HIGH SPIRITS September 3, 2009 DRINKS maker Pernod Ricard yesterday posted a 12.5 per cent rise in annual profits to €945m (£829m), boosted by its acquisition of Vin & Spirit, the maker of Absolut vodka. Sales increased by nine per cent to €7.2bn. The world’s second biggest drinks maker, known for its anise flavoured liquor, warned of a tough 2009 [...]
Go-Ahead on track despite profit slump September 3, 2009 TRANSPORT group Go-Ahead said yesterday that it does not expect the economy to recover until 2011, but that its business is healthy enough to keep it on track until then. The firm, which operates bus companies and runs three London rail franchises, saw full year pre-tax profit fall 60 per cent from last year, to [...]
At last: some competition for the BBC’s iPlayer September 3, 2009 WHEN the BBC released its iPlayer at the tail-end of 2007, few expected it to be such a runaway success. But according to Ofcom, a staggering 15 per cent of consumers with a broadband connection – or some 5.2m people – now regularly use the iPlayer to catch up with BBC shows. To put these [...]
BORIS ‘CIRCUS’ TAKES A HIT FROM TREASURY RINGMASTER MYNERS September 3, 2009 BORIS Johnson’s visit to Brussels yesterday looks to have ruffled quite a few feathers in the austere halls of the Treasury, which is now claiming it should be hogging the glory for defending the City’s hedge funds against the EU’s evil draft directive on alternative investment fund managers. Lord Myners, the City minister, yesterday got [...]
MAKING HOLS EASY September 3, 2009 Sara HollambyStyle Counsel HAVING just come back from a blissful two-week break on a beach in the sun, I’ve washed and ironed all my beach holiday clothes. It dawned on me that year after year, on beach holidays, I wear more or less exactly the same things – items of clothing perfect on holiday, but [...]
Kate’s smart move September 3, 2009 KATE Moss’s latest collection for Top Shop has hit the ground running, as usual. But among the most sought- after pieces are her jackets, ranging from a sexy striped blazer (above) to a Russian velvet jacket to a faux fur coat to – and this one has made the biggest splash – the bejewelled black [...]
Swapping blue chips for poker chips September 3, 2009 IN LAS VEGAS the locals have a new term for betting. It’s not gambling, it’s a “contributory anti-recession programme”. Even the bell-boy who attends to your special-price Palazzo suite says not “have a nice day”, but “thank you for contributing to our economy”. They said Vegas would be recession-proof, that even in a downturn people [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND PREVIEWS September 3, 2009 FILMBIG RIVER MAN Documentary following Mark Strel’s remarkable swim down the Amazon. GREEK PETE Drama about a young man working as an escort in London. PASSCHENDAELE Canadian film about one of World War One’s bloodiest battles. DVDTHE BOAT THAT ROCKED Lacklustre Richard Curtis comedy about Sixties pirate radio, with Bill Nighy. FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING [...]
Stunning sci fi in a district of its own September 3, 2009 FilmDISTRICT 9Cert: 15 FINALLY – a summer blockbuster worthy of the name. District 9, in which aliens visit earth and end up staying, is equal parts riveting sci fi saga, thrilling action adventure and intelligent, darkly comic social satire. For my money it’s the best science fiction film of the decade, and up with the [...]
Shared ownership getting young professional boost September 3, 2009 IT’S A COMMON refrain that for young professionals in London, getting a foot on the housing ladder can be nigh-on impossible. Increasingly, ambitious young workers are looking to shared ownership schemes. Originally set up by the government as a way to provide affordable homes in housing association developments to key workers like police and nurses, [...]
