Redrow eyes dividend payout as profits soar 50%
Housebuilder Redrow today said it hopes to announce a “modest” dividend at the end of the year after delivering a 50 per cent jump in first-half profits.The group said pre-tax profits in the six months...
View ArticleItalian deadlock pushes FTSE lower
The FTSE 100 fell more than 1 per cent today after the inconclusive outcome of elections in Italy raised fears of a resurgent eurozone debt crisis.Stocks in Asia and the US fell after Italy’s...
View ArticlePippa Middleton in Waitrose recipe deal
PIPPA MIDDLETON is to become the new face of Waitrose after agreeing a deal with the upmarket retailer.• Pippa Middleton to front April issue of Waitrose magazine as her new colum is unveiled• Miss...
View ArticleGoals Soccer Centres unveil rise in profits
GOALS Soccer Centres shrugged off a failed takeover of the five-a-side football pitch operator and disruption from the London Olympics and Jubilee last year to post resilient profits.Keith Rogers,...
View ArticleTraders bemoan eurozone crisis rerun
ITALY’S inconclusive election result took its toll on the Footsie for a second day as investors sold stakes in banking and mining stocks amid fears that the eurozone debt crisis will escalate.The...
View ArticleFarmers: Help shoppers buy British in supermarkets
SHOPPERS want more food from British farms on supermarket shelves in the wake of the horsemeat scandal, a new poll suggests.Farmers called for more transparency and an end to “short-termism” in some...
View ArticleMike Ashley nets £100m from sale of 4% holding
SPORTSWEAR tycoon Mike Ashley sparked buy-out speculation yesterday after he sold a 4 per cent stake in his retail chain, raising £100 million.Ashley, who also owns Newcastle United Football Club, has...
View ArticleCraneware’s position makes it takeover target - analyst
HOSPITAL billing software specialist Craneware yesterday posted a rise in half-year profits, sparking talk among analysts of the Edinburgh-based firm becoming a takeover target.Singer analyst Chris...
View ArticleCarduus fund-raising ‘not hit by downgrade’
Social housing finance company Carduus has confirmed it will press ahead with the launch of a £200 million bond in the autumn, adding that the recent downgrade in the UK’s AAA rating made “no material...
View ArticlePaul Tucker raises prospect of negative interest
BANK of England deputy governor Paul Tucker has floated the radical step of introducing “negative interest rates” in a bid to encourage banks to free up more lending.Appearing before the Treasury...
View ArticleWatermans seals deal to fund growth
PERSONAL injury claims specialist Watermans Solicitors has unveiled expansion plans after signing a six-figure lending deal with Clydesdale Bank.The Leith-based law firm will open its first shop front...
View ArticleFaroe prepares to drill its first well in Norway’s Barents Sea
FAROE Petroleum is preparing for drilling to begin on its first exploration well in Norway’s Barents Sea after the Aker Barents rig was hired for the job.Work on the “high-impact” Darwin prospect,...
View ArticleJPMorgan plan to axe 19,000 jobs in expenses cut
BANKING giant JPMorgan Chase plans to slash up to 19,000 jobs by the end of next year as it looks to cut its overall expenses.The move, which will see 3,000 to 4,000 posts go this year at its consumer...
View ArticlePinsents signs D&W stalwart
A LAWYER who advised on the administration of Irish investor Tim Hegarty’s £500 million property firm WG Mitchell and on the collapse of Scottish airline Flyglobespan has defected from Dundas &...
View ArticleTesco fined £6.5m for part in dairy price-fixing
SUPERMARKET giant Tesco has been fined £6.5 million for its part in a dairy price fixing scandal, ending an investigation which has lasted more than a decade.The penalty is substantially less than the...
View ArticleQMS tightens the rules on Scotch beef and lamb
IN THE face of continued public concern over the sourcing of meat, Scotland’s red meat promotional body, Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), yesterday announced a new scheme as an additional measure to...
View ArticleCosta owner blames snow for slowing sales
BEEFEATER and Costa owner Whitbread has blamed last month’s heavy snowfall for a slowdown in sales growth during the fourth quarter.The group, which also owns the Brewers Fayre and Premier Inn chains,...
View ArticleFormer CBI president National Business Awards chair
DAME Helen Alexander, the former president of the CBI trade body, was yesterday named as the chair of judges for the National Business Awards.Alexander, who is chairman of London-listed events and...
View ArticleComment: That’s the sound of tyres squealing in reverse
IT IS amazing how many words central bankers contrive to use to say little. Often it boils down to nothing being ruled in or out in terms of monetary policy options, but using multiple clauses to say...
View ArticleBusiness briefs: Baxters | Merson | Provident Financial | Cheryl Black
BAXTERS, the Fochabers-based food manufacturer, is to buy a vinegar factory in Staffordshire, clearing the way for Japanese firm Nakano to complete its acquisition of Premier Foods’ vinegar and pickles...
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