London office take-up falls but tech firm demand soars February 1, 2012 TAKE-UP of central London offices fell by 27 per cent in 2011 compared to the previous year, as the global economic slowdown continued to take its toll, according to research by Knight Frank. The property consultancy said take-up fell to 10.7m square feet last year. However, this coincided with a fall in supply and doubling [...]
Stringer set to step down as Sony chief February 1, 2012 WELSH-born Sir Howard Stringer is to step down as president and chief executive of Sony after a fifteen year run at the Japanese electronics company, to be replaced by Kazuo Hirai. Hirai, aged 51 and currently executive deputy president, will take Stringer’s seat on 1 April. Stringer – a rare foreign chief executive for a leading [...]
BlackBerry tops handset sales… sort of February 1, 2012 So, the biggest selling phone of last year was the… BlackBerry. It’s been a mixed year for… Wait… What? BlackBerry? Seriously? After a year that has seen global blackouts and gigantic writedowns – culminating in its co-chief executives stepping down last month – RIM has come out with a tub-thumping statement claiming to be the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 31, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES EU TO RULE ON DEUTSCHE BÖRSE AND NYSE MERGER The NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Börse tie-up today faces its day of reckoning in Brussels, as European Union commissioners are expected to sign-off a recommendation to block a merger that allegedly stifles competition. BAA SIGNALS END TO HOPES OVER STANSTED RUNWAY BAA has signalled [...]
Apple hires Dixons boss as retail chief January 31, 2012 APPLE has poached John Browett, the boss of Dixons Retail, to take charge of its burgeoning network of retail stores. He will join the US technology giant in April as senior vice president of retail, replacing Ron Johnson, who resigned from Apple last November to join the US department store chain JC Penney as chief [...]
A new challenge for Browett January 31, 2012 WE learnt yesterday that Apple had poached John Browett, former chief executive of Dixons, to head their worldwide retail operations. A look at YouGov’s BrandIndex, which tracks public perception of brands, suggests that this could be a good move for both Apple and Browett. Apple have secured themselves a man who kept Dixons as the [...]
Fears of profit wipeout dent Amazon stock January 31, 2012 SHARES in Amazon plunged more than nine per cent last night after the world’s largest online retailer warned it could make a first-quarter loss. The firm forecast quarterly operating performance ranging from a loss of $200m (£126.9m) to a profit of $100m, below Wall Street expectations. The figures include $200m for stock-based compensation and other expenses. [...]
FTSE ends best month since October as oil provides boost January 31, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index got a boost from strong corporate results, higher oil prices and improved risk appetite yesterday, enabling it to post its best performance in three months in January. After a gloomy 2011 – when the FTSE100 lost 5.6 per cent – the new year has heralded a cautious return to risk, with [...]
RAPID RESPONSES January 31, 2012 California dreams Although I wish Alan Bristow and David Miller were right in predicting that UK companies will be able to compete with the likes of Apple and Google (UK tech industry is positioned for a global challenge, yesterday), in reality we are woefully unprepared to take on the behemoths of Silicon Valley. Autonomy – [...]
FTSE rises as Greece closes in on deal January 31, 2012 The FTSE 100 rose in early trading on hopes Greece was nearing a debt swap deal required to salvage the nation’s finances while European leaders agreed on stricter budget discipline measures to help prevent further debt disasters in the region. Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said negotiators had made “significant progress” in talks to strike [...]