Travelodge chief Guy Parsons to be replaced by former boss April 12, 2012 GUY PARSONS has stepped down as chief executive of Travelodge to allow executive chairman Grant Hearn to take full control of the debt-laden group. The budget hotel chain, which owns nearly 500 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, said Hearn will resume the role as chief executive which he held until 2010. The move [...]
Former Blair adviser sells his PR agency April 12, 2012 TIM Allan, the former spin doctor for BSkyB who started his professional career as a press adviser to Tony Blair, has agreed to sell a majority stake in his public relations firm Portland to the global marketing group Omnicom. The deal values Portland at around £20m (depending on the group’s performance over the next three [...]
BEST of the BROKERS April 12, 2012 GKN Credit Suisse has upgraded the carmaker from “neutral” to “outperform” and has left its target price unchanged at 240p. The broker points out that GKN’s shares have underperformed the sector by four per cent in the last month, thanks to concerns over its possible purchase of Volvo Aero, providing a buying opportunity. Credit Suisse [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 11, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Aviva considers plans for sale of US division Aviva is considering plans to sell its life assurance business in the US in a move analysts estimate could raise at least £1bn and mark an exit from one of the UK-listed group’s core markets. Andrew Moss, chief executive, told investment managers at a recent [...]
Tesco facing investor pressure over strategy April 9, 2012 A MAJOR shareholder in Tesco has called on the retailer to rethink its strategy and improve its struggling domestic business. Legal & General Investment Management said the company needed to think about its capital allocation and return on capital. “It needs to think long and hard about what it wants to be — can it [...]
Tesco sheds its value stripes in UK rebranding April 4, 2012 TESCO has scrapped its blue-and- white striped Tesco Value range of products in favour of a new updated brand, as chief executive Philip Clarke continues to shake up the business in an attempt to revive UK sales. The Everyday Value range, made up of 550 products, will feature more colourful and “softer” packaging compared with [...]
Clarke makes a play to show investors he means business April 4, 2012 PHILIP Clarke’s power grab for Tesco’s UK business last month was a bold move by the flailing supermarket’s chief executive. It left analysts predicting a crunch year for Clarke – who took over from Terry Leahy in March last year – with a clear case of sink or swim on the cards should he fail [...]
St Modwen buoyed by £2bn Nine Elms win April 4, 2012 ST MODWEN said in a trading update yesterday that profits remained in line with expectations, as it flagged its appointment to redevelop New Covent Garden Market in Nine Elms as “a significant contract win” for the firm. The government revealed last week that the developer and French group Vinci had been picked as the preferred [...]
BLINKBOX SIGNS PARTNERSHIP WITH DISNEY April 4, 2012 ONLINE movie service Blinkbox has joined forces with Disney to bring the film company’s latest releases to UK customers. Many popular titles, including War Horse (pictured) and The Muppets, will be available to rent online the same day that they are released on DVD, while Blinkbox users will also be able to access Disney classics [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 4, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES BRAZIL’S BTG BANK TO CEMENT RAPID RISE WITH $15BN FLOAT BTG Pactual is set to float later this month in a deal that will value the rapidly growing Brazilian investment bank’s equity at up to $15bn and the shareholdings of a swathe of executives at more than $150m each. BSE HEAD APPOINTED TO [...]