Analyst Views: What did you make of SuperGroup’s full year results? July 10, 2014 KATE CALVERT | INVESTEC With 2014 having been a year of infrastructure investment, we expect the operational benefits to start being felt in 2015. We see material growth opportunities not only to maximise UK profitability but also driving the online business and rolling out in Europe. JOHN STEVENSON | PEEL HUNT With management time and [...]
Charlie Bracken: The man behind Liberty Global’s deal spree now has his eyes on Europe June 30, 2014 Finance boss Charlie Bracken tells Oliver Smith why content is king With a cable network connecting over 24m households across Europe, a figure that will jump to 28m when its €10bn (£8bn) takeover of Netherlands cable operator Ziggo closes later this year, finance chief Charlie Bracken believes that content is fast becoming the new [...]
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 fails to dethrone Apple after flagship launch June 30, 2014 Samsung’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, has taken third billing behind both Apple’s iPhone 5S and its cheaper 5C in May’s sales, according to research by Kantar Worldpanel. Samsung fared better in the US, however, where the S5 was the second-highest selling smartphone in May behind the 5S. “May was the first full month of [...]
Liberty Living pulls London IPO due to market concerns June 26, 2014 Liberty Living has scrapped its plans for a listing on London’s main market less than a month after announcing its intentions, citing adverse market conditions. Liberty is a brand of the Dublin-listed student property fund Brandeaux, which was forced to suspend its shares last summer after it was overwhelmed by redemption requests by investors. “This [...]
Punch closing in on £2.3bn deal with creditors June 26, 2014 PUB OPERATOR Punch Taverns is close to securing a £2.3bn restructuring deal with its lenders after it reached an agreement with its largest group of bondholders yesterday. The new accord is closing in due to Punch’s agreement to offer a debt-for-equity swap that could give control of the company to noteholders. “Junior notes would be [...]
Alibaba picks NYSE over Nasdaq June 26, 2014 CHINESE e-commerce group Alibaba has decided to list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) where it is expected to raise up to $20bn (£11.7bn) in one of the largest US technology floats. Alibaba, which handles over 80 per cent of online retail transactions in the world’s second-largest economy, will list under the ticker “BABA” [...]
BT facing fines over Openreach repair targets June 26, 2014 British telecoms giant BT could face fines if it does not meet new targets to repair its extensive UK telephone and broadband network, Ofcom said yesterday. New rules that come into force on Monday require BT’s Openreach infrastructure division to fix 70 per cent of faults – in the network used by BT’s own customers, [...]
AMS plans Dialog deal for €3.4bn chip empire June 26, 2014 AUSTRALIAN semiconductor firm AMS yesterday said it was in discussions to buy Frankfurt-listed Dialog Semiconductor in a deal valuing the combination at around €3.4bn (£2.7bn). “These discussions are at a very preliminary stage and there can be no certainty that a transaction will be forthcoming,” the companies said in a joint statement. According to takeover [...]
Monitise buys voucher firm Markco for £55m June 26, 2014 MOBILE payments firm Monitise yesterday said it would acquire MyVoucherCodes.co.uk and Last Second Tickets owner Markco Media in a £54.5m deal. Monitise said the acquisitions would allow it to become “the enabling partner of choice amid the biggest shift in financial services and shopping in a generation, as brands turn to mobile”. The deal is [...]
Bwin.Party denies any plans for sale or split June 26, 2014 ONLINE gaming company Bwin.Party yesterday denied that it was considering selling itself or part of the company as part of a strategic review. Bloomberg had earlier reported that a sale was being considered, causing Bwin’s shares to jump as much as nine per cent. “The board of Bwin.Party has noted the recent speculation in the [...]
