Malcolm Walker’s many lives: How Iceland hopes to fight off profit slump June 10, 2015 Malcolm Walker has more business lives than a cat. He built his frozen food empire Iceland from a humble shop in Shropshire in 1970 into a £2bn turnover business 30 years later, before hitting a financial iceberg. Walker was forced to step down as chairman in 2001 after the Financial Services Authority launched an [...]
Heathrow or Gatwick runway expansion? Business groups slam delay over airports action June 10, 2015 Politicians must act quickly to implement the recommendations of the Airports Commission or risk being accused of dithering, business groups said yesterday, hitting out at reports that it could be early 2016 before any government action is taken. The commission, overseen by ex-City watchdog Sir Howard Davies, has been looking into the state of [...]
UK house price growth expected to surge as post-election supply bounce lacking June 10, 2015 Hopes for a post-election surge in the supply of houses to the market have failed to materialise, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said today. “Tight supply conditions continue to be a key factor underpinning prices, with fresh instructions to sell becoming increasingly sparse while average stocks per surveyor fell to a new record [...]
City jobs and pay growth boom as more workers look to move June 10, 2015 The number of City jobs new to the market shot up by 13 per cent year-on-year in May, according to figures released today by recruiters Morgan McKinley. Meanwhile, the average increase in pay for someone moving jobs was 18 per cent in May, compared with 19 per cent April. More professionals, both in an out [...]
EU in/out referendum: Labour wants Bank of England to publish the costs of Brexit June 10, 2015 The Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) should publish an assessment of the economic impact of Britain leaving the European Union at least 10 weeks before an in/out referendum, the Labour party has said. Labour backed the EU referendum bill at its second reading on Tuesday, but it is understood that [...]
Cairn Homes IPO: Firm becomes first Irish housebuilder to float in 20 years June 10, 2015 The first Irish housebuilder to list in London for over two decades made its debut yesterday, with shares rising over five per cent. Cairn Homes, a venture set up last year by Alan McIntosh and Michael Stanley, raised €384.9m (£280m) from investors after fees, giving it a market cap of €429.7m. Separately, McIntosh and Stanley [...]
UK aerospace and defence sector flies high amid booming sales June 10, 2015 The UK aerospace and defence sector enjoyed a record year last year, with industry pundits predicting the boom times will be here for a while. The UK currently controls 17 per cent of the sector’s market share – second only to the US. “We are in a global growth market which could top £3.6 [...]
Mansion House Speeches 2015: What do the analysts think? June 10, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne and Bank of England Governor Mark Carney have both said their parts at the annual Mansion House speeches, but what do the analysts think? New Budget surplus rule John Cridland, director-general at CBI, says the budget plan will be good for businesses: Business wants the Government to aim for an absolute [...]
FirstGroup share price rises after US progress helps offset UK rail losses June 10, 2015 Shares in bus and rail operator FirstGroup closed up 6.37 per cent yesterday, after it announced positive results. It announced adjusted profit before tax of £163.9m, and adjusted operating profit of £303.6m for the year ending March 31. The group’s rail business in the UK rail has suffered after it failed to win contracts to [...]
Box share price soars on strong revenue and user growth June 10, 2015 Box's revenue increased substantially in the first quarter and investors are very happy The figures The online storage company's revenue was $65.6m (£42.24m) the first quarter – a 45 per cent increase on the equivalent period last year. Net loss per share was also better at $0.28 on 119.4 million shares outstanding – a [...]