Jupiter gamble paying off for now August 24, 2010 FUND management group Jupiter defied the odds earlier this year when it pressed ahead with a stock market flotation despite concerns that it was an injudicious time to do so. First there were general worries about market volatility and by June more than 30 companies had already shelved plans to float, including London Eye owner [...]
Swannell is the right man for M&S August 23, 2010 WHEN I had breakfast with Robert Swannell, the newly appointed chairman of Marks & Spencer recently, it was clear that the former investment banker was in anything but wind down mode. After three decades of working on mergers and acquisitions, sometimes over seven-day weeks involving late nights, Swannell could have been forgiven for putting his [...]
Rent soars for best West End window space August 22, 2010 WEST END retail rents are set to soar further in the wake of a record £700 per square foot lease secured by Spanish retailer Desigual. The fashion chain will pay the eye-watering sum for the lucrative window-side parts of the shop floor, as part of a deal with property investor Prupim last week. Desigual’s rent [...]
Swannell set to win M&S chairmanship August 22, 2010 ROBERT SWANNELL, the veteran investment banker and HMV boss, is expected to be confirmed as Sir Stuart Rose’s replacement at the chair of Marks & Spencer this week. Swannell spent the weekend thrashing out an agreement with M&S, friends said, and while his appointment was not sealed last night he is understood to be in [...]
FTSE falls to lowest level in a month on US jobless figures August 19, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index fell to its lowest close in a month yesterday, as weak US labour and other data cast further doubt on the strength of the global recovery and as oil stocks fell on lower crude prices. The FTSE 100 fell 91.58 points, or 1.7 per cent, to 5,211.29 points, the lowest close [...]
The doctor’s ticket to success August 19, 2010 FOR a business venture to get off the ground, it needs to fill a gap in the market. Robin Wells’ latest venture mytrainticket.co.uk has found more of a gulf than a gap. The serial entrepreneur/angel investor came across the business opportunity – a rail version of air travel ticket booking sites – 18 months ago. [...]
Westfield sees sales boost at its London mall August 18, 2010 MALL owner Westfield Group yesterday said sales at its London mall were up 17 per cent in the first half of the year compared with the same period last year. The mall, at Shepherd’s Bush, is on track to hit its target of £800m in takings this year after being boosted by tourist numbers, the [...]
Profits up at London Capital August 17, 2010 spread betting company London Capital Group, said first-half adjusted pre-tax profit rose 12 per cent yesterday, helped by strong spread betting performance, but cut its interim dividend by 60 per cent. “If the rest of the year follows the route of the first half, we would expect to be paying quite a substantial dividend at [...]
Koreans snap up French shopping mall August 17, 2010 SOUTH Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) said yesterday it would buy a 51 per cent stake in a French shopping mall from Anglo-French property investor Hammerson for around 350bn won (£189m). The deal is the latest addition to NPS’s growing investments in overseas property assets which include a $767m (£493m) purchase of Sony Center in [...]
Cameron takes stock after 100 days in power August 17, 2010 TONY Blair, who releases his memoirs next month, says his biggest regret was not doing enough during his early years in power. He wasted his first 100 days – and indeed much of his first term – basking in the glory of Labour’s landslide win. By the time he turned his attention to public service [...]