What the other papers say this Morning October 9, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Channel Islands unite over deficits Guernsey and Jersey are setting aside centuries of rivalry to defeat a common foe: the budget deficit. Senior politicians on the two islands, which have struggled to balance their books since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, are considering radical moves to combine public services, including [...]
Best of the Brokers October 9, 2012 CAPITA Seymour Pierce has downgraded the FTSE 100 professional services company from “buy” to “hold” saying “there was not enough new information at the investor day presentation to warrant an increase in our target price”. The broker added that it was “ disappointed to hear international expansion does not feature greatly in the company’s plan”. [...]
Former Amazon UK head set to take Asos chair October 1, 2012 ONLINE fashion retailer Asos revealed yesterday it has hired the former managing director of Amazon UK to be its new chairman, replacing Waheed Alli, who will step down after 12 years with the firm. Brian McBride, who spent six years at the helm of Amazon’s UK business, will succeed Lord Alli at the beginning of [...]
Asos defies downturn to make sales gains in UK and overseas September 19, 2012 ASOS cheered investors with accelerating sales growth in the UK over the summer, helping boost its shares 1.8 per cent yesterday. The online fashion retailer brushed off the malaise seen on the British high street to report 15 per cent growth in UK takings to £49.9m for the three months to 31 August. This takes [...]
The Tipster | Imperially smoked September 17, 2012 AFTER a difficult period in early September, investors in Imperial Tobacco will be hoping that Thursday’s update will give the company momentum. Share prices sit in the middle of its 52-week range, after being hit by Russia’s ban on smoking in public. But continued growth in emerging markets should give investors something to cheer about. [...]
Public finances put chancellor in the spotlight September 16, 2012 CHANCELLOR George Osborne will be under the spotlight again this week, with the release of the UK’s public finance figures for August. Last month’s shock news – that the deficit grew by £600m rather than falling by £2.8bn in July – means Friday’s figures will give an even clearer indication of whether the government can [...]
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR August 5, 2012 We start the week with the latest nominees for the third annual City A.M. awards – our shortlist for Entreprenur of the Year. Some of the world’s great companies were founded in tough economic times, and we are undoubtedly living through dark days now. It takes a clear head to lead a company when all [...]
ANALYST VIEWS | WHAT HAS SPARKED MARKS & SPENCER’S POOR TRADING PERFORMANCE? July 10, 2012 BETHANY HOCKING INVESTEC The ongoing outperformance of food is making M&S a structurally lower gross margin business, with food gross margin around 20 basis points lower than of clothing. Clothing still accounts for roughly half of profits, however, so issues there are in need of a solution and the management changes are thus positive, but [...]
ASOS bucks the retail gloom as revenue jumps July 10, 2012 SHARES IN ASOS rallied more than 10 per cent yesterday after the fast-growing online fashion retailer outshone its bricks-and-mortar peers and posted a 31 per cent rise in first-quarter sales. The internet shopping site targeted at fashionable 20-somethings said trading was buoyed by a strong performance in the United States and Australia as well as [...]
Web treats prove to be a real bargain July 10, 2012 SHOPPING is all about justification. “I need that extra jumper because…”. And when it comes to justifying our purchases, we turn to one of two options. “Because I’m worth it” or “because it’s cheap”. Buying decisions, beyond bare essentials, are about treats and bargains. That’s true even in cash-strapped times like the present. Earlier this [...]