Global shares inch down as growth worries weigh August 13, 2012 Asian shares edged lower today as investors saw further evidence of slowing global growth, while the bleaker economic outlook kept hopes alive that authorities around the world will embark on more stimulus measures. European stocks were likely to inch higher, while a 0.3 per cent drop in US stock futures signalled a weak Wall Street [...]
Drunk on golden memories of the Olympics – but reality will still make its sobering return August 12, 2012 SOMETIMES it’s best to start with a confession: here’s mine. Apparently I’ve been at work the last two weeks but frankly I don’t remember. The only thing I remember is the kaleidoscopic haze of an amazing party called London 2012. There was a brief moment last week when the dancing stopped to change the music. [...]
Capital’s shops enjoy delayed Olympic boost August 12, 2012 TRADING across London’s high streets finally started to pick up in the second week of the Olympics as shoppers were lured back to the city. The British Retail Consortium, which is set to unveil figures this week for the Olympic period said “it was confident that the games delivered a boost to overall retail sales”, [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS August 12, 2012 Amor Group The business technology solutions company has appointed Joe Harley as a strategic adviser. He retired from the Civil Service earlier this year, and was most recently the UK Government chief information officer, and also served as chief information officer at the Department of Work and Pensions. Harley will also sit on Amor’s board [...]
London firms give mixed views on the benefits of the Olympics August 9, 2012 LONDON businesses think the Olympics provided less of a boost in demand than they anticipated, claims a survey by Deloitte. Some 42 per cent of firms said they have seen a positive impact on demand since the start of the games compared with 27 per cent who reported a decrease. But this is in stark [...]
Retail industry lays out £500m growth plans August 9, 2012 THE GOVERNMENT yesterday announced some £500m of investment in Britain’s consumer industries, as some of the sector’s largest players laid out expansion plans in the UK and overseas. Speaking at the British Business Embassy’s Retail, Food and Drink summit in London yesterday, Boots chairman Stefano Pessina said the pharmacist will expand its store estate in [...]
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR August 7, 2012 OUR final shortlist for the third annual City A.M. awards is a big one – the Business of the Year. For this category we have looked for strong share price performance aligned to important strategic developments. We have chosen four established companies, along with one rising star in Ophir Energy. Ophir has been one of [...]
Retail sales growth slows in July – BRC August 7, 2012 British retail sales growth slowed in July as a sunny spell towards the end of the month failed to make up for weeks of rain which depressed sales of summer clothes and other seasonal products, the British Retail Consortium said today. The BRC’s findings tally with other surveys and retailers’ reports, showing that consumers were [...]
Summer sun and Olympic fever fail to reignite UK’s retail sales August 6, 2012 RETAIL sales failed to significantly recover last month despite improved weather and the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, figures from the industry have revealed this morning. Like-for-like sales in UK shops were virtually flat in July, edging up just 0.1 per cent compared to a year earlier, according to the British Retail Consortium [...]
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRM OF THE YEAR August 6, 2012 TODAY’s shortlists for the third annual City A.M. awards kick off with our nominations for professional services firm of the year. The UK and EU may be planning significant shake-ups to the industry, but the firms on our shortlist aren’t letting that worry them, continuing to win bluechip clients, pursue global expansion and pioneer employment [...]