BLOOMSBURY CAUTIOUS ON TRADING OUTLOOK July 11, 2011 HARRY Potter publisher Bloomsbury Publishing said yesterday it remains cautious about trading due to soft revenues and “difficult prevailing retail conditions”. The publisher said the current consumer economy is the worst it has been for decades. Bloomsbury, which publishes the Harry Potter series in the UK, also said yesterday that it has bought Continuum International [...]
Yell buys US technology start-up July 11, 2011 DEBT-RIDDEN directories group Yell has agreed to buyout a US technology start-up for up to $20m (£12.5m). Yell will purchase privately owned e-commerce company Znode, paying $18m in cash. The struggling Yellow Pages publisher will also settle the tech firm’s existing net debt of $1.2m. The market responded well to the acquisition, with shares in [...]
Michael Page in permanent roles boost July 11, 2011 RECRUITMENT company Michael Page International has posted a 32 per cent jump in second-quarter gross profit, driven by a rise in permanent placements and international expansion. Michael Page, which finds jobs for people in the financial, accounting and legal services sectors, said it expected 2011 profit to be broadly in line with current market estimates [...]
Japanese quake hits Renault July 11, 2011 RENAULT pared its forecast for a rise in the global auto market this year after disruption from the Japanese earthquake and said Europe, a key market for the French carmaker, will lag the rest of the world. Renault, whose partner is Japan’s Nissan yesterday predicted a 3-4 per cent rise in worldwide sales volumes in [...]
Lonza snaps up American rival Arch in £750m deal July 11, 2011 DRUGS industry supplier Lonza is buying US-based Arch Chemicals for some $1.2bn (£750m), making it the world’s largest player in the multi-billion dollar microbial control market, the groups said. The move, which boosts Lonza’s life science unit and also helps protect the Swiss group against the impact of the strong Swiss franc, puts Lonza in [...]
Corporate Britain paying £5bn more than necessary into retirement plans July 11, 2011 CORPORATE Britain is overpaying at least £5bn a year into pension schemes, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). UK-based firms are failing to calculate the gains that can be made over the longer-term, leading them to pay more than necessary into defined benefit pension schemes. Outmoded ways of calculating the contributions needed to cover future [...]
Pension funds investment in alternative assets rising July 11, 2011 THE TOTAL value invested by pension funds in alternative assets worldwide hit close to $1 trillion (£626bn) last year. Alternative assets managed on behalf of pension funds by the world’s largest fund managers grew 16 per cent to $952bn, according to research produced by Towers Watson in conjunction with the Financial Times. Total assets under [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: HOW WELL PACED IS MICHAEL PAGE FOR GROWTH? July 11, 2011 PAUL JONES | PANMURE We trim our target price slightly on this update, despite the ongoing progress, given current valuations. The impact that tightening economic conditions can have on the bottom line, however, means the shares remain a Hold. Page remains the best franchise to play the recruitment cycle in our view. HENRY CARVER | [...]
Centamin buys Sheba for £7.5m July 11, 2011 Centamin Egypt said it made a recommended £7.48m offer for a small gold exploration company operating in Ethiopia, expanding its reach outside of Egypt. Sheba, which is quoted on the PLUS market, owns and operates three gold and base metal exploration licences in Northern Ethiopia that lie within the resource-rich Arabian Nubian Shield, also host [...]
OFT delays Cosalt disposal July 11, 2011 Marine safety group Cosalt said the disposal of its marine unit had been delayed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The disposal of the marine business is now unlikely to be completed by 22 July, as previously expected. On 3 May, the company announced the disposal of its marine unit, comprising its UK and [...]
