Pokemon chooses Chiswick as its new headquarters in the UK September 10, 2012 THE COMPANY behind the Pokemon gaming phenomenon has chosen Chiswick as its new UK base, it confirmed yesterday. The Pokemon Company International will move its London offices westward to the Blackstone-owned Chiswick Park from its previous base in Fulham as part of a ten-year lease deal. The gaming group plans to take almost 10,000 square [...]
Hindmarch bags global spread as luxury goods sales increase September 10, 2012 BRITISH luxury handbag maker Anya Hindmarch is set to start selling in the US, Middle East and Asia. Hindmarch’s brand, which acquired a new investor last month, will open a concession in Harvey Nichols Kuwait and a flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York next year. South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan are also [...]
Small firms say they lack faith in official stats September 10, 2012 SMALL FIRMS have little faith in official forecasts, preferring instead to rely on information from their own business or their peers, a survey from Axa has revealed. A whopping 92 per cent of respondents said they did not use official government economic predictions in planning their business strategy, the survey showed. Of those disregarding the [...]
Londoners upbeat as the city again defies housing downturn September 10, 2012 LONDON bucked a national downward housing trend once again in August, according to a report released today by RICS. The rosy figures appear to justify Londoners’ optimism, compared to the gloom in the rest of the country, which was recorded yesterday by a YouGov poll. The net house price balance was -19 in August, up [...]
Recruiter says jobs boom will continue to the end of the year September 10, 2012 THE UK’S jobs boom, which has continually surprised analysts and defied the double-dip recession, will endure through to the fourth quarter of the year, recruiter ManPower said today. The outlook for employment in the UK stands at +3 per cent, its strongest level since 2008, the group said, implying employers will continue to hire new [...]
Gaucho cup winners September 10, 2012 Stoke Park Country Club, where James Bond once beat Auric Goldfinger at golf, hosted the inaugural Gaucho Cup yesterday, an above par do organised by yourgolftravel.com. Winners Bermar International (right, with operations director Martin Williams, centre) scored five nights in Argentina.
Air Nigeria shuts down September 10, 2012 ■ International carrier Air Nigeria said yesterday it is closing down due to “staff disloyalty and environmental challenges”, the latest setback for the country’s aviation industry after a rival’s plane crash in June killed 163 people. Privately-owned Air Nigeria was part of Richard Branson’s Virgin fleet until he pulled out in 2010.
BG Group CFO on leave of absence September 10, 2012 ■ BG Group’s chief financial officer Fabio Barbosa is on a leave of absence to undergo medical treatment in Brazil for a recently diagnosed condition. Group financial controller Den Jones will replace him with immediate effect, for what is expected to be the rest of the year. Jones has been with BG Group since 2010, [...]
Libor sparks benchmark rethink September 10, 2012 ■ The Libor-rigging scandal should prompt a wave of new rules for financial benchmark governance, the Global Financial Markets Association said yesterday. The group calls for all systemically important benchmarks to be subject to proper regulatory oversight, with countries working together to set rules. The GFMA set out its recommendations in a letter to regulators [...]
City Moves | Who’s switching Jobs September 10, 2012 Norton Rose Liam O’Connell has been appointed a partner within the law firm’s litigation and dispute resolution practice. He joins from CMS Cameron McKenna, where he was a partner and head of its commercial regulatory and disputes group. O’Connell specialises in insurance policy coverage analysis, and also has business experience in contingency markets and cyber [...]
