Greater sovereignty or smaller budgets: With polls tight ahead of the EU referendum, what would Brexit mean for the marketing and advertising industries? April 25, 2016 On 23 June, adland will have a tough decision to make – whether to be at a party in Cannes or a polling booth in Britain. It is hard to assess the impact Brexit would have on the marketing and advertising industry, and its outlook on the issue is predictably varied. Firms differ in size, [...]
Who will be the fastest financial worker in the London Marathon? Last year’s City winner Andy Greenleaf is feeling lucky April 21, 2016 The Virgin London Marathon is nearly upon us, and all over the Square Mile folks are dusting off their trainers, saying "no" to post-work pints, and waking up in cold sweats ahead of the big race. The Capitalist caught up with Andy Greenleaf. By day, he's a business developer at global investment bank Julius Baer, [...]
BNY Mellon joins other US banks in beating expectations in its first quarter April 21, 2016 Bank of New York Mellon has posted a five per cent increase in first-quarter profit due to heavy cost cutting and the US interest rate hike in December. Profit rose to $804m (£557m), or 73 cents a share, from $766m, or 67 cents, a year earlier. Analysts were expecting earnings of 67 cents a share, according to a Bloomberg poll. Total revenue [...]
Mount Anvil profits hit new record high as residential developer targets 1,000 new homes April 20, 2016 London property developer Mount Anvil posted a 25 per cent jump in pre-tax profits to reach a new record of £25m last year, after partnering with other developers to deliver nearly 500 new homes across the capital. The private company, which is redeveloping Keybridge tower in Vauxhall as well as Dollar Bay in the Isle of Dogs, said [...]
Sigma Capital profits rise ten-fold as push into private rental sector pays off April 19, 2016 Kuwaiti-backed property developer Sigma Capital has posted a jump in full-year profits after its push into the growing private rental sector (PRS) paid off. The Aim-listed company, which has offices in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, said revenues increased by 74 per cent to £6.72m last year while profit from operations rose 877 per cent from £1.63m to £1.82m. Profit before [...]
UK house prices: The government could tackle the country’s housing deficit – but it has a vested interest in choking supply April 19, 2016 We need more housing to be built in the UK. That’s a quite indisputable statement that everyone I speak to in the property industry, in the public sector, amongst charities and at the dinner table, agrees with. The population of Britain increases by around 500,000 people each year largely due to positive net immigration but because people are [...]
Caught on camera: Video etiquette for the office April 19, 2016 The expression “may you live in interesting times” is said to be an English translation of a Chinese curse. When it comes to moments caught on camera, what is interesting to some can be damaging to others. From the leaking of the script for Game of Thrones and Walmart’s training video to prevent workers from [...]
World’s largest producers of fake goods revealed as value of counterfeit goods nears half a trillion dollars per year April 18, 2016 The counterfeit goods trade around the world is worth almost half a trillion dollars a year, according to a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office. The value of imported fake goods worldwide stood at $461bn (£325bn) in 2013, 2.5 per cent of the [...]
Star Wars joins forces with Disney princesses to boost Hasbro sales April 18, 2016 Hasbro shares have edged higher after the toy-maker posted a 16 per cent jump in first quarter sales, boosted by demand for Star Wars lightsabers and Millennium Falcon playsets on the back of the recent blockbuster release. The world's third biggest toy company behind Lego and Mattel reported revenues of $831.2m (£585.6m) in the first three months of the [...]
Stock Spirits boss Chris Heath steps down over shareholder and strategy row April 18, 2016 The chief executive of Stock Spirits group has taken "early retirement" and stepped down with immediate effect from the London-listed Polish vodka producer. Chris Heath, who had been at the helm of the European drinks major for seven years, had been facing calls to resign since early April. A large investor in the firm, Western Gate [...]