Rickie’s return just misses the mark April 15, 2010 Film CEMETERY JUNCTION Cert: 15 HAVING proved he can make it in Hollywood, Ricky Gervais has brought a whole load of Tinseltown gloss back with him for this tale of small-town kids in the Seventies. Written and directed by Gervais and old mucker Stephen Merchant, the film is polished, conventional and formulaic to the degree [...]
Bankers must look hard at pay if they want to win back the public’s support April 14, 2010 JUDGING by public and media sentiment over the past couple of years, the fairground arcade staple of whack-a-mole will at some point be replaced by the sport of whack-a-banker. The credit crunch blame-game does not appear to be dissipating. A particular bone of contention between the banks, politicians and the public is the issue of [...]
The biggest Mad Man in the world still retains a close eye for detail April 7, 2010 This downturn is evidently really beginning to get on the nerves of WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell. He says: “People’s expectations have shifted. Company profits were down 30 per cent in 2008, now that they were only down, say, 13 per cent last year, they are calling that good. But if profits keep falling [...]
Sports Direct pulls bid for Blacks Leisure March 31, 2010 SPORTS Direct yesterday said it would not bid for Blacks Leisure because it couldn’t be sure that suppliers would support such a move, ending an increasingly hostile takeover battle. Sports Direct, controlled by Newcastle United soccer club boss Mike Ashley, said it was aware certain key suppliers would not support a takeover and said that [...]
Sports Direct yet to agree Blacks deal March 29, 2010 SPORTS Direct will have to shelve its takeover bid for Blacks for six months if the two fail to agree on an offer price by Thursday. Its hopes of merging the retail giants have been put in jeopardy after claims that some key suppliers, including North Face, would not continue to work with Blacks if [...]
Sports Direct to up Blacks bid March 28, 2010 Sports Direct could up its bid for Blacks Leisure despite fierce opposition. Mike Ashley, owner of Newcastle United, is expected to significantly increase the £26m bid already on the table. However, he will also have to win over suppliers, including North Face, who are believed to be considering withholding their stock should Ashley take control [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 22, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES MOD TALLIES COST OF CUTTING PROJECTS The Ministry of Defence has instructed its equipment managers to calculate the cost of cancelling all individual programmes in the latest sign of the budget squeeze it faces. The directive, issued in the past two weeks, underlines that no programme, even if under contract with industry, is [...]
First Lady of Football Brady eyeing last laugh at embattled West Ham March 22, 2010 ANYONE willing to succeed the much-loved Margaret Mountford as Alan Sugar’s sidekick on The Apprentice is clearly on first-name terms with daunting tasks, but Karren Brady may have surpassed herself with the role of vice-chairman at West Ham. Among the Premier League’s most illustrious clubs but staring down the barrel of financial ruin, they are [...]
Sports Direct given deadline for Blacks bid March 21, 2010 CLOTHING retailer Sports Direct must bid for Blacks Leisure by 1 April or walk away, the takeover watchdog has ruled, setting a timetable for the conclusion of a long-running and bitter takeover battle. Blacks said it had rejected a £39m approach from the group controlled by Newcastle United soccer club boss Mike Ashley. The Takeover [...]
Blacks turns down bid from Sports Direct March 19, 2010 BLACKS Leisure has turned down a takeover offer from Sports Direct, branding it “wholly inadequate”. Sports Direct, which owns brands including Dunlop and Slazenger, had offered 62 pence per share. The Blacks group includes Millets and Freespirit as well as the Blacks shops and has recently closed 87 shops as part of a cost-cutting programme. [...]