What the other papers say this morning December 4, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Intersnack hungry for KP Snacks The British maker of Hula Hoops crisps, KP nuts and Mini Cheddars is about to be sold to German snacks maker Intersnack, paving the way for a possible disposal of the rest of United Biscuits’ brands, including McVitie’s Jaffa cakes next year. Intersnack, the owner of Pom-Bear crisps [...]
Marshall Wace boosts profits on fund returns December 4, 2012 LONDON-BASED hedge fund Marshall Wace yesterday posted a 20 per cent jump in pre-tax profits led by a surge in income from improved fund performance. The company, set up by Paul Marshall and Ian Wace, improved profits from £39.4m to £47.3m for the year ending February 2012 with income from performance fees up ten per [...]
Xstrata exodus continues with Reid departure December 4, 2012 XSTRATA’S long-serving chief financial officer Trevor Reid is to follow departing chief executive Mick Davis out the door of the mining giant when the firm completes its merger with commodities business Glencore next year, it was announced yesterday. Reid, who was poached by Davis in 2001 to help turn the flailing business around, has decided [...]
Crunch week to set the tone for sterling in 2013 December 4, 2012 IT IS a crunch week for the great British pound. The currency will be pushed and pulled by both monetary and fiscal forces. The market has been waiting with bated breath for today’s Autumn Statement, when chancellor George Osborne will outline his fiscal strategy to kick-start the UK’s ailing economy. There is also a chance that [...]
Politicians need to stop moralising – and reform our taxes December 3, 2012 LIKE many people, I loathe the UK tax system. It fails to treat everyone equally and is either extraordinarily punitive or pathetically soft. Scandalously, some big companies pay huge amounts of corporation tax while other similar businesses don’t. The aim must be revolutionary tax reform – all streams of income from labour and capital generated [...]
Hobbs gets the ladies on board without quotas December 2, 2012 NICKY Dulieu, the boss of fashion retailer Hobbs, has managed to recruit a nearly all-female board since taking up the helm in 2008 but insists that imposing quotas is not the way to increase the number of women in the boardroom. Asked whether she was in favour of quotas, Dulieu told City A.M: “I genuinely [...]
London rejoices as Megafon IPO defies the odds November 28, 2012 MEGAFON, the mobile telecoms group controlled by Russia’s richest man, Alisher Usmanov, became the second largest share offering in Europe this year as it raised $1.7bn (£1.06bn) yesterday in London and Moscow despite concerns which had earlier led Goldman Sachs to step aside from the deal. The deal was assisted in its final stages by [...]
Great Scot! It’s Aberdeen Asset’s Caledonian awards November 28, 2012 TO Ranald MacDonald’s Boisdale restaurant for the Aberdeen Asset Management Great Scot Awards 2012. Bagpipes were blaring to welcome tartan–clad guests to the patriotic dinner, held in association with City A.M. and Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Winners included Lord Steel of Aikwood, fashion designer Pam Hogg, actor Jamie Sives and Olympic gold medallist Tim Baillie [...]
Gatwick looks to grow through single runway as traffic rises November 28, 2012 GATWICK executives talked up the airport’s chances of competing with London’s biggest hubs yesterday as the firm posted rising revenues and traffic. Britain’s second-biggest airport said passengers rose 1.2 per cent on last year to 19.9m in the half-year to the end of September. Turnover jumped 3.6 per cent to £325.8m, helped in part by [...]
CBRE and Winterflood Securities are the current Mo Bros to beat November 27, 2012 MASSES of Mos of all shapes and sizes have been terrorising The Capitalist’s inbox this week. And none more so than CBRE analyst Tim Monger-Godfrey’s Anchorman-inspired tache: “If I say so myself, the likeness is uncanny.” Frightfully so, The Capitalist reckons. Not to be outdone, traders at Winterflood Securities also deserve special mention for their [...]