Mall brings fresh hope to struggling UK shopkeepers September 13, 2011 RETAILERS nationwide are facing tough conditions as the economy slows down, but Westfield will transform trade across Stratford and the wider borough, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Retail is currently hard hit. ONS figures for the year to the end of July 2011 show zero growth in the volume of sales. Footfall across [...]
WESTFIELD AT STRATFORD: OUR PICK OF THE SHOPS September 13, 2011 CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES ASPINAL OF LONDON The second standalone shop for this affordable heritage brand, Aspinal has a plum position at the start of the Street, and is a wonderfully windowy space, glinting with cufflinks, jewels and charms and full of its signature bright croc skin bags and wallets. FOREVER 21 There were nearly 400 [...]
Cairn shares hit as Greenland well comes up dry September 13, 2011 Oil explorer Cairn Energy said its latest well off the coast of Greenland failed to find oil, disappointing investors, who are looking to the company to open up a new oil province in the Arctic, with a second dry hole. Cairn, whose focus on Greenland has intensified since a deal to reduce its stake in [...]
IG lifted by market volatility September 13, 2011 SPREAD-BETTING company IG Group has benefited from the current market volatility which drove up trading volumes and sales. IG reported on Tuesday first-quarter revenue of around £100m, up 26 per cent, added that its pretax profit margin was higher. “The group remains well capitalised and is well positioned competitively. The board remains confident in the [...]
Inflation rises in August September 13, 2011 Inflation accelerated as expected in August, driven by record annual increases in clothing, footwear and furniture and the biggest rise in household bills in two years, official data showed. The Office for National Statistics said consumer prices rose 0.6 per cent last month, taking the annual inflation rate up to 4.5 per cent, from 4.4 [...]
HP extends deadline on £7.3bn Autonomy offer September 13, 2011 Hewlett-Packard said it extended the deadline of its $11.7bn (£7.3bn) takeover offer for Autonomy to 3 October after gaining acceptances from only 41.6 per cent of shareholders at the first closing date. Shareholders in enterprise search software firm Autonomy were expected to snap up the cash offer, which was 79 per cent above the closing [...]
National Express buys Petermann bus group for £126m September 13, 2011 Transport group National Express said it had acquired US student bus company Petermann Partners for $200m (£126m) from Macquarie Global Opportunities to help grow its business in the United States and Canada. National Expressy said it expected to complete the deal in the fourth quarter of 2011, subject to regulatory approvals, and that the acquisition [...]
Ashmore profits boosted by emerging markets September 13, 2011 – Fund manager Ashmore Group (ASHM.L) saw its pre-tax profits jump 13 per cent after clients looked to its emerging market products to see them through volatile times. Profits hit £245.9m in the year to June-end the company said in a statement, just ahead of £245m s forecast by Oriel Securities, after net management fees [...]
House prices slip in August September 13, 2011 House prices in England and Wales fell in August and transactions slipped to levels last seen during the recession in 2009, a survey showed on Tuesday. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ seasonally adjusted house price balance inched down to -23 from -22 in July, in line with the median forecast in a Reuters poll. [...]
A man’s shoes are as crucial as his suit September 13, 2011 THERE’S an old saying that if you want to know if a man’s well-dressed, look down. It’s absolutely true: good shoes make an outfit and bad ones stand out terribly, and that’s especially true of the City. So what should you be looking for in a good pair of English lace-ups? First, if you’re going [...]
