Ex-Liverpool boss Christian Purslow joins Chelsea in new commercial role October 27, 2014 Chelsea have hired former Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow to run the club's global commercial activities Purslow is not a direct replacement for chief executive Ron Gourlay who departed Stamford Bridge last week, with chairman Bruce Buck and director Marina Granovskaia assuming his responsibilities. “The club has ambitious plans to build the Premier [...]
Banks to report as BT is likely to reveal growth – London Report October 26, 2014 THIS WEEK sees a number of banks reporting, with four of the UK’s five biggest lenders due to reveal third-quarter results. Lloyds and Standard Chartered report tomorrow. With Lloyds the focus is expected to be on 9,000 job cuts and a string of branch closures. Standard Chartered’s execs have been under pressure this year. After [...]
Rangers’ finance chief Philip Nash resigns after Mike Ashley oust threat October 25, 2014 Glasgow Rangers' share price tumbled this afternoon on the news that director Philip Nash quit, three weeks after Mike Ashley called for his removal. Nash, who had prior stints as finance chief of both Liverpool and Arsenal, was brought in at the start of the year to help improve the club's standing after it [...]
Debenhams share price dips as 21 per cent fall in profits revealed October 23, 2014 Debenhams' share price opened lower this morning, after the retailer revealed a 20.6 per cent fall in pre-tax profit for the last year. Over the 12 months to August 30, the department store chain saw underlying pre-tax profit drop to £110.3m, in line with expectations, while reported pre-tax profit fell 23.9 per cent to [...]
As Labour proposes giving football fans seats on club boards, would this improve the sport? October 19, 2014 Robin Osterley is chief executive of Supporters Direct, says Yes. Pretty much everyone working in the game likes to argue that football clubs are a special form of business that hold a very significant place in cultural and social terms – not just as actual sports businesses. Clubs are prepared to invest significantly in promoting [...]
Police to probe death threats aimed at Flower October 15, 2014 DEATH threats directed towards banned Wigan prop Ben Flower following his Super League Grand Final dismissal for punching St Helens’ Lance Hohaia were last night being investigated by police. The abusive remarks were made from a single Twitter account and included comments such as Flower “deserves to be shot”, his “last days are approaching” and [...]
Everything is not awesome: Lego to drop Shell contract after Greenpeace oil spill video goes viral October 9, 2014 Greenpeace knows the value of social media. So does Lego. And, if it didn't before, now Shell does too. The toy manufacturer has announced it will not renew its multi-million-pound contract with the oil giant, after a parody video using Lego blocks to depict an Arctic oil spill went viral, notching up nearly six [...]
UK supermarkets vs German discounters: Morrisons gets tough as Buffett attacks Tesco October 2, 2014 Britain’s embattled supermarkets have finally begun their fight back against German discounters Aldi and Lidl who have been eating their lunch in recent months with double-digit growth in the sector. Morrison, the UK’s fourth biggest supermarket, will launch its first customer loyalty card today, along with a price-matching scheme that its chief executive has labelled [...]
Sports Direct now owns 11 per cent of Debenhams October 2, 2014 Sports Direct has just upped its exposure to underperforming department store chain Debenhams, buying a further £33m-worth of shares. The move comes months after the Mike Ashley-owned retailer took its original punt on the high street business, which was ultimately converted into a put option valued at £64m. The new investment equates to a 4.6 [...]
Warren Buffett admits he made “a huge mistake” on Tesco as share price tumbles again October 2, 2014 Warren Buffett has admitted making a “huge mistake” by investing in Tesco, as the supermarket's share price continued to fall today. The legendary investor, and second richest man in the world, is currently the third largest shareholder in Tesco, through his venture Berkshire Hathaway, which owns a 4.1 per cent stake. He first [...]