What you need to know before the open March 19, 2014 Europe is expected to open mixed this morning after Vladimir Putin said yesterday that he’ll respect the sovereignty of Ukraine, going no further than recognising Crimea as part of Russia. Foreign secretary William Hague’s accused Russia of a “land grab”, calling the situation the most serious test of European security this century. Of course, we’ve [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 19 March 2014 March 18, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Labour pledges power to Scotland The Labour party has pledged more powers for Scotland in an attempt to bolster pro-union support six months before September’s referendum on independence. The prospects for devolution have become a battleground between pro-union campaigners and nationalists who argue that only independence would let Scotland decide its economic destiny. [...]
Retail investors excluded from Polypipe float March 18, 2014 BRITISH plastic piping manufacturer Polypipe is the latest company to announce its plans to float on the London Stock Exchange, as it looks to take advantage of the UK construction market recovery. Around half of the company’s share capital will be up for grabs, but like online food takeaway business Just-Eat, which announced its plans [...]
Row as retail investors denied chance to buy shares in Just-Eat March 17, 2014 BANKERS to Just-Eat, the London-based online food takeaway business, yesterday announced plans to float on the stock market in a deal that will exclude retail investors. The company has chosen to list in London in a confidence boost for the London Stock Exchange but its decision to exclude private investors was met with dismay by [...]
Just-Eat curries investor favour for £900m float March 17, 2014 JUST-EAT beefed up its boardroom yesterday with senior hires from BSkyB and Hammerson ahead of a float next month, adding to the swelling ranks of firms looking to list in London. The 13-year-old business, which was founded in Denmark by entrepreneur Jesper Buch, said BSkyB chief financial officer Andrew Griffith would join the firm as [...]
Viewpoint: The retail investor should not be ignored March 17, 2014 HOW CAN any company which relies on the custom of the public ignore them when it floats on the market? Certainly it seems wrong to deny your customers a chance to share in your company’s fortunes. The current resurgence of initial public offerings in the London market is certainly welcome. But it isn’t good news [...]
Poundland and Pets start trading March 17, 2014 MILLIONS of shares in Pets at Home and Poundland changed hands yesterday after the two retailers officially started trading on the London Stock Exchange. Poundland boss Jim McCarthy opened trading in a ceremony at the exchange but shares in the company closed 2.6 per cent lower at 375p a share. About 2m Poundland shares changed [...]
Boohoo.com finance chief bags 20 per cent of share options March 17, 2014 BOOHOO.COM, the online retailer that debuted on the London Aim last Friday, said yesterday it had awarded its chief financial officer over 20 per cent of its initial share options. The Manchester-based firm’s said that 9,746,000 share options were granted to employees. The options will vest in three years, at an exercise price of 50p, [...]
Shore Capital in the money after markets boost March 17, 2014 CITY finance firm Shore Capital yesterday said it doubled profits last year after a strong showing from its equity capital markets division. The business, founded by Howard Shore in 1985, said the division saw its pre-tax profits rise up 19.4 per cent from £5.1m to £6m. Overall revenues for the company rose nine per cent [...]
January boost in retail footfall reversed by February’s decline March 17, 2014 RETAIL footfall slumped again in February after a stronger start to 2014, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard. Traffic fell by 2.9 per cent in the year to February, more than reversing the 1.6 per cent increase recorded in January. High street stores were the biggest losers last month, with a 5.3 [...]