Heineken set to clinch Punch Taverns as rival suitor pulls out February 1, 2017 Heineken is set to win the hand of Punch Taverns after a rival suitor decided today not to pursue its bid. The deadline for offers is this Friday but it is understood that Emerald, backed by entrepreneur Alan McIntosh, has stood down giving Heineken a clear path to a takeover of Punch, subject to any [...]
Sajid Javid is preparing to unveil his long-awaited housing plans next week January 31, 2017 Ministers are preparing to unveil a long-awaited blueprint to tackle the UK's housing crisis by boosting the supply of new homes. Barring any last minute delays, communities secretary Sajid Javid hopes to finally publish a housing white paper as soon as this Monday, months after it was first set for publication. The plans had previously [...]
It’s time we saw some real planning reforms in the upcoming housing white paper January 31, 2017 Much like a typical planning application, the housing white paper has already become mired in delay. The policy document, a central plank of Theresa May’s government, was originally due out last year and then put back until January. The smart money is now on publication on 6 February although that date remains unconfirmed. The white [...]
All eyes on Apple this week to see if it halted an iPhone sales slide over the key holiday period January 29, 2017 APPLE will reveal results for the holiday season this week, a key sales period which followed the release of the iPhone 7. The world's biggest quoted company had faced three consecutive quarters of overall year-on-year declines in revenue. This sales slide is expected to be halted if the iPhone, which accounts for two-thirds of Apple's [...]
The Green Investment Bank’s stalled sale risks red faces January 24, 2017 The sale of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) has stalled amid speculation that the government fears ending up with egg on its face from a botched privatisation. The GIB, set up by former business secretary Vince Cable to mobilise private sector capital into the renewables sector, is seeking a new owner to boost investment into [...]
Macquarie’s rival SDCL lays out its plans for Green Investment Bank as talk grows of ham-fisted privatisation and possible flotation January 23, 2017 The Green Investment Bank (GIB) needs to be built up before it can be floated in several years' time according to a UK-based international consortium which wants to be reconsidered as a buyer for the government-owned bank. The consortium, SDCL, is backed by the UK's Pension Protection Fund, Hancock of the US and Mitsui of Japan. It [...]
A light touch is needed for workers on boards January 19, 2017 At first sight, having workers on boards does not seem a deeply divisive or highly political issue but, as a central plank of Mayism, it has become so. Prime Minister Theresa May originally promised to tackle “runaway” corporate salaries by offering both consumers and workers representation on boards as part of last summer’s campaign to [...]
Foundations of the housing white paper are still being laid as Prime Minister Theresa May asks for more meat on the bones January 13, 2017 The long-awaited housing white paper is still weeks from publication as the government looks for ways to beef it up so that it passes muster with the Prime Minister Theresa May. The flagship policy document was originally pencilled in for publication late last year. Several key industry figures had expected the white paper to be published [...]
US fine will let RBS turn page on horror decade January 10, 2017 During the 2008-2009 banking crisis the UK government had to fork out a total of £115bn to rescue Lloyds Banking Group and RBS from imminent collapse, making the taxpayer a shareholder in both. Now a new milestone has been reached: the government is no longer the biggest stakeholder in Lloyds Banking Group, after it cut [...]
Seed capital comes to London start up that helps street food traders set up shop January 8, 2017 A LONDON-based tech startup that aims to modernise the street trading sector has secured £350K seed capital investment from private Singapore fund B.O.H LLC. StreetDots works with major landlords to open street trading pitches or 'dots' that can be booked by street food traders and other retailers via a one stop app. The technology handles [...]
