UK growth lift as FTSE aims to test 7,000 level – London week ahead January 25, 2015 THE FIRST estimate of GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2014 looks set to deliver good news this week, with growth of around 0.6 per cent on the previous quarter and 2.8 per cent year-on-year. Howard Archer, of IHS Global Insight, said: “Ongoing robust services expansion likely ensured that GDP growth held up pretty [...]
British Airways owner IAG makes third Aer Lingus takeover offer January 24, 2015 International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) has increased its takeover offer for Aer Lingus. The owner of British Airways and Spain’s Iberia has submitted a revised proposal to the Aer Lingus board that values the Irish carrier at €1.34bn (£971m) according to Sky News. IAG has already had two cash takeover bids of €2.30 and [...]
Adrian Chiles dropped as ITV football presenter despite £500,000 a year contract January 23, 2015 ITV has ditched Adrian Chiles as its lead football host, even though he signed a contract with the broadcaster worth £1m last summer. Chiles will be replaced by BBC Radio 5 Live’s Mark Pougatch, who will kick-off by presenting the Champions League meeting of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain next month. According to reports, [...]
GSK takes over in the Ebola race: Experimental vaccine Sent to Liberia for main tests January 23, 2015 Trials of GSK's experimental vaccine to prevent Ebola are about to begin in west Africa. Some 300 doses will be transported to Monrovia, capital of Liberia, and the intention is to inject the first subject within the next few weeks. Ultimately, researchers plan to inoculate 30,000 volunteers, including health-workers. The vaccine was created [...]
Jimmy Choo’s a shoe-in with post-IPO revenue rise January 23, 2015 Jimmy Choo net revenue rose 12 per cent to £299m in the year to December, marking a positive start to its London Stock Exchange listing. Foreign exchange fluctuations had some effect on the numbers however with revenue climbing 6.2 per cent on a constant currency basis. The firm said Asia and Japan continued to deliver [...]
St James’s Place fund hits asset record January 22, 2015 WEALTH manager St James’s Place took assets under management to a record £52bn at the end of last year, aided by a shift in saving allowances and broader pension changes. The FTSE 100 firm attracted £1.4bn more from customers in the three months ending December, slightly ahead of analyst estimates. Changes to ISA allowances – [...]
Christmas boost helps Royal Mail continue growth January 22, 2015 A MERRY return on Christmas parcels has allowed Royal Mail to report a one per cent growth in revenues for the first nine months of the year, the company revealed in a trading update yesterday. Parcel volumes for the nine months were up three per cent, compared to two per cent in the first half. [...]
11 of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies are in the UK: Marks & Spencer, BT, and the London Stock Exchange January 22, 2015 The UK is home to 11 of the world's 100 most sustainable companies with Marks & Spencer, BT, and the London Stock Exchange all making it into the prestigious ranking. The other UK-based companies listed were Reckitt Benckiser, Centrica, Unilever, British Land, Sky, Pearson, BG Group and Electrocomponents. Each year media company Corporate Knights produces the ranking which measures companies' sustainability in terms [...]
Broadcasters BBC and ITV offer seven-way General Election TV debates January 22, 2015 After weeks of wrangling in the wake of David Cameron's insistence that he won't take part in General Election TV debates unless the Greens are represented, broadcasters BBC and ITV have come back with a rather stunning proposal. The two broadcasters have decided to offer the party leaders and the public the chance of a [...]
BT Sport to treat US sports fans to 5,000 hours of ESPN content January 22, 2015 Team spirit is alive at BT Sport and ESPN. The two sport TV channels have signed a new seven-year agreement which will deepen their existing relationship. US based ESPN will provide BT Sport with up to 5,000 hours of programming per year for UK fans of global sports to enjoy, including coverage of the [...]