When terrorists steal your name: The sorry plight of the brands called Isis September 24, 2014 Is there no such thing as bad publicity? If your brand carries the same name as an extremist terrorist outfit you might feel differently. Since emerging earlier this year, the militant group Isis has changed its name twice – it is now also known as Islamic State (IS) and Isil (Islamic State of Syria [...]
Brands with the name ISIS: To change, or not to change? September 24, 2014 If a group of Islamic extremists decides to adopt the same name as your company or brand, it puts you in a tricky situation. No matter what your brand might be or what the services or products it offers are, there is bound to be some negative effect. A number of brands called ISIS [...]
Why “ego appeal” has made office space in London’s skyscrapers the fourth-most expensive in the world September 24, 2014 If you want to rent an office in one of the City's trendy skyscrapers, it's going to cost you. At an average of $2,400 (£1,467) per sq ft, London's high-rise office space is the fourth-most expensive in the world, according to a report published today – just behind Hong Kong, Tokyo and Manhattan. According to [...]
Singapore fund crashes into RAC stock market float plans September 23, 2014 RAC, the roadside recovery group that has been preparing itself for a £2bn flotation in London, is understood to be in takeover talks with GIC, the Singapore sovereign wealth fund. Sources said last night that RAC’s initial public offering timetable had come to a halt to allow talks to be held between private equity group [...]
Veteran UK lender Close Brothers surges ahead on share activity September 23, 2014 A SURGE in specialist lending and stock market activity yesterday saw British financial services company Close Brothers announce an increase in operating profits by 20 per cent in the past year to £201m. Close Brothers, founded in 1878, said full-year profit rose 25 per cent after it increased lending and rising stock markets boosted its [...]
Mapped: Which Phones 4u stores are being shut down? September 23, 2014 PricewaterhouseCoopers has revealed the addresses of the 360-plus Phones 4u stores that are being shut down, and the number of staff being made redundant as the business is wound down. At this stage 1,679 people will lose their jobs, with a further 720 people staying on to help with the wind down. Some [...]
The elder statesman: Lord Young talks motorways and tear gas September 21, 2014 If the Conservatives win next year’s general election, Lord Young will be the oldest person to work in Number 10 ever, beating William Gladstone, who was Prime Minister until he was 83. “Margaret Thatcher asked me to go into Cabinet 30 years ago. Now David Cameron tells everybody that he and I are the only [...]
Card Factory up on delivery of maiden results September 18, 2014 DISCOUNT greeting card shop Card Factory reported its half-year results yesterday, showing underlying profits that grew 9.3 per cent, but an overall £7.9m loss due to the costs of its initial public offering (IPO) in May. Revenues during the six months to 31 July rose 8.9 per cent to £149.4m on the back of an [...]
Canary Wharf’s shopping malls boost Songbird Estates September 18, 2014 Songbird Estates, the listed property giant behind London’s Canary Wharf Group, said the value of its shopping centres had reached a record £1bn in the first half of the year as the company pushed ahead with a new mall above its planned Crossrail station. The company is building 115,000 square feet of retail [...]
London Report: Stocks brush off referendum and get a lift from ECB September 18, 2014 LONDON traders yesterday set aside concerns over the Scottish referendum result and reacted positively to European Central Bank moves to strengthen Eurozone lenders. The blue-chip FTSE 100 closed up 38.39 points, or 0.57 per cent, at 6,819.29 points. Low-cost airline EasyJet’s shares rose 0.45 per cent to 1,344p after it announced that it would increase its [...]