Lloyd’s of London insurer Amlin share price rockets 33 per cent as Mitsui Sumitomo swoops for £3.5bn September 8, 2015 Following July's takeover of the Financial Times by Nikkei, another Japanese giant has swooped on a British company, after the board of Lloyd's of London insurer Amlin recommended an £3.5bn offer by Mitsui Sumitomo. In a statement today, Amlin said Mitsui had offered 670p in per share, a 36 per cent premium to Amlin's closing [...]
Samsung offers “free trial” of its smartphone for Apple users in new mocking ad – four tech giant ad wars we remember September 8, 2015 Samsung is offering a free “trial programme” for any Apple users considering converting to its smartphones, in its latest marketing stunt designed to poke fun at Apple. And Apple isn’t above biting back…. The South Korean tech giant has introduced a 30-day trial designed to entice iPhone users, allowing owners of the Apple smartphone to [...]
RSA Insurance Group’s share price climbs as it sells Latin America business to Suramericana for £403m September 8, 2015 Insurance group and takeover target RSA has sold its Latin American arm for £403m cash. The business, which is currently being wooed by Zurich, has inked the deal with Suramericana, the insurance subsidiary of Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana – more commonly known as Grupo Sura. RSA Latin America had total assets of £1.34bn [...]
Berkeley Group share price rises as Tony Pidgley says it’s on track to hit £2bn target thanks to General Election September 8, 2015 Another day, another glowing report from one of the UK's largest housebuilders, after Berkeley Group chairman Tony Pidgley said the company was on track to deliver an earnings target of £2bn over the next three years – thanks, in part, to the outcome of the General Election. Shares in Berkeley Group (which, lest we forget, [...]
Costa Coffee and Premier Inn parent Whitbread plans to raise prices to mitigate “substantial” National Living Wage costs September 8, 2015 Picked up a coffee on your way into work this morning? You might find it starts costing a little bit more in future. Costa Coffee and Premier Inn parent group Whitbread has warned that it will be forced to introduce "some selective price increases" across the business as part of measures to tackle rising [...]
Ex-Sainsbury’s boss Justin King takes on first big role since leaving September 7, 2015 The former chief executive of Sainsbury's, Justin King, is set to take on his first major role since leaving the supermarket last year. King, who is widely credited with reversing the fortunes of the supermarket chain, is due to become vice-chairman of private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners. "A source close to Terra Firma [...]
Sports Direct shareholder Royal London Asset Management to vote against Mike Ashley at AGM September 7, 2015 Mike Ashley is no stranger to investor unease, but he could be heading towards a bigger upset at this week's AGM. Following guidance issued by shareholder group Pirc, now Sports Direct shareholder Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) has said it will vote against Ashley's reinstatement on the board this year. Ashley Hamilton Claxton, [...]
“Drastic Dave” Lewis is delivering at Tesco with £4.2bn sale of South Korean arm Homeplus to MBK September 7, 2015 Ever since Dave Lewis was appointed chief executive of Tesco last year, he has made strengthening the balance sheet a priority for the troubled retailer. Although Homeplus in South Korea was a profitable business, the focus has been on protecting Tesco’s UK market share in light of increasing competition from lower priced discounters, such as [...]
Network Rail: Hungry shoppers and record car manufacturing keep Britain’s freight trains chugging ahead September 7, 2015 Rising consumer spending, faster delivery services and a jump in UK car manufacturing has sent the number of goods needing to be sent up and down the country by freight trains steaming ahead, according to new research from Network Rail. In a report published in partnership with Royal Mail and the Co-Op, Network Rail said [...]
Royal Mail buys stake in Australian tech start-up Market Engine Global September 7, 2015 Royal Mail has bought a stake in Australian technology start-up Market Engine Global. The size of the stake and the amount paid by the FTSE 100-listed company have not been disclosed, but the move represents Royal Mail's continued attempt to diversify its business. Read more: Royal Mail posts flat revenue as letter sending continues [...]