Inside Track: Ross’s brutal shake-up could prove painful for taxpayers January 29, 2014 ROSS’S Brutal Shake-up – come next month, that will be the most appropriate use of the initials of Britain’s most troubled lender. After Monday’s kitchen and bathroom sinking all rolled into one, it’s not difficult to see why. McEwan’s predecessor as chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Stephen Hester, was fond of describing [...]
5 things you didn’t know about new Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe January 29, 2014 Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King is leaving the supermarket in July – but what do we know about his replacement and current commercial director, Mike Coupe?1. A country boy at heart, Coupe was born in Watford in 1960 but was brought up in West Sussex. His mum was a housewife and his dad was an inventor [...]
5 things you didn’t know about new Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe January 29, 2014 Sainsbury's CEO Justin King is leaving the supermarket in July – but what do we know about his replacement and current commercial director, Mike Coupe? 1. A country boy at heart, Coupe was born in Watford in 1960 but was brought up in West Sussex. His mum was a housewife and his dad was an [...]
The law firm leaders joining the global dots January 26, 2014 Baker & McKenzie’s jet-setting duo tell Elizabeth Fournier how they stay ahead FOR A law firm that is less than 70 years old, Baker & McKenzie has an impressive global footprint. From humble beginnings at the hands of co-founders Russell Baker and John McKenzie in Chicago in 1949, the firm now employs more than 4,000 [...]
Unilever surprises with a stronger end to year January 21, 2014 CONSUMER goods giant Unilever reported a better-than-expected finish to its financial year thanks to a rebound in sales in some emerging markets, sending shares higher yesterday. The company behind Lipton Tea and Dove soap surprised the market in October after issuing its first profit warning in almost a decade. It blamed an accelerated slowdown in [...]
Bottom Line: Spread this: I can’t believe it’s not better January 21, 2014 IT DOESN’T look bullish for UK waistlines that Unilever, the world’s biggest ice cream maker, just recorded its twenty-fifth successive quarter of UK growth. Americans have more willpower. Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey wasn’t enough to keep the US market from slowing consumption of the firm’s frozen treats, helping to send its refreshment division down [...]
Unilever dogged by currency headwinds and competitive markets January 21, 2014 "Good progress in tough markets" is the phrase Unilever has chosen to describe its performance in 2013. The Anglo-Dutch products giant said its determined to improve by “driving out complexity and cost”. In its full year results for 2013, Unilever reported underlying sales growth of 4.3 per cent (4.1 per cent in the fourth quarter) [...]
London Report: Unemployment near threshold for UK rate hike January 19, 2014 UNEMPLOYMENT figures due out this week look set to show further signs of the UK’s recovery, with November’s rate expected to have fallen. Alan Clarke, of ScotiaBank said: “The highlight of the UK economic calendar is going to be the labour report, where we see a very good chance that the unemployment rate falls by [...]
Lindt benefits from UK taste for posh choc January 14, 2014 SWISS luxury chocolate maker Lindt & Sprungli enjoyed sales growth of more than eight per cent last year. The bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer, famous for its Lindt bunnies and Lindor truffles, said increased production and its new Hello brand had boosted annual turnover to SFr2.88bn (£1.9bn). Lindt’s UK and North America businesses both grew sales in [...]
Former banking star Cruz signs for Old Mutual January 6, 2014 ONE OF Wall Street’s most powerful businesswomen Zoe Cruz was yesterday appointed to a £77,000 a year boardroom role at FTSE 100 fund manager Old Mutual. Cruz, who was co-president of Morgan Stanley until 2007 and was once tipped as the future boss of the bank, will join as non-executive director and sit on its [...]