Hugh Osmond snaps up power firm APR in deal worth £527m June 13, 2011 HUGH Osmond, the entrepreneur behind Pizza Express and Punch Taverns, is to buy US temporary power provider APR energy in an $855m (£527m) deal. Horizon Acquisition, a cash shell that Osmond floated on the alternative investment market in February 2010, announced yesterday that it will pay $395m cash and $495m in shares for a 59 [...]
City honoured in the Queen’s birthday list June 12, 2011 BANK of England governor Mervyn King has topped a list of City figures recognised for their services to British business, banking and finance in the Queen’s birthday honours list. This year’s honours list is weighted heavily towards recognising the contribution of the City. This is partly due to it being seen as politically unpalatable for [...]
THE TIPSTER June 5, 2011 SHARES in online clothes retailer Asos tumbled nearly £2 on Friday, despite pre-tax profits rising 41 per cent to £28.6m. Asos is an AIM-listed company with a market cap of £1.6bn, so the question remains how sustainable the price is at almost five times sales. You can’t knock the ambition though. It has big plans [...]
Asos sales in overseas rise June 2, 2011 ONLINE clothes retailer Asos yesterday announced plans to launch three new international websites as it reported a 41 per cent profit rise for the full year. The company said it had been boosted by international expansion and said it was on track to deliver on a plan for £1bn of sales by 2015. Chief executive [...]
Beware weight of expectation June 2, 2011 BEWARE the weight of great expectations. It is hard to quibble with the performance of Asos, which grew annual profits by 41 per cent in the year to 31 March; few other consumer-facing businesses can match that in these tough times. Strategically, the firm is making great strides. It has grown the number of its [...]
Asos profit up 41pc June 2, 2011 Online fashion firm ASOS posted a 41 per cent rise in year profit, boosted by international expansion, and said it was on track to deliver on a plan for £1bn of sales by 2015. ASOS, which targets internet-savvy 16 to 34-year-old women looking to emulate the designer looks of celebrities like Kate Moss, Sienna Miller [...]
Summer glow essentials April 18, 2011 Get the look 1 YSL Volupte Sheer Candy Glossy Lip Balms, £21 at Harrods. www.harrods.com 2 Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils, £17.50 each at John Lewis, House of Fraser and Selfridges 3 Urban Decay stardust eyeshadow in Griffith, £15, www.asos.com 4 Benefit Bella Bamba blush, £23.50, www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk 5 Clinique Chubby stick in chunky cherry, £14.00, [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS April 14, 2011 ASOS JP Morgan rates the online retailer “neutral” but has raised its target price from £13.20 to £19. The broker was pleasantly surprised by ASOS’s sale growth in the last three months of the financial year, which more than offset extra investment in promotional offers. JP Morgan thinks the rise in expenditure is already paying [...]
Asos sees overseas growth fuel profit April 13, 2011 ONLINE fashion retailer Asos yesterday said its sales were “flying” in overseas markets as the web defies the downturn on the high street. The firm said retail sales increased 70 per cent to £93.4m in the three months to 31 March, its financial fourth-quarter. That compares with a rise of 59 per cent in its [...]
FTSE rallies after banks and retailers deliver good news April 13, 2011 THE UK’s top share index closed higher yesterday, boosted by retailers and banks after a sell-off on Tuesday described as “overblown”. At the close, the FTSE 100 was up 45.97 points, or 0.8 per cent at 6,010.44, recouping half of Tuesday’s 1.5 per cent drop and recapturing the 6,000 level. Banks gained after better-than-expected results [...]