Google buys social marketing firm in bid to expand ad reach July 31, 2012 GOOGLE said last night it had purchased social marketing firm Wildfire, in a deal believed to be worth around $250m (£159.5m). Wildfire, which provides software that helps businesses manage their presence on social networks, has a list of clients including Amazon and Sony. Its expertise will allow Google to understand advertisers’ demands as social advertising [...]
British Land acquires mall July 31, 2012 BRITISH LAND yesterday said it has bought a 50 per cent share in the Eden Walk shopping centre in Kingston-upon-Thames for £41.5m. The firm bought the stake in the 1960s mall from the Universities Superannuation Scheme, its partner on Whiteley Shopping Centre in South Hampshire, which is due to open next year. The pair plan [...]
LOVEFILM ADDS MIRAMAX FILMS TO CATALOGUE July 31, 2012 Lovefilm has announced a tie-up with studio Miramax to bring a roster of titles including Kill Bill (pictured), Pulp Fiction and Bridget Jones’s Diary to its on-demand film streaming service. The Amazon-owned business needs to expand its online catalogue in the wake of Sky’s move into online movie streaming with the launch of its Now [...]
Games Workshop fulfils fantasies July 31, 2012 Fantasy game specialist Games Workshop has dispelled some of the economic gloom after it announced yesterday that profits had leapt by more than a quarter in the year to 3 June, on sales up 6.4 per cent to £131m. Popular model series like Forge World and its Black Library fantasy books helped drive pre-tax profits [...]
Metro sales beat European woes July 31, 2012 German retailer Metro managed a slight rise in sales in the quarter despite tough conditions in Europe. The world’s fourth-largest retailer saw a two per cent rise in turnover to €15.8bn (£12.4bn), better than forecasts. The results relieved investors although Metro made a net loss of €20m for the quarter. This was far less painful [...]
Sharp drop for Warner Estates July 31, 2012 Property fund manager Warner Estate Holdings yesterday revealed a post tax loss of £38.7m for the year ending March 2012, compared to a loss of £7.2m for last year. The manager said this was mainly due to fair value adjustments on investment properties and investments as well as realised losses on the sale of properties. [...]
Aer Lingus bats away Ryanair as profits rise July 31, 2012 IRISH airline Aer Lingus, which is trying to resist a takeover bid by larger rival Ryanair, yesterday posted an 18 per cent boost in operating profits in the three months to June and said it would at least match last year’s profit performance. The former Irish flag-carrier said yields per passenger were up 5.3 per [...]
Reuters owner sees sales fall July 31, 2012 THOMSON Reuters’ sales fell in the three months to July as tough conditions in Europe and banks cutting costs took their toll. The news and information provider said it expected turnover to continue to decline in the rest of the year. Shares in Thomson Reuters fell three per cent on the news. Chief executive James Smith [...]
Pfizer profits beat forecasts July 31, 2012 PFIZER reported higher-than-expected quarterly earnings yesterday, due largely to lower spending on research and marketing, and said it may fully divest its animal health unit following an initial public offering of up to 20 per cent of the business. Pfizer said it earned $3.25bn, or 43 cents per share, in the quarter, compared with $2.61bn, [...]
AB InBev hit by marketing and transport July 31, 2012 ANHEUSER-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, fell short of second-quarter earnings expectations due to the expense of marketing new US brands and higher transport costs there and in Brazil yesterday, but it forecast improvements in the second half of the year. The company, which last month agreed to buy out its partner in Mexico, reported [...]
