Infinis to lure investors with £55m payout October 21, 2013 INFINIS Energy, the UK’s biggest independent wind power generator, yesterday unveiled plans to pay a healthy £55m maiden dividend to investors as part of its stock market flotation plans. The business, which is owned by Guy Hands’ private equity firm Terra Firma, is floating a third of the business on the London market next month [...]
Public offered a ride on theme park flotation October 21, 2013 ALTON Towers owner Merlin Entertainments yesterday said members of the public will have the chance to become shareholders in the company when it floats in London next month, with a minimum investment of just £1,000. The business, which also owns Madame Tussauds and Legoland, plans to raise £200m in an initial public offering of shares. [...]
The range of premium mixers produced to raise gin’s spirits October 21, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks luck, liquor and a lightbulb moment with Charles Rolls, co-founder of drinks label Fever-Tree WHILE gin may not be the most popular global spirit (that prestigious title goes to Korean rice wine brand Jinro), the world consumes 440m litres of it each year. But back in 2000, Charles Rolls, co-founder of the [...]
Pictures: Husky delivery service trialled in the City October 21, 2013 After Winter deliveries have been disrupted by adverse weather in previous years, same day courier CitySprint is now trialling a novel new delivery method in the City – packages via sled dog team. Trained huskies have been used in London today in an attempt to see if they could help minimise disruption caused by extreme [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 21 October 2013 October 21, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Cameron to build on Royal Mail sale David Cameron is planning to build on the huge popularity of the Royal Mail privatisation by prioritising retail investors for the sell-offs ahead of the general election in 2015. Attracting retail investors will be a key aim as the government prepares to complete the sales of [...]
Retailers point to poor footfall despite strength of sales figures October 20, 2013 RETAILERS recorded a decline in footfall this September, despite official statistics showing the strongest rise in sales for five years during the same month. According to figures released today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard, footfall was 2.4 per cent lower last month than in September last year, with every region of the [...]
City Matters: Tangible steps forward in the UK-China relationship will deliver real benefits October 20, 2013 WITH both George Osborne and Boris Johnson flying the flag for British business in China last week, it is worth taking stock of this increasingly important UK-Sino relationship. As the government rightly recognises, the UK and London need to be plugged into fast-growing global markets like China in order to succeed in the global race. [...]
The real McHoy October 20, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks to Sir Chris Hoy: Olympic athlete turned entrepreneur BRITAIN has caught the cycling bug. Close to 7m people hop on a bike once a month, a rise of 1m in four years. Not only are City professionals now donning full lycra for their daily commutes, but the craze has inspired entrepreneurial flair [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 18 October 2013 October 17, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Tele2 sale lifts Russian hopes VTB has sold 50 per cent of mobile operator Tele2 Russia to billionaire Yuri Kovalchuk and partners, paving the way for the creation of a much stronger fourth competitor in Russia’s mobile market. The deal comes six months after VTB, Russia’s second-largest bank, acquired the Russian arm of [...]
Conviviality swaps Oriel for new broker October 16, 2013 CONVIVIALITY Retail, the owner of the Bargain Booze off-licence chain, has parted ways with Oriel Securities less than four months after hiring the firm as joint-broker ahead of its £64m stock market debut. The company said yesterday that it has hired Panmure Gordon as joint broker, working alongside Zeus Capital, after putting the position out [...]