HAVE YOU NOTICED AN INCREASE IN FOOD PRICES? June 7, 2011 DARREN LOCK | KIRKLAND AND ELLIS “I haven’t really noticed a large increase because everything in the City has always been expensive. I try to use cheaper brands which are just as good as expensive ones, rather than cutting down.” ELAINE NUTTALL | BLACKMORE BORLEY “Yes, I have found the price has increased a lot, [...]
Rise in UK’s foreign acquisitions June 7, 2011 British companies boosted their acquisitions abroad in the first three months of the year, official data showed yesterday. The total value of acquisitions jumped to £18.3bn in the first quarter, from just £3.8bn in the last quarter of 2010, hitting the highest reported value for outward investment since late 2007. Total acquisitions of UK companies [...]
Uptick in Eurozone’s retail sales June 7, 2011 High street sales across the Eurozone stunned economists yesterday, soaring by 0.9 per cent in April, compared with March. However, the spike merely pared the sharp 0.9 per cent monthly drop in sales recorded in March. Compared to the same time last year, sales were up 1.1 per cent in April. Across the wider EU [...]
German factory orders recover June 7, 2011 German factory orders climbed 2.8 per cent in April compared to the previous month, reversing the 2.7 per cent drop seen in March. “Assuming the current reading persists in May to June, factory orders would be 1.5 per cent above the their quarter four [2010] level, providing a favourable indication for production output,” commented Barclays [...]
Scot Power hikes its gas bills by 19pc June 7, 2011 UTILITY firm Scottish Power will hike its domestic power and gas tariffs from 1 August in response to rising wholesale energy prices, it announced yesterday, becoming the first of the power companies set to raise household bills this summer. Gas bills for Scottish Power customers will increase by an average of 19 per cent, while [...]
BP denies plan to sell TNK-BP June 7, 2011 BP yesterday insisted that it had no plans to sell down its half share in Russia’s third-largest oil producer TNK-BP, denying comments from sources close to its partners that it threatened such a move. The oil giant said its focus in Russia was on developing its TNK-BP venture, and denied it was preparing to reduce [...]
Lamprell sees improving market for its oil services June 7, 2011 OIL rig services group Lamprell has said that its performance so far this year has matched management expectations, following a strong performance in 2010 boosted by high oil prices. The company, which builds mobile jack-up rigs, said it had also seen a turnaround in the new-build market since the spill at BP’s Macondo oil rig in [...]
Japan vows to overhaul nuclear safety reporting June 7, 2011 THE Japanese government said yesterday that it will set up an independent nuclear regulatory agency, breaking the widely criticised ties between the Japanese utility industry and officials overseeing its safety. In a report that will be presented to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the government calls for overhauls in how Japan operates its nuclear plants. [...]
Smiths News buys Dawson Holdings to increase presence in books market June 7, 2011 NEWSPAPER and magazine distributor Smiths News yesterday announced it will buy leading academic book supplier Dawson Holdings for £20m in a cash deal to expand its book business. The deal comes two years after Smiths News entered into the books business through the acquisition of Bertrams, and it now aims to expand the scope of [...]
Actelion shakes up board in a bid to appease Elliott June 7, 2011 ACTELION, Europe’s largest biotech company, changed its management structure and appointed a chief operating officer yesterday in a move that answered demands from its activist investor Elliott Advisors. Actelion promoted its head of business strategy and operations Otto Schwarz to COO, allowing chief executive Jean-Paul Clozel to focus more on strategic matters. The company saw [...]
