Sports Direct eyes up Blacks December 13, 2011 STRUGGLING retailer Blacks Leisure said yesterday it had been approached by Sports Direct International – one of a number of expressions of interest it has received since putting itself up for sale last week. Sports Direct, controlled by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, has a 21 per cent stake in the firm, and said any [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD December 11, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● Betfair Group will announce its interim results tomorrow. The sports-focused online gambling exchange is betting on seeing the numbers in their favour. ● Domino Printing Sciences will announce its preliminary results tomorrow. The company is lasered in on industrial printing equipment. Carpetright, Britain’s largest carpet retailer, will also roll out its preliminary [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 6, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES CLARKE REJECTS CALL FOR EU POWER GRAB Ken Clarke has told Conservative eurosceptics to forget about repatriation of powers from Brussels at this week’s European Union summit, while urging David Cameron to focus on “how to maintain the financial stability of the western world.” The justice secretary’s comments, in an interview with the [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS December 5, 2011 Hastings Direct Liz Latter has been appointed as head of insurer development at the firm. She will work with Adrian Parry, head of Hastings’ panel development activities for the last two years, who will step back from his full-time commitments in early 2012 to pursue other commitments, but will continue to support the business. Latter [...]
SIX SECRETS OF THE SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR December 4, 2011 ENTREPRENEURS are an intriguing species. Charismatic, fragile, passionate, distracted: with such conflicting personality traits, it’s no wonder they sometimes fail to turn great ideas into viable – and profitable – businesses. At Piper, we have worked with countless entrepreneurs during our 25-year history. The best share characteristics that can make all the difference between failure [...]
Tragic Marilyn memoir is flawed gem November 24, 2011 Film MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Cert: 15 Marilyn Monroe returns to the big screen with a career-making performance from Michelle Williams, supported by an array of outstanding British talent. A true story, My Week With Marilyn combines two memoirs written by Colin Clark, a documentarian whose first job was as a production hand on the [...]
Blatter race row heats up as Ferdinand leads outcry November 17, 2011 EMBATTLED Fifa president Sepp Blatter was facing fresh calls to resign last night after he stood by his comments claiming racism in football is not prevalent, a stance which sparked a public spat between himself and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand. On a day when British footballers and politicians united in their blanket condemnation of [...]
The new Lord Mayor’s message for the City November 13, 2011 AS A keen rower since my schooldays, I have a long track record of steering a course through choppy waters. I suspect this may come in useful over the next twelve months. Having taken over as Lord Mayor at a time when the political and economic environment remains turbulent – and popular opinion towards the [...]
Newcastle stadium naming rights deal could backfire November 10, 2011 SPONSORSHIP experts have questioned Newcastle’s hopes of generating £10m a year from a stadium naming rights deal and criticised the club’s handling of the rebranding of St James’ Park. The Magpies have renamed their historic home the Sports Direct Arena as an interim measure, with a view to attracting a commercial sponsor willing to pay [...]
In the snow in British Columbia November 6, 2011 RUNNING through Vancouver in bright ski gear, carrying boots, boards and skis is an experience in itself. Before hitting the steep and deep slopes of Whistler Blackcomb – British Columbia’s powder playground – we decided to find our ski legs at Vancouver’s nearby family resorts of Cypress, Seymour and Grouse Mountains. The local resorts are [...]