Ocado and Sports Direct: better to arrive late than not at all August 26, 2013 Whenever bankers are asked to explain why London’s market for new issues – the IPO market – nearly collapsed altogether last year, they cite a number of factors that always include the poor performance of a number of high-profile flotations. The lists are long and varied but almost everybody’s bete noirs include Sports Direct, Mike [...]
London Capital One Cup tie previews August 26, 2013 Bristol City v Crystal Palace ■ FOUR-TIME semi-finalists Crystal Palace could hand debuts to summer signings goalkeeper Neil Alexander, plus defender Florian Marange and midfielder Elliot Grandin. Welshman Jonny Williams, 19, could also make his first start of the season for Ian Holloway’s team. Bristol City, without a league win this term, may hand a [...]
Before the open – 21/08 August 21, 2013 Traders are expecting European markets to open lower after a mixed US session as it goes ex dividend today. The big action in today's markets will come at 19.00 as the Federal Open Market Committee publishes its minutes. #FTSE called around 5 points lower. #EURUSD bedding in above 1.3400 – release of #FOMC minutes [...]
Lambert fires for England on dream debut August 14, 2013 STRIKER Rickie Lambert revealed he had fulfilled a lifelong dream after coming off the bench to score less than three minutes into his England debut to earn a thrilling 3-2 win over Scotland at Wembley. The 31-year-old replaced Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney on 67 minutes and 165 seconds later headed defender Leighton Baines’s corner [...]
Mears soaring in spite of extra costs from Morrison purchase August 13, 2013 MEARS, the social housing support services group, yesterday unveiled a 15 per cent jump in first-half profits, despite spending £6.4m on restructuring costs after acquiring the Morrison social housing business. The firm’s adjusted pre-tax profit rose to £15.5m and revenues rose 49 per cent to £457.8m. The Morrison business boosted revenues by £128m over the [...]
Morrisons and Ocado split over online sales tax July 28, 2013 WM MORRISON and Ocado bosses are heading for a clash over controversial plans to launch an online sales tax. The two companies last week formally completed a £216m licensing agreement that will allow Morrisons to launch an online grocery service by January 2014. However the debate surrounding the mooted tax has put Dalton Philips, the [...]
Before the open – 25/07 July 25, 2013 Today will show whether growth is accelerating in the UK, with second quarter GDP out later. After a limp 0.3 per cent growth in the first quarter, economists are now forecasting that we'll see the economy grew by as much as 0.6 per cent in the second quarter. Asian equities fail to respond to #China’s [...]
Ocado shorters scrambling to shrink positions July 22, 2013 HEDGE funds who bet against Ocado have continued to shrink their unprofitable positions in the online grocer, shares in which have soared since its £216m tie-up with supermarket WM Morrison in May. Ocado has been a longstanding favourite among shortsellers, who borrow shares in the hope that a company’s share price will fall. However, the [...]
Review: The World’s End July 18, 2013 FILM THE WORLD’S END Cert 12a | By Alex Dymoke Three Stars MORRISON’S car parks, Kit Kats, national rail services from Leicester to Coventry – it’s easy to hate the banal rubbishness of small-town Britain. But as a spate of offbeat British comedies have shown, it’s easy to love it too. Hot Fuzz, [...]
Britain isn’t classless but it’s time we all stopped worrying about it April 9, 2013 WHAT does a classless society look like? Is George Osborne its emblem – heir to a seventeenth baronetcy, but willing to drop his crystalline intonation to find common ground with a bunch of Morrison’s shelf stackers? Or is it only found in particular places? Perhaps class first died in London’s Docklands, gutted by war and [...]