Workspace grabs slice of London tech market with Clerkenwell buy November 12, 2013 SMALL business landlord Workspace has snapped up an office block near Farringdon for £18.1m as it looks to tap into booming demand for space in the area from technology firms. Chief executive Jamie Hopkins said yesterday that the acquisition of Verulam House on Gray’s Inn Road, whose tenants include Tesco’s Blinkbox, marked its first major [...]
Admiral vehicle count rises in its third quarter November 12, 2013 MOTOR insurer Admiral Group said yesterday that the number of vehicles on its books increased three per cent in the third quarter of 2013. In a trading statement, Admiral’s chief executive Henry Engelhardt said the group vehicle count of 3.64m was lifted by expansion outside its core UK market. The international vehicle count rose by [...]
Slowing death rate pulls back Dignity growth November 12, 2013 A FALL in the number of people dying meant a slowdown in profit growth at the UK’s only listed undertaker Dignity last quarter, results showed yesterday. The UK’s death rate fell three per cent in the three months ending September, after a shock six per cent surge in deaths for the January to June period [...]
Sage Group picks new finance chief after three month vacancy November 12, 2013 SOFTWARE company Sage Group has appointed Steve Hare as its new finance chief (CFO), a role that has been covered by acting finance chief Darren Fisher after the company’s last executive left to join WANdisco in August. “Steve brings considerable finance and business expertise developed with global companies, augmented by operational experience gained with private [...]
Cobham warns sales will fall short next year November 12, 2013 DEFENCE and aerospace supplier Cobham yesterday cut its sales forecast for 2014, becoming the latest company to warn shareholders over the impact of US budget cuts. Cobham said the US, which is cutting $37bn from its defence spending this year in a bid to cut the deficit, remains a “highly uncertain” market, which has been [...]
HSBC and Standard Chartered chairmen demand EU reform November 11, 2013 THE CHAIRMEN of two of the UK’s biggest banks yesterday called on Brussels to promote free trade and slash regulation as the best way to increase competitiveness and cut unemployment in the region. HSBC chairman Douglas Flint and Standard Chartered chairman Sir John Peace were among dozens of business leaders who demanded the changes in [...]
Merlin plumps for 315p price for new shares November 7, 2013 SHARES in the Madame Tussauds owner Merlin Entertainments will start trading today following a sales process that had to be brought forward because it was going so well. Advisers to the float, which include Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Lazard, yesterday agreed a price for the new shares of 315p, valuing the firm [...]
Energy switch enquiries lift Moneysupermarket November 6, 2013 SWATHES of customers looking to switch energy suppliers boosted Moneysupermarket.com’s revenue 25 per cent in the first few weeks of October. The company, whose website helps customers to compare insurance, utilities and energy prices, reported overall revenue growth for the third quarter to 30 September of five per cent. Moneysupermarket attributed the dramatic increase in [...]
Wetherspoons ups target to open new pubs November 6, 2013 PUB OPERATOR JD Wetherspoons yesterday raised its target for new pub openings in 2014 and said like-for-like sales were up 3.7 per cent during the first quarter to 27 October. Wetherspoons plans to open between 40 and 50 new pubs this year, it said in an interim management statement yesterday, up from its earlier target of [...]
Imperial’s chair to step down as earnings grow November 5, 2013 IMPERIAL Tobacco yesterday announced its chairman Iain Napier will step down early next year as it reported strong earnings growth during the year. Napier said he is “confident that I am leaving a board that is well equipped to provide the necessary leadership and direction”. Napier will be stepping down at Imperial Tobacco’s annual general [...]