Sharp to step up LCD TV sales May 17, 2010 JAPAN’S Sharp said brisk demand in Asia’s emerging economies will offset most of the impact on its business from Greece’s debt problems and the euro’s weakness. Sharp, the world’s fourth biggest LCD TV maker behind Samsung, Sony and LG, said it planned to double the number of outlets in China that sell its Aquos TVs [...]
Vodafone to reveal surge from iPhone May 16, 2010 VODAFONE is expected to announce strong results tomorrow off the back of strong smartphone sales. The soaring popularity of products including Apple’s iPhone will lead to a spike in revenue of around seven per cent, according to analysts. This would bring the full-year revenue for the telecoms giant to around £44bn. Its profit before tax [...]
Sony aims to make its TV and games units profitable this year May 13, 2010 SONY saw a five per cent rise in revenue for the year to the end of March but admitted the going is still tough, especially in its native Japan. It aims to turn its TV and games divisions profitable in 2010 after investing heavily in new technology in recent years. It has slashed jobs, shut [...]
SPITALFIELDS MARKET: SEEKING OZ CLARKE OF THE REAL ALE SCENE May 12, 2010 REMEMBER that cushy job as a caretaker of a desert island that caused such a stir when it was advertised a year or so back? Well, The Capitalist might just have discovered an even more covetable role – at least for the beer-loving socialites of the City. Old Spitalfields Market is looking for someone to [...]
Sony ups forecasts after cuts pay off May 10, 2010 SONY said it expects to have swung to a surprising annual operating profit in the last financial year and beat forecasts after cost-cutting. The maker of Bravia TVs and Cyber-shot cameras has shed jobs and shut plants due to the global downturn and worked to boost its flat TV division, which has struggled amid fierce [...]
Samsung Life’s record IPO raises $4.4bn April 25, 2010 INSURER Samsung Life achieved South Korea’s largest-ever initial public offering (IPO) on Friday, raising $4.4bn (£2.9bn) with a placing priced near the top end of the range. Keen appetite among foreign investors meant the 4.4m-share offer was heavily oversubscribed. With a total market capitalisation of Won22tr (£13bn) Samsung Life becomes the sixth-largest company on the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 21, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES FIAT TO SPIN OFF NON-CAR DIVISIONS Fiat is to demerge its non-automotive divisions from its core carmaking business in a watershed moment for the 111-year-old Italian industrial group. The spin-off will see Fiat’s Iveco trucks, Case New Holland farming and construction equipment, and industrial and marine engines divisions split off from its Fiat, [...]
TRAVEL NOTES April 18, 2010 A Marathon treat in Mayfair As you pelt towards the finish line of the Marathon on 24 April, it might spur you on if you know your next 24 hours will be spent in the lap of luxury at Dukes, the nearest hotel to the finish line. The hotel is offering a high-carb dinner and [...]
Samsung sees profits up and demand hike April 6, 2010 ELECTRONICS giant Samsung is predicting a surge in flat screen television sales as consumers recover their appetite for spending this year. The world’s largest semiconducter and flat-screen TV maker, which has forecast a record first-quarter profit of 4.3 trillion won (£2.52bn) and sales of 34 trillion won, predicts it will improve its figures in the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 31, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES BARRISTER’S EX-WIFE WINS PAYOUT AFTER 25 YEARS A leading barrister has been ordered to pay his former wife a lump sum of £215,000 – 25 years after they divorced. David Vaughan QC, an expert in European law, had been been paying his former wife Philippa an annual sum of £27,175. But in November [...]