FirstGroup loses out again as East Coast privatised November 27, 2014 FIRSTGROUP has lost out on the fifth and final rail franchise it bid for this year, as the East Coast mainline fell back into the private sector yesterday. A joint operation, run by Stagecoach and Virgin, was announced as the new operator, following a round of submissions for the key north-south rail route. Stagecoach and [...]
RBS to put Aldgate office block up for sale with £90m price tag November 27, 2014 The Royal Bank of Scotland is close to putting one of its office buildings in Aldgate up for sale, as it looks to cut costs and tap into booming demand for property in London’s Tech City area. The bank has lined up agents at DTZ to sell Aldgate Union on Whitechapel High Street, with offers [...]
Asia and North America fuels profits at SSP November 27, 2014 TRAVEL catering giant SSP delivered a strong jump in profits in its maiden full-year results since floating this summer, fuelled by growth across its businesses in North America and Asia Pacific. The group, which runs travel concessions for retailers such as Marks & Spencer, said underlying pre-tax profits, which exclude IPO costs, rose 61.4 per [...]
Shaftesbury bolstered by West End property investment boom November 27, 2014 SHAFTESBURY has seen the value of its West End estate soar over the past year, thanks to booming investor interest in London’s prime property market. The FTSE 250 landlord, which owns hundreds of properties around Carnaby Street, Covent Garden, Chinatown, and Soho, posted a 25.7 per cent jump in net asset value per share to [...]
UK plastics firm RPC Group buys Icelandic rival Promens for €386m November 27, 2014 British plastic packaging manufacturer RPC Group announced yesterday it was set to buy Icelandic rival Promens Group for €386m (£307m). The Northamptonshire-based firm is looking to partially fund the deal by raising £200m in a fully underwritten one-for-three rights issue at £320m. The remainder will come from RPC’s existing revolving credit facility, which the [...]
Poundland sits pretty after new make-up launch November 27, 2014 THE ECONOMY may be improving, but Poundland’s booming popularity is proof shoppers are sticking to recession-born habits of seeking out a bargain, the company said as it posted a jump in first-half profits. The value retailer enjoyed a 34.2 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to £12.6m in the six months to 28 September, beating [...]
Pubs operator Marston’s records steady year despite profit loss November 27, 2014 BRITISH brewer and pub operator Marston’s yesterday reported a steady year of growth in its preliminary results for the year ended 4 October, despite posting a drop in profits. The Wolverhampton-based company’s underlying group revenue increased one per cent to £787.6m in the period, but its profit before tax fell 3.6 per cent to £83m. [...]
Shell, BP and Petrofac shares close down as Opec decides not to cut oil production November 27, 2014 FTSE 100 oil producers plummeted this afternoon as the Opec group of oil-producing companies, who met today in Vienna, announced its decision not to curb oil production, despite falling prices. Tullow Oil and BG Group were among the biggest fallers, closing down 7.76 per cent and 6.15 per cent respectively, while Petrofac closed down 5.95 per [...]
How does GSK’s new Ebola vaccine work? US safety trials show immunity with no side effects November 27, 2014 GSK's Ebola vaccine could soon be used to protect people against the disease in west Africa, after trials in the US gave volunteers immunity to the deadly virus without causing any negative side effects. Some 20 healthy people were administered the vaccine in an early-stage clinical trial, and all developed antibodies within four weeks, [...]
Stagecoach share price jumps on East Coast mainline rail franchise win with Richard Branson’s Virgin November 27, 2014 Stagecoach and Virgin are the joint winners of a bid to run the East Coast mainline route, netting the government £3.3bn over the next eight years. The route between London and Edinburgh has been publicly run since 2009 after previous operator National Express ran into difficulties and gave up the contract. Stagecoach and Virgin, which [...]