Tesco to quit Japan after eight years August 31, 2011 TESCO yesterday announced that it would quit Japan after a bruising eight years in which it failed to gain a profitable foothold in the market. Japan is known as a difficult market to crack for western companies, especially in the notoriously tough grocery sector. Tesco has 129 stores, mainly in the Tokyo area, having started [...]
Asian exit sends message to ailing US arm August 31, 2011 IF a butterfly flaps its wings in China, it changes the weather in New York. And if Tesco exits Japan, it sends a chill wind through its US business. The decision to pull out of Japan was a no-brainer. It had a sub-scale operation of just 140 stores, a work-force of 4,367, and annual sales [...]
How to solve the scourge of youth joblessness August 31, 2011 IT is not a good time to be young. Much has been stacked against them – poor job opportunities, rising house prices and tuition fees, collapsing pensions, and the burden of having to pay off the national debt. Last week, figures showed a shock rise in youth unemployment, with nearly one million under 25 year [...]
FTSE edges up as investors eye US strategy August 31, 2011 The FTSE 100 opened solidly this morning as investors kept their eyes on the situation across the Atlantic with hopes still alive that the US Federal Reserve will trigger stimulus measures to boost the struggling economy. US stocks rose for a third straight day yesterday in a volatile session, after minutes from the latest Federal [...]
Tesco to quit Japan after 8-year struggle August 31, 2011 Tesco has put its loss-making Japanese business up for sale, abandoning an eight-year attempt to break into a tough retail market and underscoring its new boss’s commitment to investor returns. The supermarket group said it would trigger a sale process in the coming months for its 129 small-format Japanese stores in the greater Tokyo area. [...]
Ageas UK on a high as profit rises four-fold August 24, 2011 BARRY Smith, chief executive of insurer Ageas UK, celebrated a turnaround in the business yesterday after its profit rose more than four times to £35.4m in the first half. Shares in Ageas SA, which provides Tesco’s insurance, leapt almost 20 per cent yesterday after the UK branch said it had made record first-half income of [...]
Tesco Bank’s director quits August 24, 2011 TESCO director Andrew Higginson is quitting the company in a year’s time – leaving a hole in its plans to expand its banking services. Higginson led the retailer’s move into banking and was at the heart of the company’s strategy under former chief executive Sir Terry Leahy. He was also seen as contender to succeed [...]
Micro Focus shares drop after it ends takeover talks with Bain and Advent August 22, 2011 SHARES in IT firm Micro Focus International slumped more than six per cent yesterday after it ended four months of takeover talks. The firm, which supports mainframe computer applications for companies like Tesco, saw its stock close down 15.82p at 247.18p. The deadline for takeover offers passed on Friday and Micro Focus said bids had [...]
Micro Focus calls halt on offer talks August 21, 2011 SHARES in IT company Micro Focus International are expected to slump today after the firm called off takeover talks after four months of discussions. The firm said bids for the business fell short of expectations, and that it now plans to resume its share buyback programme. The firm, which supports mainframe computer applications for companies [...]
Evolution’s finance boss quits amid takeover talk August 15, 2011 EVOLUTION Group lost its finance director and reappointed one of its former non-executives to its board yesterday amid signs that a takeover bid for the firm was progressing. Andrew Westenberger, the group’s finance director for almost two and a half years, resigned with immediate effect and with no explanation or an immediate successor. But Evolution [...]