BHP assures it is looking inside and out for chief exec successor November 29, 2012 BHP BILLITON said yesterday it is looking inside and outside the company as well as using external advisers to help with succession plans for its chief executive, following reports the world’s biggest miner was preparing for changes at the top. Chairman Jac Nasser told BHP’s Australian annual general meeting that planning for a successor to [...]
AstraZeneca wins China approval November 29, 2012 AstraZeneca has won approval for its new heart drug Brilinta in China, an increasingly important market for the pharmaceuticals group. China’s state food and drug administration has issued a drug import licence for the product, meaning it will now be available for treating patients with acute coronary syndrome in the country, the company said yesterday. [...]
Aviva eyes 120 job losses November 29, 2012 Insurer Aviva said yesterday it would shed about 120 jobs as it merges its dedicated property claims service into its existing claims centres. The staff affected are based in Sheffield, where Aviva’s Asprea property claims management service is headquartered, the insurer said in an emailed statement yesterday. Aviva is cutting costs and selling under-performing businesses [...]
Shell expects Chesapeake boost November 29, 2012 Royal Dutch Shell expects “years and years” of production from oil and natural gas acreage it recently bought from Chesapeake Energy and plans to add more drilling rigs, the head of Shell’s Americas operations said yesterday. Shell paid $1.94bn last September for 618,000 acres in the Permian Basin, a vast source of oil and natural [...]
Popular West End lifts profits at Shaftesbury November 29, 2012 SHAFTESBURY’s fortress of West End properties helped the landlord post a glowing set of full year results yesterday, in what it called an “exceptionally” busy year for London. The FTSE 250 company’s net asset value rose by 7.6 per cent to 498p a share in the year to 30 September, driven by a boost in [...]
Waste management business weighs on Pennon’s first-half November 29, 2012 UTILITIES company Pennon Group yesterday reported a drop in profits at its recession-hit waste management unit, as warned earlier this month, and said it did not see a recovery in prices for recycled materials in the near future. Pre-tax profit at waste management business Viridor fell over 30 per cent in the six months to [...]
Pub chain Marston’s sees hope in food sales but swings to loss November 29, 2012 PUB chain Marston’s said it had got off to a good start to its new financial year, but reported an annual loss yesterday owing to an impairment charge on its taverns. The owner of more than 2,000 pubs, including the Pitcher and Piano chain, said trading in October and November had improved on last year. [...]
British Land buys new site November 29, 2012 BRITISH Land yesterday said it has acquired the 2.3-acre Canal Corridor North site in Lancaster city centre that includes the former Mitchell’s of Lancaster brewery. The property giant is also in talks with Lancaster City Council to buy its adjoining land to build a retail-led scheme across the 10 acre site. “Lancaster has seen very [...]
Barnes & Noble Nook losses grow November 29, 2012 Barnes & Noble said yesterday that the quarterly loss in its Nook division increased as the bookseller increased spending on its e-readers and tablets to keep pace with larger rivals Amazon.com and Apple. Overall revenue in the quarter slipped 0.4 per cent to $1.88bn, while retail sales, still its biggest segment by far, fell 2.9 [...]
Mobile growth boosts Paypoint November 29, 2012 Electronics payments operator Paypoint said it sees a “substantial” opportunity for growth via mobile payments as the company reported a 16 per cent rise in profits to £18.3m. The company saw its biggest growth in its half-year in PayByPhone – which allows people to pay for parking via their phones. This led to a six [...]
