The late-night bank manager is planning a High Street revolution August 8, 2010 THE revolution in High Street banking has begun. That’s the bold claim of Craig Donaldson, chief executive of Metro Bank, the first addition to Britain’s retail banking scene in 100 years. And ground zero is the corner of High Holborn and Southampton Row, where its inaugural branch opened a couple of weeks ago. “The revolution has [...]
Profits surge at Schroders as assets rise August 5, 2010 UK FUND manager Schroders beat analysts’ forecasts for first-half earnings yesterday, as new asset management products helped it brave weakening markets in the second quarter. The company reported a sharp rise in pre-tax profit to £188.2m over the period, comfortably beating consensus analyst forecasts for between £150m and £168m. Falling equity markets had slowed new [...]
BBA Aviation eyes future buyouts as profits climb August 5, 2010 AIRCRAFT services group BBA Aviation posted a 17 per cent hike in half-year profits yesterday, with the group’s management team now eyeing future acquisition opportunities. The British-based group, which divides its operations between services to private jet owners and flight support to the large commercial airlines, reported underlying pre-tax profits of £45.1m, a rise on [...]
M&S hires new finance boss to help Bolland’s revolution August 3, 2010 MARKS and Spencer has hired former WH Smith executive Alan Stewart to help new chief Marc Bolland ring the changes at the company. Stewart, 50, who has held a series of senior posts at public companies, will join the retailer in October. He will be the right hand man to Bolland, who joined in May [...]
Get a lunchtime appetite for running in the #4miler August 1, 2010 EVER thought about upping your fitness levels but just can’t find enough hours in the day? Well, here is an initiative just for you. City.A.M have teamed up with Garmin, leaders in satellite navigation, to bring you the #4miler – giving City workers the chance to reclaim their lunch hours by keeping fit in a [...]
Shell trumps BP by posting strong profits July 29, 2010 ROYAL DUTCH SHELL eclipsed rival BP yesterday after posting second quarter profits of $4.5bn (£2.9bn) almost doubling last year’s numbers. The rise from $2.3bn a year ago came after the Anglo-Dutch oil giant underwent a radical year-long restructuring, which delivered $3.5bn in savings, and axed around 7,000 jobs. Profits were helped by higher refining margins [...]
Saint-Gobain sees profits rise July 29, 2010 FRANCE’S Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building materials group, posted a rise in first-half sales and operating profit, helped by the strength of the construction sector in emerging markets, especially Asia. Operating profit rose 55.4 per cent and the group raised its 2010 cashflow target. St Gobain confirmed its target for a strong rise in operating [...]
HOW TO MAKE THE RIGHT IMPRESSION July 28, 2010 IMAGE IS EVERYTHING Look conservative with a small c – think West Wing, not Sex and the City. Make sure that you accessorise carefully and avoid any novelty fashion. If in any doubt, aim for a smarter look than you think is needed – it’s better to be safe than sorry. ACT CONFIDENT EVEN IF [...]
ARM sees 167pc profit spike after surge in demand for smartphones July 27, 2010 Rising demand for smartphones, netbooks and tablet computers saw chip designer ARM Holdings deliver a remarkable 167 per cent year-on-year spike in profit. The British company, whose designs are in more than 95 per cent of the world’s mobile phones, posted record pre-tax profit of £43.5m on revenue of £100m, both ahead of expectations. The [...]
Canon boosted as camera and printer demand rises July 27, 2010 JAPANESE camera and office equipment maker Canon yesterday posted a 153 per cent rise in quarterly profit, a bigger than expected climb on robust sales of its high-end cameras. For the year to 31 December the maker of IXY compact cameras and upmarket EOS cameras kept its operating profit outlook at 360bn yen (£2.6bn), compared [...]