Farepak to pay customers back April 25, 2010 FAREPAK customers who lost money when the Christmas savings group went into administration will now receive 15p for every pound they lost. The group’s directors have agreed to pay up £4m from their own pockets in compensation to the 150,000 customers who subscribed to their savings scheme. The number marks a small portion of the [...]
Swann set for bumper payday April 25, 2010 KATE Swann, the chief executive of stationery retailer WH Smith, could be in line to receive a million-pound payout if the firm’s shareholders approve a sweetened incentive package designed to guarantee her loyalty. Swann, who has been the subject of intense speculation over the top job at Royal Mail, has already received £2.5m after a [...]
ELECTION2010 April 25, 2010 Tories plan economic crime body The Tories are planning to set up a new agency tasked with stamping out white collar crime. A new Economic Crime Agency will take over the task of investigating and prosecuting economic crime, from the Serious Fraud Office, the Financial Services Authority, the Fraud Prosecution Service and the Revenue and [...]
It’s decision time for the Lib Dem leader April 25, 2010 WHO will he pick? That’s the question on everyone’s lips. With just ten days to go, all the opinion polls suggest Britain is heading for its first hung parliament since 1974; it looks like Nick Clegg is going to have to make a choice. The Liberal Democrat leader was giving nothing away on Andrew Marr’s [...]
A hung parliament: harmony or unrest? April 25, 2010 With polls pointing to a hung parliament, we want to know what it would mean for the economy: 1. Do you think a hung parliament would make it harder or easier to implement spending cuts and/or tax rises to reduce the budget deficit? 2. Do you think a hung parliament would be likely to send [...]
Calvert could face monster costs bill for illegal trading April 25, 2010 MALCOLM CALVERT should surrender more than £950,000 in a confiscation and costs order, the Financial Services Authority has suggested. The former Cazenove partner, who is currently serving a 21-month jail sentence after he was found guilty of five counts of insider trading, could pay £956,863 back to the government. The Financial Services Authority (FSA), which [...]
Ten laws a day were introduced in spike last year April 25, 2010 TEN new laws were introduced every day last year, according to new research, as the total number of laws passed by parliament soared by more than 15 per cent. During the last 12 months, the government introduced 2,492 new laws, marking a 16 per cent spike compared to 2008, according to Sweet & Maxwell. The [...]
Aviva puts its ethics to the vote April 25, 2010 Aviva, Britain’s second-largest insurer, is set to become the first UK company to allow shareholders to vote on its corporate responsibility practices this week, as it holds its annual meeting at the Barbican on Wednesday. Aviva chairman Lord Sharman, is leading calls for authorities to introduce requirements for businesses to follow suit, arguing that performance [...]
Homebase to post strong profits April 25, 2010 DIY store Homebase is set to post strong annual profits this week, after the pressures of the downturn pushed consumers to spend on improvements rather than moving house. Homebase, owned by Home Retail, is set to report a 168 per cent rise in operating profit to £40m, according to consensus analyst forecasts. However, Argos – [...]
GSK bans travel after ash crisis April 25, 2010 Pharmaceuticals group GlaxoSmithKline has placed a blanket ban on flying for staff in its European offices, in the wake of the volcanic ash crisis. The firm said its ban would be in place for at least a week to allow stranded employees the chance to return home.
