Fifa presidency: How brands can stop the beautiful game turning sour January 31, 2015 That there is something unsavoury at the top of world football would appear to be beyond doubt, it’s just that it seems most people are powerless to do anything about it, and the situation is rapidly falling into farce, with the likes of David Ginola and now Luis Figo threatening to make bids for the [...]
TheTrainline.com boss Clare Gilmartin “delighted” as US private equity giant KKR snaps up rail ticket seller January 22, 2015 US private equity player KKR yesterday announced its acquisition of TheTrainline.com, the UK’s leading online platform for selling rail tickets, from buyout rival Exponent for an undisclosed sum. TheTrainline.com is the most downloaded travel app in the UK and ranks fifth by gross transaction value in the UK’s e-commerce sector. The company is licensed to [...]
11 of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies are in the UK: Marks & Spencer, BT, and the London Stock Exchange January 22, 2015 The UK is home to 11 of the world's 100 most sustainable companies with Marks & Spencer, BT, and the London Stock Exchange all making it into the prestigious ranking. The other UK-based companies listed were Reckitt Benckiser, Centrica, Unilever, British Land, Sky, Pearson, BG Group and Electrocomponents. Each year media company Corporate Knights produces the ranking which measures companies' sustainability in terms [...]
Davos: Who will be at the World Economic Forum? January 20, 2015 THE WORLD’S elite will gather in Davos today for the World Economic Forum, as business, politics and celebrity converge in the name of global development. The biggest name of the year making a splash at Davos is William Adams (aka Will.I.Am), but fellow singer Pharrell will also be bringing a little happiness to Switzerland. It’s [...]
Unilever sales disappoint after China slowdown January 20, 2015 CONSUMER goods giant Unilever reported lower-than-expected fourth quarter sales yesterday as it continued to grapple with a slowdown in demand for its products in emerging markets, particularly in China. The owner of Lipton tea and Dove soap said like-for-like sales rose by 2.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, in line with the third quarter, [...]
Chinese growth data pushes FTSE 100 higher – London Report January 20, 2015 MINING stocks boosted the FTSE 100 yesterday, after Chinese data beat expectations which pleased mining companies that export to the country, although a tepid outlook from Unilever kept confidence in check. The FTSE 100 index closed 0.5 per cent higher at 6,620.10 points, after earlier reaching its highest point since the start of 2015 at [...]
Davos 2015: Who’s going to the World Economic Forum? January 20, 2015 Where else do world leaders, economists, royalty and even a celeb or two cross paths? It can only be Davos. The World Economic Forum’s annual summit hosts a privileged few, but if you’re lucky enough to be visiting, here’s who to look out for. If, like most people, you’ll be remaining at your desk and [...]
Unilever sales miss expectations – and there’s more of the same in 2015 January 20, 2015 Times remain tough at consumer goods giant Unilever as sales growth remained at its slowest in five years. Underlying sales at the owner of Ben & Jerry’s and Hellmann’s mayonnaise remained unchanged from their third quarter, growing 2.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, below analyst expectations. Overall, sales grew 2.9 per cent in 2014, [...]
Focus on Blackfriars: The rise and rise of City towers on the South Bank January 15, 2015 Of all the makeovers the City of London has undergone in the ancient heart of the capital, Blackfriars is set to be one of the most breathtaking. The opening of Blackfriars South in 2013 marked the first new train station to open on the south bank of the Thames in 120 years. Commuters will no [...]
Tesco boss Dave Lewis: Drastic he may be but let’s not forget dapper January 8, 2015 Drastic Dave Lewis had his day in the spotlight yesterday, reeling off a list of admittedly quite drastic measures in a bid to save Tesco. But the one question The Capitalist wanted to ask was, how does Tesco boss Drastic Dave Lewis feel about constantly being called drastic? Maybe one day he’d like to be [...]