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 [...]
Best of the Brokers for 02 October 2014 October 1, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ROYAL MAIL UBS has upgraded to “neutral” from “sell”, but cut the target price to 400p from 450p. The broker believes Royal Mail is no longer significantly overvalued now, with near-term earnings estimates more realistic, but cautioned on modernising challenges and tough trading [...]
Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons: Have investors given up on supermarkets? October 1, 2014 Tesco's share price has fallen 3.4 per cent today. Wm Morrison's has declined by 5 per cent. Sainsbury's share price tumbled 6.6 per cent. Although they operate in the same sector, each of these three supermarkets is suffering its own problem. So what is happening? Tesco's well documented £250m black hole in its [...]
HMV returns to profit as Hilco rescue pays off September 28, 2014 HMV IS set to announce nearly £17m in operating profits during the 11 months after it fell into administration last year. Between 29 January and 28 December 2013 the music and DVD retailer saw sales of £311.2m, with its owner Hilco reporting every one of HMV’s stores is now profitable due to its restructuring programme. [...]
Tesco’s week from hell: £250m black hole, 16 per cent fall in share price since Friday September 26, 2014 Was this the week Tesco hit rock bottom? Having discovered a huge black hole in its finances, shares have fallen from Friday's closing price of 229.6p, to a low of 191.23p in early morning trading today. That's a fall of almost 17 per cent. Here's a handy, cut-out-and-keep guide to Tesco's week from hell Monday [...]