Rivals eye up Virgin Atlantic December 14, 2010 RICHARD Branson’s Virgin Atlantic could fall into American hands after several rivals including US-based Delta approached the company about a merger or tie-in deal. A handful of airlines have made enquiries about an eventual partnership with the carrier, according to Sky News, and Virgin has asked Deutsche Bank to help examine its options. Virgin Atlantic [...]
Orchid invests £3.6m in Sky 3D December 12, 2010 The Orchid Group yesterday announced it will invest £3.6m upgrading all of its TV content to Sky 3D and Sky+HD. The move will see the technology installed in all 300 of its premises, which include Bar Room Bar, The Oriental Restaurant Group and The Living Room. Rufus Hall, chief executive of The Orchid Group said: [...]
Home advantage can give United the edge December 9, 2010 MANCHESTER UNITED vs ARSENAL Monday, 8.00pm, Sky Sports ARSENAL forced their way to the top of the Premier League table last weekend with a 2-1 win against Fulham. Samir Nasri was the hero with a brace against the Cottagers and he has now scored four goals in his last three league games. Manchester United’s game [...]
Martin Broughton poised to bet against Reuben brothers on Tote December 8, 2010 MARTIN Broughton, who oversaw the recent sale of Liverpool Football Club, is putting together a bid to buy the Tote. Broughton is assembling an offer for the state-controlled betting firm through Sports Investment Partners (SIP), the private equity firm he recently launched with his son, Michael. The racing fan, who is a former chairman of [...]
Fat lady sings as Sky Songs plays last tune December 7, 2010 BSKYB has closed its iTunes rival Sky Songs after it failed to attract enough subscribers. One industry source told City A.M. the service could have had fewer than 10,000 subscribers. Sky Songs offered users unlimited streaming, plus download-to-own tracks and albums from £6.49 a month. A Sky spokesman said: “Although we are extremely proud of [...]
Seymour in US deal talks December 6, 2010 LONDON broker Seymour Pierce may be finalising a £40m takeover deal that will see it merge with at least one other US company, reports suggested yesterday. Seymour Pierce’s executive chairman, Keith Harris, is reportedly in discussions with Gerova Financial Group, a US reinsurance firm, to engineer a reverse takeover-type transaction with a third company, Ticonderoga [...]
Troubled De La Rue rejects French bid December 5, 2010 BANKNOTE printer De La Rue has been the subject of a rejected takeover bid from French rival Oberthur Technologies, it emerged yesterday. The troubled currency printer received an all cash secret takeover bid from privately-owned Oberthur a few weeks ago, which reportedly values De La Rue at about £750m. The deal was rejected on the [...]
News Corp tries to woo EU over Sky December 2, 2010 NEWS Corp has submitted a series of proposals to the EU in a bid to ease concerns over its proposed takeover of BSkyB. It is understood Rupert Murdoch’s firm is willing to be bound by strict competition rules to avoid gaining an unfair advantage over rivals. However, company sources downplayed speculation Murdoch could sell key [...]
Mouchel calls in Deloitte as austerity bites December 2, 2010 MOUCHEL yesterday confirmed Deloitte has been drafted in to examine how far the firm’s future income could drop, sparking fears it could follow Connaught and Rok into administration. The engineering consulting and design group has been rocked by swingeing cuts in government spending, resulting in the haemorrhaging of contract income. Deloitte was called in by [...]
The man adding colour and style to the City December 2, 2010 IT’S at this time of year that lots of us are reminded just what a frightful drag shopping can be. But of course, it doesn’t have to be – you just have to find the right shop. Take the new premises of men’s clothes and accessories brand Simon Carter on Bow Lane in the City [...]