City Views | Is Boris Johnson a help or hindrance to David Cameron? October 9, 2012 CARLY TANTAU FINANCIAL SERVICES RECRUITMENT Boris is actually a pretty cool guy and it’s an asset to have him raising a glass to David Cameron. His buffoonery is what’s endearing about him. HENRY DACK SALES DIRECTOR Is he a laughable buffoon? Yes. I think he’s a help because he is very good at PR and [...]
Promotion for BAML banker Hume-Kendall October 9, 2012 RUPERT Hume-Kendall, one the most prolific dealmakers at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and short-listed for City A.M.’s investment banker of the year award, has just been promoted to a new position within the bank. He will now be chairman of global corporate and investment banking for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Hume-Kendall has advised [...]
Oligarchs could float TNK-BP if bid for BP stake is successful October 9, 2012 RUSSIAN conglomerate AAR is considering floating off part of TNK-BP if it buys out BP’s stake. It comes after AAR, controlled by four Russian billionaires, yesterday said it was considering disposing of its 50 per cent stake in the Russian oil company. It is understood that AAR’s notification to sell its stake is a way [...]
Hays: banking confidence is at rock bottom October 9, 2012 RECRUITMENT firm Hays said that banking confidence is at its lowest point the firm had seen in its 50-year history, as firms continue to delay hiring decisions in the face of ongoing Eurozone uncertainty. “Banking is at lowest confidence that we have ever seen and we have been doing recruitment from 1968,” group finance director [...]
Analyst Views | Does Hays’ quarterly performance bode well for the future? October 9, 2012 HENRY CARVER PEEL HUNT The first quarter update reads better than recent statements from the peer group, but trading conditions are still difficult and the outlook is still highly uncertain… With no catalysts on the horizon and risk to forecasts remaining on the downside we maintain our “sell” recommendation. STEVE WOOLF NUMIS Hays’ first quarter [...]
Wolseley buys US plumbing firm October 9, 2012 Wolseley, the FTSE-listed builders’ merchant, has stepped up its US expansion after announcing yesterday it has acquired Davis & Warshow, a New-York-based plumbing supplier, for £49m. Davis & Warshow’s 11 sites will be intergated into its US Blended Branches business. Chief executive Ian Meakins said: “The acquistion… allows us to enter the greater New York [...]
B&Q cuts 220 head office jobs October 9, 2012 DIY retailer B&Q is set to make 220 workers redundant at its head office in Hampshire as part of a move to create a more “agile, omnichannel retailer”. The job cuts stem from the group’s “Martini” plan launched in 2009 by its parent company Kingfisher to reduce costs and improve customer service in stores and [...]
Mitie buys home care provider October 9, 2012 Bristol-based outsourcing company Mitie yesterday announced it had acquired the UK’s fourth largest home care service provider Enara from August Equity and Enara’s senior management for £110m. The deal was funded by bridge loans from existing investors and though costs of around £5m are expected to be incurred in the next 12 months to integrate [...]
Paralympic win for Sainsbury’s as its sales rise October 9, 2012 J SAINSBURY’S sponsorship of the Paralympic Games and Brand Match campaign has helped the British supermarket steal market share from its three biggest rivals. New figures from industry experts Kantar Worldpanel showed that Sainsbury’s sales rose 5.6 per cent in the 12 weeks to 30 September, boosting its share of the UK grocery market to [...]
Justin King hits out at Osborne October 9, 2012 SAINSBURY’S chief executive Justin King has criticised chancellor George Osborne’s plan to allow employees to swap workplace rights for shares in their firms. The supermarket boss told a retail conference that the plan is “not what we should be doing”, adding that such a scheme would destroy trust between the public and some of Britain’s [...]
