Diageo offer for United Spirits hits rocks amid Indian concerns January 27, 2013 DIAGEO’S takeover of Indian drinks company United Spirits is set to be pushed back this week, with regulators in the country yet to approve the next stage of the deal. The owner of Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff agreed to buy a 27.4 per cent stake in United Spirits from its founders in November. With that [...]
Fair Data standard to launch in bid to combat privacy worries January 27, 2013 A NEW standard for companies’ use of personal data will be launched today amid increasing fears over privacy. Organisations will now be able to sign up for Fair Data accreditation, a standard that it is hoped will have the same effect as the Fairtrade mark applied to consumer products such as coffee. The Fair Data [...]
Patent wars hit record high as tech firms fight January 27, 2013 THE GLOBAL technology patent wars hit a new high in 2012, with a record number of applications made for international computing patents. A flurry of costly court cases between smartphone and tablet companies such as Apple, Samsung and Nokia has upped the value of patents in the last 12 months, and this was responsible for [...]
Brit agency wins Maigret books January 27, 2013 British talent agency The Rights House has bought the rights to the entire catalogue of Belgian writer Georges Simenon, the creator of fictional police detective Maigret. The purchase, which saw The Rights House fend off competition from Simenon’s son John, means the prolific writer’s full catalogue can now be published in English for the first [...]
Lords to quiz Ofcom chief exec January 27, 2013 Ofcom’s plans for media regulation could be revealed tomorrow as the regulator’s chief executive Ed Richards is grilled in the House of Lords. The Communications Committee will quiz Richards as part of an inquiry into media convergence, which has become an increasing issue with BSkyB selling internet connections and BT and Virgin Media entering the [...]
Nokia launches Spotify rival January 27, 2013 Nokia yesterday launched a paid music service in a bid to encourage more people to buy its Lumia smartphones. The Finnish company, which moved into profit at the end of last year due to improving Lumia sales, announced Nokia Music+, which costs $3.99 (£2.53) a month. Although the service is cheaper than the likes of [...]
Reiss sales benefit from royal boost January 27, 2013 FASHION chain Reiss said the Duchess of Cambridge’s public appearances in outfits by the brand helped to raise its profile and boost sales last year. The family-owned retailer said total sales excluding franchises rose four per cent to £91.1m in the year to 31 January 2012, up from £87.5m in 2011. Pre-tax profits were flat [...]
Eurozone crisis leaves UK steel output in a rut January 27, 2013 UK STEEL firms were only able to drag their output up slightly in 2012, according to industry data out this morning. Firms in the steel industry produced 184,264 tonnes per week on average during 2012, EEF subdivision UK Steel said, an increase of only one per cent compared to 2011’s 182,269 tonnes per week. “This [...]
House prices flat in January January 27, 2013 HOUSE PRICES stayed completely flat in January, according to data released this morning. After inching down a tenth of a percentage point in each of the last two months, house prices stayed flat in the first month of 2013, Hometrack said. But demand and supply in the market both seemed to be falling – with [...]
China factory profits grow January 27, 2013 INDUSTRIAL firms in China enjoyed healthy growth in profits in December, according to official data. Profits climbed 17.3 per cent to hit ¥895.2bn (£91bn), the National Bureau of Statistics revealed. December’s figure meant that Chinese industry made some ¥5.56 trillion in profit over the whole of 2012, up 5.3 per cent on 2011. These profit [...]
