waste management arm Viridor is still suffering from declining volumes. Pennon said it is reviewing the value of some of Viridor’s assets, while the water firm is performing as expected.
The Blankfein beard sparks stubble debate February 14, 2013 THE BEARD belonging to Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein managed to catch everyone’s attention in Davos, and as it grows so does the stream of commentary surrounding it. Facial hair trends have, thankfully, come a long way since JP Morgan’s namesake John Pierpont Morgan sported a bushy handlebar. So, beard or clean-cut, what is [...]
New Boat Race sponsor BNY Mellon asks: Which Blue are you February 14, 2013 FINANCIAL services firm BNY Mellon was yesterday unveiled as the new sponsor of the Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race, replacing outsourcing company Xchanging. To celebrate the five-year deal, BNY Mellon got Olympic rower Katherine Grainger out on a boat at Putney yesterday, and tested the oar skills of staff when they had to row against her. The [...]
Fall in profits at Jaguar Land Rover hits parent Tata Motors February 14, 2013 TATA Motors posted its first drop in profit in five quarters yesterday after its Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) business faced higher spending and a drop in operating margin following 18 months of soaring profit. Rising investment costs and falling profitability at the carmaker, whose profits have propped up its weaker parent for the past year [...]
Pernod Ricard mulls a shot at tequila company as sales rise February 14, 2013 FRENCH spirits maker Pernod Ricard yesterday hinted that it could make a bid for tequila powerhouse Jose Cuervo after rival Diageo walked away from a deal. Pernod Ricard, the world’s second-biggest spirits group behind Diageo, also stuck with its target of full-year profit growth yesterday, thanks to demand from Asia and the US that offset [...]
Pepsi posts rising revenues February 14, 2013 PepsiCo reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit yesterday, helped by increases in sales volume and prices, and gave a 2013 forecast consistent with its ongoing turnaround plan. The American drinks and snacks maker posted net income of $1.66bn (£1.07bn), up 17 per cent on a year ago and beating Wall Street forecasts. Net revenue fell one [...]
Publicis expects a tricky year February 14, 2013 Ad agency Publicis finished 2012 on a high note as sales got a big bump from emerging markets and on-line marketing, yet it warned yesterday that the year ahead would be difficult, especially in Europe. The group, which competes with larger rivals WPP and Omnicom, posted organic growth of 3.9 per cent in the fourth [...]
Talvivaara launches €260m cash call to improve finances February 14, 2013 FINNISH miner Talvivaara yesterday said it will launch a rights issue, as it swung to a loss of €104m (£67m) over 2012. It hopes that its €260m cash call will help to shore up its balance sheet as the miner recovers from a year that has seen a mine closure and the company being demoted [...]
