Morrisons shares are buzzing on this takeover rumour February 12, 2014 Morrisons shares jumped over five per cent this morning on rumours that the founding family is planning to take the company private. According to Bloomberg, a number of private equity firms have been approached to see if any is interested in a buyout, which would be valued at over £7bn. Reported names include CVC Capital [...]
Grocery sales grow at slowest pace since 2005 February 11, 2014 BRITAIN’S grocery market is growing at its slowest pace since 2005, with only discounters as well as Waitrose and Sainsbury’s defying the downturn and growing market share. Figures out yesterday from Kantar Worldpanel showed that grocery sales rose by 2.4 per cent in the 12 weeks to 2 February compared with the same time last [...]
Flying first glass: Virgin Atlantic kits out crew with Google specs February 10, 2014 IF YOU happen to be flying with Virgin Atlantic out of Heathrow today, you may be met with a surprise. Never one to be left behind in technological adventures, Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic fleet will be trialling Google Glass – well, in the Upper Class Wing at least. Concierge staff will meet customers in the Upper [...]
Sir Terry Leahy joins social media company Starcount…but still not Twitter February 10, 2014 Former Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy has leapt into social media, wallet blazing, by both investing in and becoming a board member of fan science company Starcount. Sir Terry will be joining old Tesco comrades Clive Humby and Edwina Dunn – the pioneers behind the supermarket’s Clubcard – who took stakes in [...]
Challenger banks face a Capital Catch 22: It’s time to level the playing field February 5, 2014 WANDER down any high street and you’ll see those well-known chain restaurants offering appetising food at a reasonable price. Then there are the one-off, often family-run eateries with their own unique menu – perhaps with a speciality that will one day become a staple of that household-name restaurant over the road. The larger chains, of [...]
Hedge your stocks with short-term bonds February 4, 2014 AFTER a volatile start to 2014 for equities, with the MSCI world index yesterday down more than 5 per cent year-to-date, investors will understandably be thinking about capital preservation. And while the prospect of monetary tightening in the West will be problematic for fixed-income, a careful selection of bonds could help to dampen portfolio volatility. [...]
Sainsbury’s shares are jumping this morning. Here’s why February 4, 2014 Sainsbury’s shares have climbed over two per cent this morning after Bernstein Research upgraded the supermarket's stock this morning to ‘outperform’. Shares took a tumble last week after chief executive Justin King announced he's leaving. The initial five per cent drop (shares later stabilised) was a nod to King's performance – he's widely hailed for [...]
Digital advertising on the street: Why posters are no longer static February 3, 2014 @LiamWardProud WITH online marketing campaigns accounting for an ever greater share of advertising budgets, digital posters and billboards are catching up fast. There were over 79,000 digital out of home (OOH) advertising sites in the UK in 2013, according to a recent report by OOH specialist agency Kinetic. This figure is set to grow to [...]
Digital advertising on the street: Why posters are no longer static February 2, 2014 @LiamWardProud WITH online marketing campaigns accounting for an ever greater share of advertising budgets, digital posters and billboards are catching up fast. There were over 79,000 digital out of home (OOH) advertising sites in the UK in 2013, according to a recent report by OOH specialist agency Kinetic. This figure is set to grow to [...]
New interim CEO for Domino’s as Batchelor leaves early January 31, 2014 Domino's Pizza Group has announced that David Wild, currently the senior non-executive director of the Company, will be appointed as interim chief executive with immediate effect. He will act in an executive capacity for a temporary period until two months after a new chief executive is appointed. Stephen Hemsley, non-executive chairman, commented: I am delighted [...]