Nine jailed over London Stock Exchange bomb plot February 9, 2012 Nine men have been jailed for their involvement in a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange. The men, all British nationals, belonged to an al-Qaeda inspired group. Three – Mohammed Shahjahan, Usman Khan and Nazam Hussain – received indeterminate sentences for public protection. The other six received jail terms that ranged from five to [...]
Supergroup shocks with profit warning February 8, 2012 SUPERGROUP, the owner of fashion label Superdry, surprised the City yesterday after it warned that a slowdown in sales meant full-year profits would be at the bottom end of expectations. The retailer said that after a solid Christmas trading period, with like-for-like sales up 9.3 per cent in December, “there has been a slowdown in [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: HAS THE PROFIT WARNING AFFECTED YOUR OUTLOOK? February 8, 2012 JOHN STEVENSON | PEEL HUNT Retail sales were in line with forecasts and little changed from the Christmas interim management statement, with wholesale on track for second half expectations. Given the relative unimportance of January trading and weak fourth quarter comparatives ahead, we were therefore surprised management took the opportunity to cut profit-before-tax guidance to [...]
Bank accounts should become a rite of passage February 8, 2012 FINANCIAL education should be made a compulsory part of every school’s curriculum – that was the motion Justin Tomlinson MP put forward in Parliament just before Christmas. Tomlinson pointed out that debit card usage now exceeds cash usage. Yet about 19 per cent of parents have never discussed how to spend money with their teenagers [...]
PC sales take a hit as e-reader demand rises February 7, 2012 PC shipments to the UK dropped at an annual rate of 19.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011, totalling 2.9m units and marking the UK’s fifth consecutive quarterly shipment decline according to Gartner data. Hit by the economy and growth in smartphones, tablets and e-readers, the Christmas period saw PC shipments slide further [...]
A feast fit for a king to raise money for our real heroes February 7, 2012 The City’s hottest dinner ticket – the Square Mile Salute – is almost upon us again: and this year the organisers are hoping even to surpass last year’s fantastic evening. The charity event will see a bakers’ dozen of the country’s finest chefs prepare amazing canapés and caviar and an unbeatable six course feast accompanied [...]
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS FIRE THE GUN ON LONDON’S OLYMPIC YEAR February 6, 2012 MOST SPORTSMEN keep their trophies in cabinets or on the mantelpiece. Golfer Darren Clarke uses his Open Championship silverware to pour wine. “When I was serving the wine at Christmas from The Claret Jug; I thought ‘this is the life’,” said Clarke on the moment winning the Open on the twentieth attempt aged 42 finally [...]
Queen marks sixty years on the throne February 5, 2012 THE QUEEN will today celebrate her Diamond Jubilee anniversary, with 6 February marking exactly 60 years since her accession to the throne. Yesterday the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, who is recovering from treatment for a blocked artery over Christmas, attended a church service in Sandringham, as her traditional winter break in Norfolk comes [...]
Smaller finance firms on hunt for City talent February 5, 2012 NIMBLE-FOOTED small and niche financial firms are taking advantage of a surplus of City talent by upping their recruitment, it emerged this morning. With many larger banks cutting their headcounts, smaller aspirational groups are looking to snap up highly qualified bankers. “Some employees who would normally only move from one top flight bank to another [...]
Debenhams launches Jenny Packham range February 5, 2012 DEBENHAMS has unveiled its latest womenswear collection created by one of the Duchess of Cambridge’s favourite designers, as part of the retailer’s ongoing move to grow its market share of occasionwear ahead of its rivals. British designer Jenny Packham – also a favourite among Hollywood A-listers – will launch an affordable range of dresses, accessories [...]