Woman dies in Coq d’Argent fall September 5, 2012 A woman fell to her death from the roof terrace of French restaurant Coq d’Argent in the City on Tuesday night when she is reported to have taken a sip of wine before stepping over the edge of the terrace, plunging approximately 80 feet to the ground. The woman, believed to have been Asian and [...]
Ashley’s payout plan is rejected by shareholders September 5, 2012 SHAREHOLDERS in Sports Direct yesterday rejected a proposed “super-stretch” scheme that could have netted its founder Mike Ashley a multi-million pound bonus. Under the proposals tabled at yesterday’s annual general meeting Ashley would have received 8m shares worth around £25m at yesterday’s share price if the retailer hit a series of targets over the next [...]
Analyst Views | Were Sports Direct’s results in line with expectations? September 5, 2012 PHILIP DORGAN PANMURE GORDON Knock-out numbers from Sports Direct. It has clearly fully-capitalised on the opportunities that the summer of sport has presented. We remain ‘Buyers’, with a target price of 350p. We think that there is also a danger that it could become an internet stock, as online penetration races to 20 per cent [...]
Prezzo toasts strong first-half September 5, 2012 Italian restaurant chain Prezzo posted a jump in first-half revenues and profits as it continues to roll out its expansion programme. Sales rose 14 per cent to £68.1m in the 26 weeks to 1 July while adjusted pre-tax profits increased by four per cent to £7.6m. The company opened 12 restaurants in the period bringing [...]
Patron eyes Europe with new fund September 5, 2012 Patron Capital, the real estate-focused private equity group, has raised €880m (£633.5m) for a new fund, as investors continue to tap into distressed debt opportunities in Europe. Patron said Fund IV will target distressed property companies, hotels and leisure and healthcare. It aims to generate a rate of return of 17 per cent to 22 [...]
IAG boosted by August jump in premium traffic September 5, 2012 INTERNATIONAL Airlines Group (IAG), the owner of British Airways and Iberia, yesterday said its group traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometres rose five per cent year-on-year in August, helped by 12.6 per cent growth in premium traffic. The group said that non-premium traffic grew by 3.9 per cent, while its capacity measured in available seat [...]
Gazprom gearing up to fight EU competition probe into gas sales September 5, 2012 RUSSIA’S Gazprom said yesterday it was ready to talk after the European Union launched a competition probe into its gas sales, but was armed with legal and political reasons why the EU should back off. The European Commission launched the probe on Tuesday into suspicions that Gazprom, more than 50 per cent held by the [...]
Christian Louboutin wins right to protect distinctive red soles September 5, 2012 THE bright red soles on French footwear designer Christian Louboutin’s high-heeled shoes are so distinctive they deserve trademark protection, a US appeals court has ruled. A three judge panel at the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York yesterday reversed a lower court’s finding that a single colour could not be trademarked in [...]
Hibu’s rollercoaster continues as major shareholder cuts stake September 5, 2012 TROUBLED Yellow Pages publisher Hibu yesterday saw its share price surge back as much as 50 per cent from Tuesday’s losses as it officially unveiled a committee of creditors tasked with restructuring the ownership of the firm. The firm confirmed reports that Alcentra, GE Corporate Finance Bank, Gruss Asset Management, Blackstone’s GSO Capital, QP SFM [...]
Lenovo buys Brazilian electronics firm CCE to double market share September 5, 2012 CHINA’S Lenovo Group agreed yesterday to buy Brazilian consumer electronics maker CCE, as the world’s second-largest PC maker by sales looks toward Brazil’s promising consumer market to boost profit growth, which has been slowing. The deal, announced in a securities filing and valued at a base price of 300m reais (£93m), will help Lenovo nearly [...]
