WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 18, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES TWO BANKS IN DANGER AS DEADLINE APPROACHES European regulators are convinced that two of the continent’s banks will fail to produce credible plans to plug capital deficits by Friday’s deadline, exposing both to the risk of full or partial nationalisation. Officials said that it looked “almost inevitable” that a fresh injection of state [...]
Citi disappoints as profit slumps January 17, 2012 CITIGROUP revealed an 11 per cent collapse in fourth quarter profits yesterday in an earnings report that fell well short of expectations and sent the bank’s shares tumbling 8.1 per cent. The bank posted its lowest revenues since 2008, a year so bad that it led to a rescue by the Federal Reserve. Annual revenues [...]
Private sector bidders line up to win MoD outsourcing contracts January 15, 2012 SUPPORT services firm Serco is in the running to win two key contracts at the Ministry of Defence. The group is believed to be battling IBM for the contract to manage back office services, such as human resources and finance, for the department. It is also thought to be up against Capita for the right [...]
Meccano-set towers: how London offices are evolving January 15, 2012 JE ne regrette rien. That is the message from Chris Grigg when we discuss his decision to quit banking in 2008 to take the reins at commercial property giant British Land. At the time, many in the City thought the former head of Barclays’ commercial bank was simply quitting one troubled industry for another; his [...]
UK industrial output falls in November January 12, 2012 British industrial output posted a surprise fall in November as oil and gas extraction and electricity production were scaled back sharply, official data showed, raising the prospect the overall economy contracted in the final quarter of 2011. The figures from the Office for National Statistics confirm recent weak business surveys and boost concerns that Britain [...]
Michael Page looks abroad January 11, 2012 RECRUITMENT company Michael Page is to go ahead with plans to enter more emerging markets where it sees long-term growth opportunities, it said yesterday as it reported that growth slowed further in the fourth quarter. Michael Page said that, while being mindful of a tough global economy that has rapidly stunted growth levels over the [...]
La Senza and Blacks saved from brink January 9, 2012 IT WAS all change on the high street yesterday after two of the UK’s stricken retailers, lingerie chain La Senza and outdoor sportswear company Blacks Leisure, were rescued from administration. Retailer JD Sports confirmed yesterday that it had bought all of Blacks’ 290 stores and the bulk of its business from its administrator KPMG in [...]
GOLF RETURNS TO THE BOARDROOM AS CITY FIRM TEES UP TENANTS January 9, 2012 PLAYING golf in the office has gone the same way as four-hour lunches and six-figure bonuses in the austerity City. Or has it? Teeing up deals on the putting green will be business as usual at the new City offices run by serviced office provider Co-Work, which is looking for 101 tenants for its latest [...]
MELLON’S ASIAN CV IS NO BARRIER TO NEW GIG January 8, 2012 THE WELL-RESTED Lloyds boss António Horta-Osório is not the only City name making a new start this morning. Today is also the first day for veteran fund manager Jim Mellon (right) as non-executive director of Aim-listed urological manufacturer Plethora. Chairman Bill Robinson tells me: “We look forward to [Mellon’s] input at the board with his [...]
To revive a weak economy small firms must be able to become tomorrow’s giants January 8, 2012 AT THE dawn of a New Year, one bright spot across the gloom of the economic horizon remains Britain’s army of entrepreneurs – those remarkable men and women who have the drive and passion to launch and run their own business. For it is these often family-owned ventures – the small and medium enterprises (SME) [...]