Geronimo boosted by Christmas January 5, 2010 Festive Londoners helped pub operator Geronimo Inns sparkle over Christmas, with like-for-like sales up six per cent in the last four weeks of the year. Despite many publicans suffering badly during the recession, the privately owned firm said it achieved the increase without any discounting or promotions. Geronimo said its 28 pubs in and around [...]
BA’s image recovers from threat of strike action January 5, 2010 JOHN Lewis yesterday announced strong Christmas sales – and certainly from the BrandIndex satisfaction scores, it seems that Waitrose customers were satisfied with their Christmas shopping. Graph One shows the scores of six leading supermarkets for the month of December. A PR DISASTER British Airways, meanwhile, had a disastrous December on the PR front. Strikes [...]
Banks push FTSE higher but vaccine worries hit pharma January 5, 2010 THE leading share index ended 0.4 per cent higher on yesterday, hitting a fresh 16-month closing high, as banks and commodity stocks rose, but gains were capped by a fall in drugmakers on concerns over vaccine sales. The blue chip FTSE 100 closed 22.16 points higher at 5,522.50, its highest close since 2 September 2008 [...]
Next raises profit forecasts after sales boost January 5, 2010 NEXT has increased its full-year profit forcecast after reporting an unexpected boost in sales. The fashion retailer’s like-for-like sales grew by 3.2 per cent in the 22 weeks to Christmas Eve. It has now raised its full-year profit forecast to between £490m and £500m – above the previous estimate of £472m. In a statement Next [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 4, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES US PUBLIC PENSIONS FACE $2,000BN SHORTFALL The US public pension system faces a higher-than-expected shortfall of more than $2,000bn that will increase pressure on many states’ strained finances and crimp economic growth, according to the chairman of New Jersey’s pension fund. The estimate by Orin Kramer will fuel investors’ concerns over the deteriorating [...]
CITY VIEWS: WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT IN THE CADBURY BID BATTLE? January 4, 2010 JEREMY BATSTONE-CARR | CHARLES STANLEY “Our “Reduce” recommendation is predicated on the view Cadbury will do enough to ensure sufficient shareholder support to see off its rivals. We think it unlikely that [the next trading] update will have disappointed, judging by the strong anecdotal evidence to suggest robust Christmas-related sales activity.” HENK POTTS | BARCLAYS [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS January 4, 2010 CARNIVAL Cruise operator Carnival’s full year results were ahead of market expectations and Charles Stanley expects yields to continue to recover with the US economy in 2010. It believes cruising remains a structural growth industry with good prospects for growth in Europe and Asia. Booking and occupancy levels remain strong, it said. J SAINSBURY Shore [...]
PADDED BRA MAGNATE IS TOP WOMAN IN BUSINESS January 4, 2010 PLENTY of lists of the most powerful women in business are published each year now that we ladies have (almost) succeeded in cracking that glass ceiling, so The Capitalist was somewhat surprised by the novel value of the latest addition to the pack. A sneak peek at ladies’ magazine Glamour’s upcoming list of the five [...]
Airline search schemes boosting security firms January 4, 2010 IT is probably fair to say that 2009 was a bad year for the airline industry. Afflicted by strikes, falling passenger numbers and fluctuating fuel prices, the year was topped off with a security alert onboard a Detroit bound Delta Airlines flight on Christmas Day. In the aftermath of another terrorist attempt, European and American [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS January 4, 2010 PARADISE PUB’S BOOT CAMP Every Sunday morning throughout January, devotees of West London’s plushest boho gastropub, Paradise By Way of Kensal Green, can work off their Christmas roasts with a training session organised by the pub. A personal trainer will host workouts in Queen’s Park, and rather than paying to join in, the Paradise will [...]