Telecom Plus earnings rise October 5, 2011 UTILITY services group Telecom Plus yesterday forecast a record first-half profit on an improved customer base, and a significant increase in the interim dividend. The company, which supplies gas, electricity, telephony and broadband under the Utility Warehouse name, also said it was comfortable with the full-year market expectations for both earnings and dividend. A spokesman [...]
Sportingbet soars as its profits jump October 5, 2011 ONLINE bookies Sportingbet saw its shares soar almost six per cent yesterday after its pre-tax profit soared from £6.9m last year to £23.8m. Revenues dropped slightly from £207.5 to £206.3m. The results were announced in the long shadow of Sportingbet’s long-mooted takeover by Ladbrokes, which the firm said is ongoing. Discussions over the possible sale [...]
EMI attracts takeover bids ahead of Citigroup deadline October 5, 2011 THE SECOND round of bids for embattled music giant EMI closed yesterday, with five suitors expected to have made offers for some or all of the firm. The company will now consider the offers over a period of around two weeks before informing bidders about the next stage of the process. EMI, home to iconic [...]
Flybe plunges after it warns on its profits October 5, 2011 REGIONAL airline group Flybe yesterday saw its shares plummet by 36 per cent after it slashed guidance for its 2012 profits, due to a slowdown in demand on domestic flights. In its second profit warning this year, Flybe said revenues in the six months to October were one per cent behind management’s expectations while costs [...]
Cash squeeze on drivers sends petrol sales sliding October 5, 2011 DRIVERS hit by high fuel prices have cut their petrol consumption by more than 15 per cent since the credit crunch, the Automobile Association said yesterday. The AA said petrol sales dropped by five per cent – or 517m litres – in the first half of the year compared with a year earlier, depriving the [...]
Qantas chief is target of threat in union dispute October 5, 2011 AUSTRALIA’S Qantas Airways’ industrial fight with unions has turned violent, with racist threatening letters sent to the airline’s chief and other management staff, and cars and homes of Qantas staff damaged after they refused to strike. One letter sent to the Qantas chief, Irishman Alan Joyce (pictured), used racist language and said “The unions will [...]
London gains in university league tables October 5, 2011 TWO of London’s universities are among the 20 best higher education bodies in the world, the latest rankings from Times Higher Education show. Imperial College London has been named the eighth best university globally, up from ninth place last year, while University College London rose five places to clinch 17th position in the annual rankings. [...]
Noble considers an agriculture listing October 5, 2011 SINGAPORE-LISTED commodities firm Noble Group is seeking to list its agriculture business, which accounts for a third of its earnings and may have a value of more than $5bn (£3.2bn). The company, which wants to list the business on the Singapore Exchange, said the process will be subject to market conditions. JP Morgan is advising [...]
New Hope exploring sale that could be worth $5bn October 5, 2011 AUSTRALIAN coal miner New Hope Corp put itself up for auction yesterday after receiving several bid approaches, sending its market value surging 15 per cent to almost A$5.1bn (£3.18bn). The group said the approaches were informal and it would invite selected parties to bid, starting a process that could test Australia’s openness to foreign mine [...]
BTG boasts of higher sales on drugs success October 5, 2011 SPECIALIST healthcare firm BTG said yesterday that its overall financial performance in the first half has been “well ahead of expectations”. Its licensing and biotechnology business reported a strong performance, driven by the regulatory approvals for its ZYTIGA drug and a good showing by BeneFIX. As a result, BTG now expects sales in the six [...]
