Costa profits aid Whitbread October 13, 2009 WHITBREAD yesterday reported profits that beat analysts’ expectations thanks to its coffee chain Costa, although its hotel business continued to suffer in the slump. Whitbread, which owns hotel chain Premier Inn, reported a 2.7 per cent dip in pre-tax profits to £118.2m in the six months to 27 August, but this was still ahead of [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: DID COSTA PERK UP WHITBREAD’S RESULTS? October 13, 2009 MATTHEW GERARD INVESTECThe first half performance was well guided in the September pre-close, but positive comments on the outlook and a very creditable performance on cash flow and costs may push the shares higher. The positive momentum seen in second quarter has continued into the second half. RICHARD HUNTER HARGREAVES LANSDOWNWith value offerings across many [...]
FEES ROW HOLDS UP LLOYDS MOVE October 13, 2009 LLOYDS Banking Group’s chief executive Eric Daniels and the Treasury were last night embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute over the bank’s bid to escape participation in chancellor Alistair Darling’s Asset Protection Scheme (APS). The government wants Lloyds to pay a break fee of £2bn to extricate itself, which the bank thinks is far too [...]
Bank says worst over for Britain October 13, 2009 BRITAIN has seen the worst of the recession and it is now unlikely that earlier fears of a deeper slump will materialise, Bank of England deputy governor Charles Bean said yesterday. In a speech to accountants, Bean said that there had been fears earlier this year that the recession would continue to deepen but that [...]
BoA to share legal papers October 13, 2009 BANK of America’s board of directors has agreed to disclose the legal advice it received over its controversial purchase of Merrill Lynch in January. The financial giant had previously said that discussions with its attorneys should remain private. But it changed its mind after New York State threatened to bring criminal charges against individual executives. [...]
Alistair Darling is being unfair to Lloyds October 13, 2009 ONCE again, the government has got it completely wrong on Lloyds Banking Group. Chancellor Alistair Darling should be happy that the bank is trying to raise private funding to remove itself from the asset protection scheme, a flawed contraption which never really made any sense. Instead, however, the Treasury is turning the screws on the [...]
MPs revolt over expenses October 13, 2009 MPs JOINED forces yesterday to revolt over the demands of independent reviewer Sir Thomas Legg, who is forcing them to repay excessive expenses claims. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Tory leader David Cameron said MPs could be barred from standing at next year’s general election if they refused to pay back the sums. “If people [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 13, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES RBS EYES SELL-OFF OF 300 BRANCHESRoyal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is exploring a government-backed plan to give up all its 312 RBS-branded branches in England and Wales, in a radical move to satisfy Brussels state-aid authorities that could boost business banking competition on the high street. Officials close to the negotiations say the [...]
Myners meets with foreign banks October 13, 2009 Lord Myners, the treasury minister, will today hold a meeting over bonuses with the major foreign banks operating in the UK. He will urge them to agree to a “level playing field” over pay and bonuses. UK banks have already agreed on voluntary rules on remuneration, and have pledged greater transparency in the way they [...]
Lottery boss hits the jackpot October 13, 2009 Dianne Thompson, the chief executive of lottery group Camelot, raked in £1.8m last year. Thompson, who spearheaded an upgrade on the lottery, earned £1.07m in salary, and received a £792,000 “integration” payout. The salary equates to an 11 per cent pay rise from the previous year. Camelot defended the sum, saying the chief executive had [...]