Lions and luxury in SA’s top resort March 14, 2010 IF the job of a hotel is to make guests feel at home, then you can’t really beat the Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa. When the French football team arrive there this summer they will be greeted with a barrage of “bonjours” from the staff, who are all taking French lessons, just to ensure that [...]
Enron survivor sails to success March 11, 2010 BUDDING entrepreneurs consider this: you co-found a business and, after a while, you realise the culture isn’t right for you. What do you do? John Paskin abandoned his first dream of becoming an entrepreneur in 2007 and went back to his corporate job as an IT manager at BP and waited until the time was [...]
Arsenal’s Gazidis preaching simple solution to football’s debt problem March 10, 2010 IT seems apt that Ivan Gazidis first fell in love with football at Portsmouth. His boyhood club’s grim descent into administration has laid bare the financial mismanagement prevalent even at the top level, where clubs borrow vast sums just to keep pace with their rivals. Now, as chief executive of Arsenal, he is among the [...]
Sports Direct mulls a cash bid for Blacks March 2, 2010 SPORTS Direct yesterday said it is considering a takeover offer for Blacks Leisure. Mike Ashley’s group, which has brands including Slazenger and Dunlop, already owns almost 30 per cent of Blacks shares. It said it is “evaluating a possible cash offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Blacks”. The company, [...]
Sports Direct considers bid for Blacks March 2, 2010 SORTS Direct says it is considering a takeover offer for Blacks Leisure. Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct, which has brands including Slazenger and Dunlop, already owns almost 30 per cent of Blacks shares. It said it is “evaluating a possible cash offer for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Blacks”. The company, [...]
Late England charge can dent strong Irish record February 25, 2010 ENGLAND v/s IRELAND Tomorrow – 4.00pm BBC1 Martin Johnson leapt to the defence of his usually dependable fly-half, as much of the criticism for England’s stale performance against Italy a fortnight ago was levelled at Jonny Wilkinson. Some are surprised that Johnno has decided to stick with the same starting line-up to face Ireland tomorrow [...]
Blacks head for talks with shareholder Sports Direct February 24, 2010 BLACKS Leisure’s financial advisers were yesterday in talks with their counterparts at Sports Leisure in an attempt to strike a funding deal for the company that will prove attractive to both sides and prevent a damaging clash amongst shareholders of the outdoor sports clothing group. The talks commenced immediately after yesterday’s shareholders meeting at Blacks [...]
Blacks tries to keep £22m deal on track February 23, 2010 LAST MINUTE negotiations were taking place yesterday in an attempt to avoid a bitter clash between shareholders at today’s meeting of outdoor clothing specialist group Blacks. Blacks shareholders are due to vote on a £22m refinancing of the group – but the whole exercise has been thrown into jeopardy because of a surprise purchase from an [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING February 22, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES NORTEL AIMS TO BLOCK PENSIONS CLAIM Nortel Networks and its creditors are seeking to block the UK pensions regulator from pursuing a claim worth as much as £2.1bn ($3.3bn) against the company’s worldwide assets to cover the shortfall in its UK scheme. The Canadian telecommunications equipment maker and its UK subsidiary filed for [...]
Sports Direct in share swoop February 22, 2010 RETAILER Sports Direct is trying to win a disputed 29 per cent stake in Blacks Leisure and potentially use its muscle to oppose its troubled rival’s rescue plans. Sports Direct’s subsidiary Sportsdirect.com is looking to acquire the shares as well as an 11 per cent holding in JD Sports Fashion from the administrators of collapsed [...]