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 [...]
2015: Bring on the year of empowerment December 19, 2014 It's dangerous territory, some smart-arse proffering a crystal ball projection of the future. From weathermen to economists, the curse of the prediction has floored many a better man and woman than I; but as the headline states, we are wallowing in the age of empowerment. I’m not talking about John Lennon’s “power to [...]
Philip Clarke, Euan Sutherland and Dov Charney – the bosses who left us in 2014 December 19, 2014 This year has had its fair share of disasters – from the Co-op’s continued struggles to Tesco’s melting share price. But what of the people behind the stories? We’ve got the best, worst and most surprising people moves of the year. 1. Philip Clarke makes an unceremonious departure from Tesco Clarke stepped down at [...]
Novamedia / Postcode Lotteries – No.3 December 18, 2014 Netherlands – £470.3m For a Postcode Lottery player their address could be the luckiest thing that ever happened to them. Anyone who wants to play provides their postcode which then becomes their ticket number. Using the postcode means it’s not just one participant who wins a prize, but all the players in an entire street [...]
Tesco share price timeline: One chart showing the dramatic decline of the supermarket giant December 9, 2014 Since 1919, the rise of Tesco as the dominant supermarket chain has seemed unstoppable. It enjoyed rapid expansion in the 80s and 90s which resulted in a huge market share over the last ten years. This is all now under threat after a series of profit warnings and scandals has cast a bleak shadow over [...]
FTSE drops over Draghi’s lack of stimulus news – London Report December 4, 2014 BRITAIN’S top equity index fell yesterday largely due to a drop in commodity stocks and disappointment at a lack of concrete, new economic stimulus measures from the European Central Bank (ECB). The blue chip FTSE 100 index closed down by 0.6 per cent, or 37.26 points, at 6,679.37 points. The ECB slashed its growth and [...]
Unilever spins off Flora and Bertolli spreads into a separate business December 4, 2014 Unilever is spinning off its butter division into a separate standalone business as it dragged on the consumer giant’s growth. Its spread brands, including Flora and Bertolli, will form a new division by the middle of 2015 run by a separate management team following a separate strategy, Unilever’s head of finance Jean-Marc Huet told investors [...]