CHINA CLOSE TO VOLVO DEAL March 10, 2010 GEELY, the Chinese carmaker, has secured funds for its planned purchase of Volvo Cars from US rival Ford from Chinese financial institutes and regional authorities, according to reports yesterday. Ford said late last year it had agreed terms to sell its Swedish unit Volvo to Geely for around $2bn (£1.3bn). Volvo employs 22,000 workers worldwide, [...]
Lookers doubles its profit as car dealers see healthy trade pick-up March 9, 2010 CAR dealership Lookers doubled its annual profit in 2009, reporting pre-tax profits of a record £28.3m. The company, which sells cars from manufacturers like Peugeot, Ford and Volvo, saw its pre-tax profit , goodwill and one-off items jump 102 per cent from 2008. It also benefited from the government scrappage scheme, due to end on [...]
Sharks sunk as Saints go marching on March 7, 2010 NORTHAMPTON moved to within two points of Leicester at the top of the Guinness Premiership after inflicting an eighth straight defeat on Sale, who slumped to the bottom. Tries from wings Paul Diggin and England hopeful Chris Ashton helped the Saints to a first-ever league win at Edgeley Park after fly-half Stephen Myler had missed [...]
WH Ireland in the red March 2, 2010 STOCKBROKER WH Ireland remained in the red over the past financial year despite a nascent pick-up in activity in the small cap broking sector, though the firm insisted yesterday the worst of its woes are behind it. WH Ireland made a pre-tax loss on continuing operations of £2.08m over the year to November, slightly narrower [...]
Investors growing wary over job data March 2, 2010 US stocks ended slightly higher yesterday as mergers and acquisitions supported selected sectors, but investors pulled back from recent gains in some big-cap technology and bank shares. The S&P 500 has risen for eight of the past 11 trading days, but there were signs of fatigue as investors grew cautious in advance of key employment [...]
The law firm boss who says his US merger is set to take on the world February 28, 2010 For a man weeks away from the biggest deal of his life, Lovells’ managing partner David Harris has a remarkably light air about him. On 1 May the City institution – it can trace its history back to 1899 – will merge with US rival Hogan Hartson to create one of the world’s largest law [...]
OUT OF WEEKEND February 25, 2010 FILM MICMACS AMELIE AND DELICATESSEN DIRECTOR JEAN-PIERRE JEUNET SERVES UP ANOTHER DAZZLING FANTASY. EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES ROPEY DRAMA WITH HARRISON FORD TRYING TO FIND A CURE FOR POMPE DISEASE. LEAP YEAR AMY ADAMS AND MATTHEW GOODE STAR IN THIS IRISH-SET ROM COM. DVD THIS IS IT The Wacko industry rolls on – let’s face it, this [...]
Marathon effort for green pioneer February 18, 2010 TO DO this job, you must be an optimist first and foremost, says Steve Mahon, founder of Low Carbon Accelerator, the venture capital firm that specialises in green technology investment. Set up in October 2006, it was the first green technology fund to list on Aim. Attracting institutional investors was a lengthy battle: “The investment [...]
The return of the plain white shirt February 14, 2010 THE white shirt is to men what the little black dress is to women – it goes with anything, can be extremely formal or stylishly casual, and everyone has one. In fact, every chap should have several, since it’s back in fashion, particularly in the City. Eighteen months ago, when expressing brash confidence rather than [...]
Firth shines in fashionable drama February 11, 2010 Film A SINGLE MAN Cert: 12A Fashion designer – and world’s most stylish dude – Tom Ford makes his directorial debut with A Single Man, and boy won’t he let you forget it. An adaptation of a Christopher Isherwood novel about a day in the life of a college professor named George who is grieving [...]