Maersk lifts forecast after posting profit August 18, 2010 MOLLER-MAERSK, the shipping and oil conglomerate, raised its outlook for the year yesterday after swinging back into half-year profit, on the back of increased volumes and a sharp rise in the price of crude oil. The Danish group said it now stands to make in excess of $4bn (£2.6bn) after tax in 2010, following a [...]
Asda warns of shopper misery as sales drop August 17, 2010 SUPERMARKET chain Asda said yesterday shoppers were being hit in the pocket by government cuts as like-for-like sales excluding fuel fell 0.4 per cent in the second quarter. The chain said its market share had reduced in the 12 weeks to 11 July as total sales crept up “in the low single digits”. Chief executive [...]
Strict Strauss lays down law to troops August 17, 2010 CAPTAIN Andrew Strauss has warned his England troops of their off-the-field responsibilities after coming close to losing Graeme Swann for today’s third Test with Pakistan at The Oval. Spinner Swann missed Monday’s practice session after appearing in a Nottingham court to answer a drink-driving charge. Swann told the court he had returned from birthday celebrations [...]
Asda sales dip as shoppers hit in the pocket August 17, 2010 SUPERMARKET chain Asda said yesterday shoppers were being hit in the pocket by government cuts as like-for-like sales excluding fuel fell 0.4 per cent in the second quarter. The chain said its market share had reduced in the 12 weeks to 11 July as total sales crept up “in the low single digits”. Chief executive [...]
Versatile Yardy in no rush to gatecrash England Test side July 18, 2010 ALL-ROUNDER Michael Yardy admits he is not ready to break into the Test arena despite his promising one-day form. The Sussex captain has established himself as a key member of England’s limited-overs set-up, helping the Three Lions to World Twenty20 success and a 50-over series victory over Australia so far this summer. But unlike fellow [...]
Budd insists that OBR is independent July 13, 2010 THE head of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was yesterday forced to deny there was a conspiracy to revise down how many jobs would be lost through George Osborne’s budget. Sir Alan Budd received a grilling from the Treasury select committee yesterday over accusations his Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) came under government pressure [...]
Maersk lifts 2010 guidance July 8, 2010 DANISH group Moller-Maersk upgraded its earnings guidance for the full-year, yesterday saying its container shipping business had rebounded faster than expected. “The upgrade is due to a combination of (freight) rates and cost reductions,” chief executive Nils Smedegaard Andersen said. “We have taken $3bn out of the cost base on an annual basis, and that [...]
Amazon set to sell groceries July 7, 2010 Ocado’s £1.1bn float was dealt another blow yesterday when internet giant Amazon launched a competing grocery delivery business. Amazon has long toyed with the idea of branching into food delivery, and already does so in the US and Germany, but the timing of the decision heaps pressure on Ocado. Analysts have already questioned the value [...]
Tesco’s accounting methods in spolight June 30, 2010 TESCO yesterday saw its shares dip after Citigroup accused it of “consistently aggressive” accounting. Britain’s biggest grocery chain is using a different method from its rivals on everything from depreciation to pensions, an analyst claimed. Citigroup’s Alastair Johnston said: “If we put Tesco on more comparable accounting to other companies in our sector, it appears [...]
McBride hit by raw price surge June 24, 2010 OWN-BRAND personal care products supplier McBride yesterday warned that its raw material costs are set to soar next year and that there would be an inevitable delay before the increase can be passed on to its customers. McBride, which counts supermarket groups Asda and Tesco among its UK clients, went some way towards soothing investors [...]