Permira plans £400m Birds Eye refinancing July 8, 2012 Private equity house Permira is considering a refinancing of frozen food firm Birds Eye, which would land the firm a €500m (£397m) windfall. Under the terms of the refinancing, the level of Birds Eye’s debt would expand to almost €2bn from €1.4bn. Permira, which bought the UK-based frozen food producer from Unilever for €1.6bn in [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 11, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Google deal with French publishers Google hailed what it called a “pioneering” agreement in France yesterday over digitising out-of-print books, ending six years of litigation between the US search company and French publishers. The two sides said they had agreed a “framework agreement” under which French publishers can strike their own commercial arrangements [...]
England cheered by draw June 11, 2012 Hodgson relieved to take point from French as Three Lions begin Euro 2012 in encouraging style FRANCE 1 ENGLAND 1 RELIEVED England manager Roy Hodgson believes his team have cleared their biggest hurdle after opening their European Championship campaign with an encouraging draw against Group D favourites France last night. Hodgson’s men looked on course [...]
Accessorise your summer look with some choice pieces June 6, 2012 WOMEN Eeugenia Kim Abby belt-trimmed straw sunhat, £230, netaporter.com Gleaming gold, this straw hat is just the right amount distressed, making for a beach-ready but oh-so-chic summer look. Top Shop Geo Triangle Collar, £15, topshop.com Elegant and easy, this collar necklace looks too classy to be cheap and cheerful, despite the price tag. The triangles [...]
What the other papers say this morning May 17, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES LME’s suitors’ bids pass £1bn mark The three remaining contenders to acquire the London Metal Exchange have all valued it at more than £1bn and promised to preserve its open outcry trading pit, setting the scene for a close-run contest as they attempt to snatch control of the historic bourse. Graff on for [...]
Permira fund grew by a fifth last year May 15, 2012 PRIVATE equity house Permira saw the value of its €9.6bn (£7.65bn) fourth fund jump by more than a fifth last year despite global economic turmoil. The value of investments made so far in Fund IV rose 21 per cent in 2011, according to the annual review, published yesterday. The fund began in September 2006 although [...]
HUGO BOSS PLANS CHINA EXPANSION April 26, 2012 GERMAN fashion house Hugo Boss said yesterday it would focus on opening its own stores and expanding into China as growth in the rest of the luxury industry slows in 2012. The group reported first quarter sales of €607m with operating profit up 13 per cent at €148m.
Moss Bros celebrates return to profit March 29, 2012 Moss Bros yesterday celebrated its first annual profit in four years and reinstated its dividend after a 13 per cent surge in like-for-like sales. The suit and hire specialist, which runs 135 UK stores, made a pre-tax profit of £900,000 compared with a £8.9m loss last year after reducing costs and selling its Cecil Gee [...]
THE LOWDOWN ON TAILORING March 29, 2012 Hugo Boss employs a modern travelling tailor The idea of the travelling tailor is hardly a new one, but it’s an interesting development when it gets embraced by one of the biggest menswear brands. Hugo Boss has launched an exclusive made-to-measure service for its luxury Boss Selection line, with its experts making brief stops in [...]
SVG shake-up as rebels fail to win vote March 20, 2012 PRIVATE equity investor SVG Capital has faced down a shareholder revolt and will continue with plans to diversify beyond Permira, the buyout firm in which it has traditionally invested. SVG won 66 per cent backing for the change yesterday although nearly 34 per cent of the votes went against it. It also won virtually unanimous support to [...]