Uniqlo owner in talks to buy out Cath Kidston April 14, 2014 THE OWNER of high street fashion chain Uniqlo is leading a pack of suitors hoping to take control of UK homeware company Cath Kidston. Japanese company Fast Retailing, which is listed in Hong Kong and Tokyo, has approached Cath Kidston’s private equity backers TA Associates about acquiring its 65 per cent controlling stake in the [...]
Zeus Capital top of the board for junior flotations April 14, 2014 LONDON’S northern rival Manchester has emerged as a burgeoning scene for equity capital markets, with a Salford-based advisory rocketing to the top of the league for junior market listed flotations for the first time. Zeus Capital has soared to the top of the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) adviser rankings for new firms coming to market, [...]
AO World shares steady after update showing 40pc growth April 10, 2014 SHARES IN newly-listed fridge seller AO World steadied yesterday after the firm’s maiden trading update confirmed it was on track to deliver 40 per cent revenue growth. AO, which floated in February, has been routed this week along with other tech stocks in London and the US on fears that a bubble was forming within [...]
Crown Estate invests in St James April 10, 2014 The Crown Estate which owns Regent Street and other London landmarks, announced yesterday that it has made another investment in St James, acquiring 113 Jermyn Street for £6.7m. In the past five years the Crown Estate has invested £320m in 14 properties around St James’s. The investment is part of The Crown Estate’s plan to [...]
Why Britain’s changing economy needs a fresh monetary strategy April 9, 2014 THE PICK-UP in UK economic growth, which started last year, has continued into 2014 and appears to have gathered further momentum. Earlier this week, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Economic Survey painted a picture of strong demand at home and abroad in both manufacturing and services industries. The survey also showed that companies are [...]
Tech rout slams UK online giants April 8, 2014 BRITISH technology shares were pummeled for a second day yesterday as waves of uncertainty surrounding the sector continued, despite a recovery across similar stocks in the US. The FTSE 100 dropped for the second day in a row, falling over 32 points to 6,590.69, hampered by the poor performance of tech stocks. The top tech [...]
Eyes down in battle to acquire UK bingo halls April 8, 2014 THE FORMER owner of high street stalwarts Comet and MFI is weighing a bid for up to 137 UK bingo halls from Gala Coral, underscoring a sudden turnaround in fortunes for the unloved bingo sector. Henry Jackson, the US investor who heads London-based firm OpCapita, has registered his interest in snapping up Gala Bingo from [...]
Eat makes loss after splashing out on new look April 8, 2014 THE BOSS of Eat has said it is on the road to recovery and that efforts to spruce up its estate are paying off despite falling to a loss last year. The sandwich, soup and salad chain, founded 15 years ago by former hedge fund manager Niall MacArthur, fell to a £521,567 loss in the [...]
McColl’s sales rise following IPO April 8, 2014 McColl’s posted strong sales yesterday and said it is pushing ahead with new store openings as it published its first update since listing on the London Stock Exchange last month. The retailer, which owns 1,279 newsagents and convenience stores, said total sales rose three per cent in the 19 weeks to 6 April while stores [...]
UK tech stocks sink as US bubble fears hit market April 7, 2014 LONDON’S tech stocks stumbled yesterday after US jitters surrounding the sector late last week reached the City, having sent Asia’s tech stocks into freefall overnight. The FTSE 100’s three week rise abruptly ended as the index fell 72.7 points to 6,622.84 after a sell-off on a number of blue-chip tech stocks hurt investor sentiment. Microchip [...]