After years of setbacks it is time for YouView to face up to its rivals November 18, 2012 RICHARD Halton has not had an easy couple of years. Having taken the reins at YouView in September 2010 – the same year the internet-connected TV box was originally pencilled in to go on sale – he has had to deal with questions about project delays, criticism over the price of the hardware, and, last [...]
Rise of mobile search ads in UK hits Google November 18, 2012 SEARCH advertising is proving less lucrative as people use smartphones and tablets to browse the web, new research shows, in a blow to companies such as Google. Data from advertising management firm Marin Software, seen by City A.M., show that the price search engines can charge companies in the UK for a mobile advert is [...]
More revolts over executive pay are looming November 18, 2012 SHAREHOLDERS could be waiting until 2013 or 2014 to voice dissent at companies’ executive pay packets, according to research out yesterday. While a string of high-profile investor rebellions at the likes of WPP and Aviva has caused a stir this year, shareholders have been discerning in their protests. Just 10 of the FTSE 100 companies [...]
Administrator works to save Comet stores November 18, 2012 COMET’s administrators will this week begin pulling down the shutters on some 40 stores as eleventh hour talks to save the stricken electricals giant’s remaining stores and brand continue. Accountancy firm Deloitte, which was called in earlier this month, said it is still in talks with a couple of potential buyers who have expressed an [...]
Bloomberg to extend petrol rationing in NY November 18, 2012 PETROL rationing in New York City will extend at least until Friday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday. The odd-even system based on licence plate numbers, launched to help cope with dramatic fuel shortages after Superstorm Sandy, has helped reduce long queues for fuel, but a third of the city’s retail stations are not yet operating, [...]
Lufthansa wants to be taken seriously in any merger talks November 18, 2012 GERMAN flagship carrier Deutsche Lufthansa is shaping up its business to have an equal footing should it take part in any global merger talks in the future, its chief executive told a German paper. “Should there be negotiations over mergers across continents in the future, we want to be at the table, but at eye [...]
High street hit by most empty lots ever seen November 18, 2012 THE number of empty shops in the UK rose to an all-time high in October, data revealed this morning, as shoppers deserted the high street. Town centre vacancies made up 11.3 per cent of properties during last month, the data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard showed – the highest fraction on record. [...]
Squeeze on household finances eases slightly as Christmas looms November 18, 2012 HOUSEHOLD finances are still tightly under the squeeze in November, according to data out today, but deteriorated at the slowest rate for nearly two years. Markit’s household finance index hit 39.3 in November, it said, up from 39 in October – but still that would indicate no change – suggesting UK residents are under pressure [...]
Independent Scotland would face long-run fiscal problems November 18, 2012 AN INDEPENDENT Scotland would face a bigger long-run fiscal adjustment than the rest of the UK, a prominent think-tank forecast yesterday. Scotland would face a very similar budget situation to the rest of the UK in the short run, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, as tax revenues per head are close to the [...]
Miles: room for additional QE if growth is weak November 18, 2012 THE Bank of England still has the firepower to boost a sluggish economy and has scope for further stimulus with more asset purchases, policymaker David Miles said yesterday. “If growth does stay very weak and inflation stays low and close to the target level there is more that we can do, we have not run [...]